Belmont Stakes 2011 - Master of Hounds against all odds – Rested for Preakness Stakes
Master of Hounds has been under the radar for quite some time now. The calibre he possessed wasn’t enough to convince and make him a serious Kentucky Derby contender.
Constantly missing opportunities to win races left him out of contention but something about him impressed quite a few people, which consequently kept him in the run, for the Triple Crown.
Son of Kingmambo, the three-year old bay colt is owned by Mrs. John Magnier and trained by Aidan P. O’Brien, who in the past winter, worked on Master of Hounds to make him look bigger and meaner and that’s exactly how he looked in Dubai on World Cup night.
He missed a couple of opportunities to convert starts into wins by missing out on the Breeders Cup Juvenile last fall and the Group Two UAE, 26 March, 2010.
Master of Hounds made it to the graded earning list but that did not prompt his inclusion into the Kentucky Derby though signs were that the owners were looking forward to Master of Hounds inclusion in the Derby but at the same time they are also considering
Run for Roses and the Guineas Stakes.
As the Kentucky Derby grew closer, Master of Hounds, decided to make a trip to the United States from Ireland to participate in the Kentucky Derby. That was his first start in dirt and he demanded attention because of his impressive pedigree, which made
him the horse to upset, in the Derby.
Mounted by Garret Gomez, Master of Hounds breezed past the lot and made an early arrival at the back of the field and finished five and a half lengths behind the champion, Animal Kingdom, eventually finishing fifth.
However, it was a good debut on dirt and his strong start gave him confidence and hope that he could redeem himself from early losses to win one of the legs of the Triple Crown.
He did not run in the Preakness Stakes, even though he had a considerably good start on dirt, but prepared for the Belmont Stakes. On June 8 he left Aqueduct and landed at Belmont Park for his prerace workouts and sent out a strong message when he clocked
25 seconds for 2/5.
Being well rested during the Preakness Stakes is a key weapon in Master of Hounds’s arsenal that he could use against the horses that ran both in the Kentucky Derby and the Preakness Stakes.
Fatigue is definitely going to play a role in the Belmont Stakes but Master of Hounds has to overcome his fellow horses that did not run at Pimlico race and he surely will have his work cut out against the Kentucky Derby winner and the Preakness Stakes winner,
two favourites to win the Belmont Stakes.
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