Dunstan put in an impressive effort in his first test in Group company, finishing seventh in what was a tough race against classy opposition.
With the ground slightly softer than ideal and dropping back a couple of furlongs, it was always going to be a tough ask for Dunstan, and the bookies agreed, sending him off as the 125/1 outsider of the field. He came out of the stalls well and jockey David Probert held him up towards the rear of the field, but travelling well during the early stages. He got himself into a good position around the home turn and did look set to make his presence felt. However, with the ground slightly loose, he struggled to quicken and failed to go with the front runners, in a race that it paid to be up with the pace (the first three home were described as ‘Made all’ and ‘in touch with leaders’). With no chance of catching the leaders, his jockey gave him an easy time of things in the final stages, although he did still finish ahead of Prince Rasam.
Jockey David Probert said after the race:
“I just gave him a chance early on, and he travelled really well throughout the early stages. Moving around the home bend and he got into a nice position to challenge, but he was almost wheel-spinning on the ground, so it was probably softer than ideal for him. He’ll be seen to much better effect on good ground, maybe even quick ground. He’s a horse that’s very tough, and I’ve no doubt he’s going to be a lot of fun this season. If you can pick the right races for him, he’s definitely got a big race in him, so I wish you the best of luck with him this season.”
The morning after the race, trainer Barry Brennan reported:
“He’s come out of the race well and is absolutely bouncing this morning. He’s eaten up everything and he has no ill effects from his effort yesterday, which is great news. He’s a true professional racehorse and he’s sure to have some exciting days ahead of him this summer.”
It was another gallant effort from Dunstan and we couldn’t fault his effort against some elite opposition. We cannot wait to see him progress this summer – it’s certainly going to be exciting!
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