Comeback On The Table For Denis Of Cork
Denis of Cork was foaled in 2005 and is the progeny of the sire Harlan’s Holiday, and the beautiful mare, Unbridled Girl. He was first sold as a yearling at the OBS August Yearling Sale for $120,000, and in 2007 at the Barretts March Two Year Olds in Training sale, he was bought for $250,000 and has remained with owners William and Suzanne Warren ever since. He is trained by David Carroll and won his maiden race on the 24th of November 2007, after which he has grown and matured into a spectacular horse racing athlete. An unfortunate injury has been keeping Denis of Cork off the track, but it seems that he is already getting back to training and is preparing for a comeback.
David Carroll is known to be a patient trainer, who prefers to concentrate on a small stable of horses, giving each horse personal attention. He believes that getting to know a horse is vital, as the horse should indicated the pace of racing and that a trainer should never get ahead of the horse in his care. His simple theory seems to work, as Denis of Cork enjoyed spectacular victories in his following allowance race on the 19th of January 2008 and in the Southwest Stakes a month later. In the Kentucky Derby, against a strong field of contenders, Denis of Cork finished in a wonderful third place, and exceeded everyone’s expectations when he claimed a second place finish in the Belmont Stakes. But it is also during this time that Carroll noticed a change in his star performer, and on examination, found that Denis of Cork has suffered a pre-condylar fracture, resulting in him being moved to Fares Farm for the summer to rest and heal.
Recently, Denis of Cork arrived at Vinery Farm, where he is set to begin exercising lightly in the next few weeks. Carroll has been at his side every step of the way, visiting Denis of Cork at Fares Farm every week, and checking up on his recovery. He gave praise to Fares Farm and their staff as he is extremely pleased at the progress that he has made. Vinery Farm is home to a Pro-Ride training track, where Carroll hopes to get Denis of Cork ready, slowly, for a hopeful comeback at Fair Grounds Racecourse+ in March. Many people are skeptical of horses who have been out of the horse racing circle for a while, but with Denis of Cork only being three years of age and having recovered wonderfully from his injury, Carroll is confident that he will be able to work his way back up to being one of the best horses in the industry.
