Dunbar Road using allowance race to tune up for Mother Goose

ELMONT, N.Y. – After failing to get into the Kentucky Oaks off the also-eligible list and forgoing a trip to Baltimore for the Black-Eyed Susan, Dunbar Road has a new mid-year target – the Grade 2 Mother Goose Stakes at Belmont Park on June 29.

Thursday, Dunbar Road will prep for the Mother Goose when she runs against four rivals in a first-level allowance at 1 1/16 miles which serves as the feature on Belmont’s nine-race card. First post Thursday is 3:05 p.m.

Dunbar Road, a daughter of Quality Road owned by Peter Brant, impressed in her debut with an 8 3/4-length victory going a one-turn mile at Gulfstream Park on March 3. She came back 27 days later and finished second, beaten a half-length by Champagne Anyone, in the Grade 2 Gulfstream Park Oaks. Though she had 40 qualifying points for the Kentucky Oaks, it wasn’t enough to crack the 14-horse body of the field, and she was left on the also-eligible list and ultimately had to scratch.

Brant and trainer Chad Brown briefly considered running her in the Black-Eyed Susan Stakes on May 17 at Pimlico, but decided to pass that race.

“Too much shipping for the horse. I didn’t like the idea of shipping her back to Belmont and then vanning her down to Pimlico. It’s not fair to the horse,” Brown said. “I said let’s just take a breather, run her out of her own stall with an eye on the Mother Goose.”

Before leaving Kentucky, Dunbar Road put in a workout on May 4, then breezed three times at Belmont, including a half-mile move in 48.59 seconds last Saturday.

“She’s ready to go. We’re excited to get her running,” Brown said. “We have a big summer planned for her if she stays healthy.”

Jose Ortiz, aboard for Dunbar Road’s maiden victory, is back on her Thursday from post 3.

Three other entrants, like Dunbar Road, have just a maiden win to their credit, including South of the Shore, also trained by Brown. Brown had entered in her a different allowance race that failed to fill. She hasn’t run since winning a maiden race March 29 at Aqueduct.

No Hayne No Gayne, a 5-year-old daughter of Haynesfield, is a four-time winner, having won three New York-bred races and an open $35,000 claimer. In her maiden win in 2017, No Hayne No Gayne beat a 2-5 favored entry that included runners trained by Brown and Rudy Rodriguez.

“Class is always a factor but she does have an experience advantage,” said Toby Sheets, part owner and assistant trainer of No Hayne No Gayne.

Cap de Creus, a 3-year-old daughter of Tapit trained by Todd Pletcher, is coming off a six-length maiden win at Keeneland on April 19. Private Beach, a 3-year-old daughter of Malibu Moon, won a six-furlong off-the-turf maiden race here May 4 for trainer Tony Dutrow.