Dunkirk (horse)

Dunkirk
Sire	Unbridled's Song
Grandsire	Unbridled
Dam	Secret Status
Damsire	A.P. Indy
Sex	Stallion
Foaled	2006
Country	United States
Colour	Gray
Breeder	W.S. Farish, James Elkins & W.T. Webber, Jr.
Owner	Mrs. John Magnier, Michael Tabor, Derrick Smith. Racing Colors: Blue, blue cap.
Trainer	Todd Pletcher
Record	5:2-2-0
Earnings	$350,000
Horse (Equus ferus caballus)

Dunkirk is an American Thoroughbred Racehorse born in 2006. He is the son of graded stakes winner and major sire Unbridled's Song and multiple Grade 1 winner Secret Status. He is owned by a syndicate composed of John Magnier, Derrick Smith, and Michael Tabor and trained by Todd Pletcher during his all-too-short racing career. Dunkirk acquired a measure of celebrity during the 2007 Keeneland Yearling Auction where he sold for $3.7million.

Unraced at 2, he broke his maiden at age 3 in 2009 at first asking at Gulfstream Park. He followed that win with an Allowance victory, also at Gulfstream Park. He then placed second to Quality Road in the Florida Derby, a race in which victorious Quality Road set a new track record.

In the 2009 Kentucky Derby Dunkirk finished 11th after stumbling badly at the beginning. This was the first time he had failed to finish in the top two. He then skipped the mid-May Preakness Stakes and aimed for the Belmont Stakes in early June at Belmont Park.

After setting a fast pace for the first 6 furlongs, Dunkirk was overtaken in the stretch but fought back to finish 2nd behind eventual 3-year old champion Summer Bird, beating the Kentucky Derby winner, Mine That Bird. After the race, it was discovered that Dunkirk had suffered a condylar fracture in his left hind cannon bone. After a successful surgery Dunkirk was expected to return to racing in 2010 at age 4, but he has since been retired and will stand stud at Ashford Stud in Kentucky.

Pedigree

Dunkirk boasts an impressive pedigree. His sire and dam are both Grade 1 Stakes winners and both of his grandsires are Triple Crown race winners (Unbridled won the 1990 Kentucky Derby, A.P. Indy won the 1992 Belmont Stakes). Dunkirk displays a popular Seattle Slew/Alydar cross on his dam's side and a successful Fappiano/Caro cross on his sire's side.

Pedigree of Dunkirk

Sire Unbridled's Song	Unbridled	Fappiano	Mr. Prospector
			Killaloe
		Gana Facil	Le Fabuleux
			Charedi
	Trolley Song	Caro	Fortino
			Chambord
		Lucky Spell	Lucky Mel
			Incantation
Dam Secret Status	A.P. Indy	Seattle Slew	Bold Reasoning
			My Charmer
		Weekend Surprise	Secretariat
			Lassie Dear
	Private Status	Alydar	Raise a Native
			Sweet Tooth
		Miss Eva	Con Brio
			Apolinea

References

• [1]
• [2]