For those who know and have met me my first love will always be The Ponies. As my mother used to tell me when I'd ask where Dad & Grandpa where she would say Feeding the ponies... Of course I didn't know they were feeding, Freehold, Mommouth Park & the Meadowland, Roosevelt & Yonkers Ben Franklins...
Guess the acorn doesn't fall far from the tree. Here is South Florida for month of February spent alot of time at Palm Meadows Training Center as well as Gulfstream which is having a very strong meet this year. Next Saturday maybe the best 3 year old prep race for Derby hopefuls in many years with This ones for Phil who posted the fastest byer # in the history of the recorded #'s.
In the Interim on sunny Lazy Thursday I saw who I believe maybe the best 3 year old in the country.... When I watched this race I went WOW, now Mike Welch from DRF wrote about him today.. ALL I CAN SAY IS WATCH THIS HORSE a great Derby hopeful, but I have seen.
Gulfstream Park | Posted 2/19/2009, 6:18 pm
Quote:
Dunkirk's win puts him on Derby path
By Mike Welsch
HALLANDALE BEACH, Fla. - In a performance that catapulted him into the Kentucky Derby picture, Dunkirk overcame an adventurous trip to thoroughly dominate a very talented field of 3-year-old allowance rivals going 1 1/8 miles in Thursday's featured eighth race.
Dunkirk, a $3.7 million juvenile purchase at the 2007 Keeneland sale, was fanned about six wide on the clubhouse turn and remained wide in the run down the backstretch and around the second turn. Dunkirk wore down pacesetter Alma d'Oro leaving the quarter pole before edging away to a 4 3/4-length victory over Warrior's Reward. The win was the second in as many starts for the son of Unbridled's Song, who overcame a slow start to capture his debut going seven furlongs less than four weeks earlier. Garrett Gomez flew in from California to ride Dunkirk for trainer Todd Pletcher.
"That was a beautiful performance. I couldn't be more pleased," Pletcher said in the winner's circle after the race. "It was asking an awful lot of this horse to stretch out to a mile and one-eighth off a seven-furlong maiden win against a stakes-quality field like this. And the way he overcame all that adversity on the first turn with no problem proved he is a special horse."
Pletcher said that Dunkirk would likely follow 2008 Derby winner Big Brown's lead from last winter and go directly from his first-level allowance victory into the Grade 1 Florida Derby on March 28.
"He's here, he's 2 for 2 over the track, and the spacing is good between races, so at the moment I'd say the Florida Derby would be my first choice," Pletcher said.
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"Money Won is twice as sweet as Money Earned!"