Dun With The Blues delivers at Belmont

Oakland Park homebred Dun With The Blues continued her promising progression for Pearce Racing when powering home in the Amelia Park Hcp (1700m) last Wednesday.

The Belmont victory was the result of a clinical one-out and two-back ride by Clint Johnston-Porter.  After peeling four-wide approaching the home turn, the well-bred Dundeel (NZ) mare reeled in her rivals to score comfortably from Ocean Park (NZ) mare Ocean Queen.

Dun With The Blues (4m Dundeel – Marascobel by O’Reilly) had been placed at Mt Barker and Belmont during an initial prep late last year before commencing this term with a Northam maiden win on August 10.

“She’s nothing much to look at but that was a good win at Northam,” co-trainer Ben Pearce confirmed  “She used to tie-up badly but credit to our team.  They’ve been rewarded working her every morning and afternoon with plenty of swimming, too.”

Dun With The Blues races like she will get over more ground than 1700m.  “There was a question mark at the distance but she went super,” Johnston-Porter said.  “It was all over once we got to the outside.”

Oakland Park’s Neville and Susan Duncan bred her using Arrowfield Stud stallion Dundeel (High Chaparral) over Marascobel (O’Reilly) who is an unraced half-sister to Oakland Park millionaire Marasco.

Marasco (Scenic) won 16 races to Group 2 level at Flemington and Ascot and his full-brother Siesta Bay was a 2yo Listed winner of the All Stars Stakes and Lindsay Rosenthal Stakes at Belmont.

Pearce Racing also trains Oakland Park-bred Triple Jay and his connections knocked back Hong Kong offers up to $1 million for the sparingly-raced son of Street Boss (USA) before he spelled in June.  “It’s a big syndicate and a lot of them are in racing as a hobby,” Ben Pearce said.  “We are looking at the Ascot summer carnival.

“We were lucky enough to buy him out of a paddock at Oakland Park.  He was supposed to be in the Melbourne Premier Sale but there was uncertainty with trucks going over because it was during COVID.”

Triple Jay is a half-brother to Snitzel colt Bruckner (G3 McNeil Stakes) and their dam Jestajingle (Lonhro) is a city-winning daughter of Jestatune (Rory’s Jester) who won a LR Gimcrack Stakes at Ascot and is a half-sister to G1 Kingston Town Classic winner Ihtsahymn.

Oakland Park stands Sessions (Lonhro) and Shooting To Win (Northern Meteor) this season and they’re both priced at $11,000 service fees (inc GST).