Ky. Derby prep: Dornoch loses lead, gets it back, wins Remsen

Dornoch dug down deep and, in an exhilarating photo finish, defeated rapidly closing Sierra Leone in Saturday’s Grade 2, $250,000 Remsen Stakes, a 1 1/8-mile test for 2-year-olds prepping at Aqueduct for Kentucky Derby 2024.

Dornoch, who seemingly was beaten by his rival inside the sixteenth pole when Sierra Leone went by him, courageously re-rallied on the fence under strong urging by Luis Sáez and secured the trophy for owners West Paces Racing, R.A. Hill Stable, Belmar Racing and Breeding, Two Eight Racing and Pine Racing Stables.

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Trained by Danny Gargan, the winner of the 2022 Remsen with Dubyuhnell, Dornoch took a major step toward the first Saturday in May by earning 10 qualifying points on the road to the 150th Derby. The bay colt by Good Magic out of the Big Brown mare Puca is a full brother to 2023 Kentucky Derby victor Mage.

He simply refused to lose.

On a muddy, sealed track that had been playing kindly to inside speed all afternoon, he went to the lead in the 10-horse field and set fleet fractions of 23.09, 46.97, 1:11:56 and 1:37.42. He looked like the sure winner late in the race, but then Sierra Leone came storming wide from all the way at the back of the pack and was gaining ground with every stride under José Ortiz.

The two colts engaged in a fierce battle to the wire. Sierra Leone, a $2.3 million yearling purchase trained by Chad Brown, came up just short by a nose.

“It was pretty good fractions. I had everyone on top right there, but he was pretty comfortable. When he has pressure, he’s OK. But when he feels alone, he kind of look around. But he’s learning. He’s a pretty good horse," Sáez said. “He’s a pretty nice horse, but I feel like he’s still learning. When he kind of feels a little alone, he was a little lost. As soon as (Sierra Leone) came to him, he saw him, and he want to beat him. I can’t describe this. He wants to win the race.

“José tried to close, but he’s a big horse, and he got through. It’s pretty difficult to come back, but he has a big stride, and two jumps he was right there. I was pretty surprised. Every day, you learn something new from horses, and this is a pretty special horse. Last time he kind of was the same, but he ran with different horses. Today was a pretty tough race, and he proved that he’s a pretty good horse.”

Two starts back Dornoch was the runner-up in Monmouth Park’s Sapling with Kendrick Carmouche up. In his last effort he was the dominant, 6 1/2-length winner of a 1 1/16-mile maiden race at Keeneland on Oct. 14, never switching leads and running greenly. He was significantly more professional in the Remsen.

“Kendrick told me, when he rode him at Monmouth, he said, ‘Danny, if I had more time.’ When he saw the horse go by him, he said he gets to playing around, which he bounced off the rail today, and when he gets out there by himself, he loses focus. He said if he sees another horse, he’s going to run back to him, and today he proved it,” said Gargan, who called Dornoch the best horse he ever has trained. “It was something that was always said but never proven until today, but that was pretty impressive, because I thought the other horse went way past him. For him to dig in and fight back like that, especially after the half-mile in 46 (seconds), three quarters in 1:11, he ran the whole race.”

Dornoch’s final time for the 1 1/8 miles was 1:50.30.

Sierra Leone, who earned five Derby qualifying points, finished 4 3/4 lengths in front of Drum Roll Please, who got three points. Moonlight with two points, Where's Chris with one, Copper Tax, Domestic Product, Billal, Le Dom Bro and Private Dancer rounded out the order of finish.

Ortiz said he was pleased with the trip he engineered for Sierra Leone.

“He broke good, they went plenty fast. He just sit there, he was relaxed,” Ortiz said. “I make a move at the half a mile, and he responded nicely. He was lugging in a little bit in the stretch, and (Dornoch) looked like he was waiting. When he felt me, he came back. I think it was a good race from (Sierra Leone). My horse kept coming. He ran a bit greenly, but I’m proud of him. It was a big step up.”

About his wide bid into the stretch, Ortiz said, “He was running so good to the other horses, and I didn’t want to get him stopped. So I went wide with him.”

Drum Roll Please, a Brad Cox trainee and maiden winner last out, was trying stakes company and the distance for the first time. His rider Hall of Famer Javier Castellano was pleased with the colt.

“I loved my trip,” Castellano said “I liked the way he did it. He stepped up in class and did it very professionally. He ran two turns for the first time. I liked the way he did it from the beginning until the end. He passed horses, was behind horses, took dirt in the face, was a great experience for him, especially with a lot of horses and a lot of kickback. It was very nice and professional.”

Gargan, who said the owners were lucky to get the $325,000 yearling buy, outlined what is next for Dornoch on the way to the run for the roses and the Triple Crown campaign.

“He’s a big, big horse,” Gargan said. “We are going to give him some time off and take him down to Palm Meadows, kind of like Nick Zito taught me when I was his assistant. We will tack walk him for a couple weeks, two to three weeks, play around with him, let him grow into that frame and start looking for races later, probably sometime in March. Two races, maybe three before the Derby. He's a very special horse.”

Bred in Kentucky by Grandview Equine, Dornoch banked $137,500 in victory while improving his record to 4: 2-2-0. He returned $5.40 for a $2 win bet.

Thinking about the Kentucky Derby while standing in the winner’s circle, co-owner Randy Hill said, “This is the first leg of a long journey, I hope.”