Doctor has the answers in War
Yellowstone was out of luck in the Man o’ War Stakes at Belmont Park on Saturday evening as Doctor Dino opened his Grade One account.
Trained in France by Richard Gibson, the five-year-old had finished third on his last three starts, including behind Dylan Thomas in the Prix Ganay in April.
But under a determined drive from Olivier Peslier, he wore down Todd Pletcher’s Sunriver inside the final furlong for a famous victory.
Despite being sent off favourite, Aidan O’Brien’s Yellowstone could only trail home in sixth place.
“He’s been our flag bearer all year,” said Gibson.
“He’s been on two big podiums this year, and he really did get to the top of the podium today. He’s been a model of consistency.
“It gets your guts going when you see how many good horses have won this race. It’s a privilege to be associated with this race.
“The Breeders’ Cup Turf is very unlikely; he’s not Breeders’ Cup nominated,” Gibson told www.thoroughbredtimes.com.
“We’ll speak to the owners, but before the race it was never an option. We always thought we would give him a break and prep him for the big Group Ones in Hong Kong.”
However the Breeders’ Cup Turf is an option for the runner-up.
“He ran really well,” Pletcher said. “The stalking position was not really where we expected to be. He showed he could adapt to that scenario.
“We’ll see how he comes out of it. We know he likes firm ground. With the Breeders’ Cup, a lot of it could depend on the weather.”
