Dunbar Road Makes the Grade in Mother Goose
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Photo: Coglianese Photos/Elsa Lorieul
Dunbar Road wins the Mother Goose Stakes at Belmont Park
A return to graded company proved the proper course of action for Peter Brant's Dunbar Road, who defeated five other sophomore fillies June 29 to earn her first black-type score in the $250,000 Mother Goose Stakes (G2) at Belmont Park.
With a May 30 allowance win at the Big Sandy bolstering her confidence for Saturday's 1 1/16-mile dirt test, the daughter of Quality Road tracked the pace just off the rail under jockey Jose Ortiz. After a slow start, Classic Fit established a slim lead and set fractions of :24.34 and :49.13 through the half-mile, while Ortiz was biding his time, full of confidence.
"With her being a young horse, she needs to get something out of it, and today was a perfect day because it was an easy race for her," Ortiz said. "I knew with the amount of horse that I had, I was going to find something to work with."
Stalking the pace three wide, grade 2 winner Jeltrin kept the pressure on Classic Fit and managed to cut her leading margin to a head as six furlongs went in 1:14.34. Still running near the rear in fifth as they approached the far turn, Dunbar Road shifted out four wide and straightened out at the top of the stretch to challenge Classic Fit and a waning Jeltrin.
Taking command at the eighth-pole, Dunbar Road edged away from the dueling frontrunners and crossed the wire 2 1/2 lengths ahead. The final time was 1:43.54.
"She was traveling comfortably, and I felt like she was always there for me," Ortiz said. "When she got out of there, I was close to them and I just liked that she showed a good turn of foot. This will set her up for later."
Classic Fit took second, four lengths ahead of Jeltrin in third. Cassies Dreamer, Safta, and Wings of Dawn completed the order of finish.
"I've never won this race before," said Brant. "This is a first time for me. I've won the other two legs of what was the Triple Tiara (Acorn, Mother Goose, Coaching Club American Oaks). I'm very pleased with her. It's very exciting. We've got a lot of nice horses in the barn, and we're proud to be producing in this great sport."
Brant said the talented filly will likely make her next start for trainer Chad Brown at Saratoga Race Course, but there is no definitive target in mind.
"Chad likes to see how they come out of the race first, and she's going really well and training really well," said Brant. "I hope she'll be in the thick of things. She looks like a two-turn horse. We'll run where she needs to run."
After breaking her maiden by 8 3/4 lengths on debut March 3 at Gulfstream Park, Dunbar Road stepped up in class just 27 days later to take on the Gulfstream Park Oaks (G2). She finished second to Champagne Anyone in that race, a loss that would ultimately cost her the points needed to draw into the Longines Kentucky Oaks (G1) May 3 at Churchill Downs.
"I personally feel rewarded for having a little patience, having missed out on not getting into the field for the Kentucky Oaks," said Brant. "I know Chad really wanted to go in that race, and wherever he wanted to go is fine with me, but when she didn't get in, I wanted to come back to New York."
Bred in Kentucky by Jeffery J. Drown, Dunbar Road is out of the Bernardini mare Gift List, whose last reported foal is an unraced 2-year-old Speightstown filly named On the Good List.
Dunbar Road has won three of her four starts and amassed $257,900 in earnings. She was purchased by Brant's White Birch Farm for $350,000 from the Indian Creek consignment at the 2017 Keeneland September Yearling Sale.