sure are a lot of unbridleds songs getting press right now.

well he is the man!! :tro:

So let me get this straight, Dunkirk has to win the Florida Derby to have the necessary earnings to even start in the KY Derby ( which would be his fourth career start ).

Good luck Dunkirk fans.


Then again, should he fail to win the Florida Derby, perish the thought, after carefully, and slowly, bringing him along, they could rush him back in three weeks in the Lexington....giving him two weeks until the Derby.


Once again.....good luck Dunkirk fans.

I think 2nd in the Florida Derby might get him in.

And if the Lexington comes up too quick after the Fl Derby, there's always the Derby Trial, which is graded this year.

Todd would never do this. After all, he's got 19 other Triple Crown nominees, including Munnings, Bittel Road, Idol Maker and Take the Points.

This is my least favorite part of this time of year. I totally understand your point, but when a promising young colt with an outstanding pedigree overcomes a wide trip to win impressively going 9f, must almost ALL of the talk immediately turn to whether he has a chance or not in Louisville? I realize it is the biggest day in racing, but must everything be about that?
I thought it was an impressive performance by the colt and if he stays healthy (obviously a big question mark given the sire) I think any Dunkirk fans out there DO have reason to be optimistic about his 3yo campaign as a whole.

at this point in the year, what else is there? obviously the best and brightest will be included in derby talk.

Right. I'm not trying to say that people shouldn't be talking about the Derby in February. As you say, they obviously will. It just bugs me when I see people dismiss quality performances from colts in February and March because they don't figure to be a big factor in the Derby (I'm not saying that is what blackthroatedwind was doing exactly). Did Dunkirk get his career started in time to be a probable Derby winner? Probably not, but that doesn't mean that he might not have the potential to be a very nice colt down the road.

The way these owners and trainers are they might just retire the horse if he doesn't make the derby.

with the flashes of talent and his pedigree, i don't know that we'll ever see him maximize his potential if he doesn't make the derby. with the price they paid for him, i would have to think they don't want to jeopardize his future earning potential in the shed.
of course with how things are right now, hopefully most of the top horses will remain in training-and with several UBS's on the radar, who knows what they'll all decide to do racing-wise?

I completely agree.....and rushing him could be the biggest concern.

There are plenty of big races later in the year.

If this horse is to become a major player in the division, I don't think that happens until the Belmont or later. I don't think he can be a factor in the Derby.