Dublin, Ireland – New Zealander Dexter Dunn made his presence known in Ireland and the UK as the visiting harness racing reinsman won three races at Portmarnock Raceway Saturday.
In addition, there were two track records set at Portmarnock Saturday. One in an elimination division of the Vincent Delaney Memorial for two-year-old pacers and the other in an elimination division of the Oakwood Stud 3YO Derby.
It didn’t take Dexter Dunn long to find the winner’s circle at Portmarnock, it came in the second race on the program, a one and half mile handicap trot with the six-year-old French mare, Valse De Fourches.
“She was on the bit,” Dunn said, “and she did all the work.”
Getting right to the front, Valse De Fourches led every step of the way, scoring by two lengths in 3:09.5. Sired by Ipson De Mormal, Valse De Fourches is trained and owned by Sean Kane.
“It’s so great to be here,” Dunn said. “This first race was so easy as she is a good mare.”
New Zealand trainer Cran Dalgety put it best.
“He has silk hands,” Dalgety said of Dexter Dunn. “Dexter is use to these extra distance races. It looked like he just held the mare together and Dexter put a little extra polish on her.”
Dunn then added his second straight win with Carmel Camden in the first of two elimination divisions of the Oakwood Stud eliminations
The filly division, going one and one-half miles, saw Dunn and Carmel Camden wire the field with ease in 3:06.7, romping by six open lengths. The daughter of No Pan Intended is trained and co-owned by James Delaney with his brother Derek.
“This was the first time that she (Carmel Camden) ever went an extra distance race and Dexter did great with her.” James Delaney said. “If she races like that tomorrow in the final for Dexter we will be in the hunt for sure.”
The third win on the day for Dexter Dunn came in the last race, the Fletcher Metals FFA Pace. Dunn once again sent the top pacer Dean’s Alibi to the front and never looked back, wiring the field in 1:56.8.
Sitting on his back the entire mile was the grey, Oakwood Outlaw with USA’s George Brennan in the bike but they could not keep up in the stretch as Dean’s Alibi won with ease by four lengths.
One of the top three-year-old pacers in Great Britain, Rewrite History, rewrote another track record as he won his division of the Oakwood Stud for colts at one and one-half miles in 3:03.8.
Driven by Gordon Gilvear, Rewrite History also wired the field. The son of Sportswriter is trained by John Gilvear and is owned by Steven Gilvear. John and Steven are brothers and Gordon is John's son.
The first track record on the day was in the first of three eliminations divisions of the Vincent Delaney Memorial.
The colt division saw Miraculous and driver Patrick Kane, Jr. sit patiently in third place as Meadowbranch Titus (John Richardson) cut the mile and Party At The Spa (Alan Haythornthwaite) was in second place.
The action picked up at the three-quarter mile marker as Haythornthwaite came first-over with Party At The Spa and Miraculous followed the outside flow, then tipped three-wide on the turn and then was able to collar both horses in the stretch to win by a half-length in 2:00.9.
That clocking rewrote the track and stakes record of 2:01.7 set last year by the top colt, Titanium. Miraculous is sired by Arts Conquest and is trained by Sally Teebook and owned by Amie Flower.
The second colt division saw the impressive Newtown Rock and driver Alan Wallace, Jr. wire the field by a half-length in 2:01.
The filly elimination division was a hotly contested battle between race favorite Gabriela Camden (Hugh Menzies) and Meadowbranch Queen (John Richardson).
Gabriella Camden cut most of the mile but in the backstretch the second time, Meadowbranch Queen moved to the lead but broke stride on the final turn for home. Alertly driver John Richardson was able to get his filly back on stride and she went on to win by a half-length in 2:04.9.
Meadowbranch Queen is sired by Kikikolt and is trained by Wiliam Flanagan for the Meadowbranch Stable.
Track Notes: On a sad note it was reported this afternoon that the top three-year-old pacer, Titanium, was put down this morning. The 2014 winner of the Vincent Delaney Memorial and the all-time fastest three-year-old in the UK, had an emergency colic operation and did not survive.
Saturday attendance was the best in track history with a reported crowd of over 1,500 in attendance. Sunday’s post time for the 12 race program is 2:00 pm and featured will not only be the finals of both the Ladbrokes Vincent Delaney Memorial and the Oakwood Stud 3YO Derby, but the final Inter-Dominion heat to decide who will represent the UK/Ireland in Australia. Visiting guest announcer, Hall of Famer Roger Huston of the USA, will call his 170,000th career race Sunday at Portmarnock.
By Steven Wolf