What we learned: Dornoch handles fast pace in Remsen win

Despite a testing pace scenario, Dornoch won the Grade 2 Remsen Stakes at Aqueduct in gate-to-wire fashion while making his first attempt on the long Kentucky Derby trail. The entire card favored speed, with pacesetters and close-range stalkers taking the races. Regardless, Dornoch deserves credit for posting fast fractions, putting away all of his speed rivals and holding off a closer.

Here is the detailed recap of Dornoch's trip. 

Dornoch broke with the field and took the lead by the first turn under urging from Luis Saez. Once the horses straightened out for the back side, Private Desire went to pressure Dornoch, and Dornoch hit the first quarter in 23.09 seconds with only a head in front of the eager Private Desire.

Not long afterward, jockey Jose Lezcano decided to tug back Private Desire to third and let Billal take over the pressuring duties between them. Dornoch still held the lead by a half-length over Billal through a half-mile in 46.97 seconds, which in most cases indicates a fast pace for a 1 1/8-mile race.

As they began to round the far turn, Billal tried to force the issue and make Dornoch work harder, and Private Desire threw in the towel. Dornoch led by the same half-length margin through six furlongs in 1:11.56, although now a slight gap existed between Billal in second and Domestic Product in third.

In the stretch drive, Dornoch put away a tired Billal, but right after that he had to worry about a fast-closing Sierra Leone on the outside. Sierra Leone spent the first half-mile more than 12 lengths behind Dornoch, but he made up ground quickly on the far turn and sustained his run when he straightened out. 

Sierra Leone eventually took the lead and gave the impression he would win for a few moments, but Dornoch fought back on the inside and put his nose in front at the last moment to win by a nose margin.

Dornoch completed the nine furlongs in 1:50.30, which resulted in a 91 Beyer Speed Figure from Daily Racing Form. Forget about the number. From a visual standpoint, Dornoch ran a great race, no matter what any speed figure suggests.  

In fairness, the muddy Aqueduct track favored speed all day, and Dornoch possibly had some help from a rail or speed bias. But the fact that all three of Dornoch's closest pace rivals through the initial stages folded flatters his overall performance. 

The initial presser Private Desire ended up in last by 34 3/4 lengths. Billal, who took over the pressing duties from Private Desire, faded to eighth by 19 1/4 lengths. Domestic Product, who stalked Dornoch nearby in fourth for six furlongs, faded to seventh by 16 1/4 lengths.

Dornoch kept fighting past the second turn and regained the lead in the last moment from Sierra Leone. He deserves credit given the fast pace and how all the pace horses near him all gave up and finished far back. With those factors considered, Dornoch ran a better race than the nose margin says.

Dornoch’s will to win makes him a reliable horses to bettors, and that is a quality to remember when analyzing him in future races on the Derby trail. The full sibling to Mage owns speed and talent, and he wants to finish first, while other horses might not show the same kind of determination.

As for Sierra Leone, he made only the second start of his career and figures to make an impact in further races on the trail too. Some horses lose focus once they make the lead. Maybe his move needs the right timing to make sure he hits the front at a later moment in the stretch, rather than too early when the speed horse can respond.

Then again, perhaps Sierra Leone just met a talented runner who can battle and lost to him despite giving his best performance.

Drum Roll Please made a mild rally for third. He had nowhere near the same momentum as Sierra Leone at the top of the stretch and plugged along until the finish to complete the trifecta. Despite the non-threatening run, he could take steps forward and progress. After all, the Derby trail does not end for many months at this early point.  

To make one more note about the last-place Private Desire, bettors might want to wait for him to cut back. When Private Desire broke his maiden on Sept. 16 at Aqueduct, he won with a 112 on TimeformUS, and the runner-up Hurricane Nelson had 11 1/2 lengths on Heartened in third. 

Private Desire has talent. But the pedigree on his dam side feels a bit sketchy for longer routes, especially with Wildcat Heir as the damsire.

Expect Dornoch to contend in future trail races. With his proven pedigree and ability shown in three races, it is not hard to imagine him staying in the mix as a top Derby candidate through the winter and spring.