Denis of Cork (foaled February 16, 2005 in

Florida Florida is a state located in the Southeastern region of the United States. Florida is bordered to the west by the Gulf of Mexico, to the northwest by Alabama, to the north by Georgia, to the east by the Bahamas and Atlantic Ocean, and to ...

) is an American Thoroughbred racehorse, graded stakes winner, and stallion. He is best known for his runner-up finish in the 2008

Belmont Stakes The Belmont Stakes is an American Grade I stakes race for three-year-old Thoroughbreds run at Belmont Park in Elmont, New York. It is run over 1.5 miles (2,400 m). Colts and geldings carry a weight of ; fillies carry . The race, nicknamed Th ...

and third-place finish in the 2008

Kentucky Derby The Kentucky Derby is a horse race held annually in Louisville, Kentucky, United States, almost always on the first Saturday in May, capping the two-week-long Kentucky Derby Festival. The competition is a Grade I stakes race for three-year ...

Background

Denis of Cork is sired by

Harlan's Holiday Harlan's Holiday (April 6, 1999 – November 1, 2013) was an American Thoroughbred racehorse who won three Grade 1 stakes before retiring to stud where he had become a successful sire. Background Harlan's Holiday was a bay horse bred by Double ...

and out of the

Unbridled Unbridled (March 5, 1987 – October 18, 2001) was a champion American Thoroughbred racehorse who won the 1990 Kentucky Derby and Breeders' Cup Classic. He retired with a career record of eight wins, six places, and six shows in 24 starts, ...

mare, Unbridled Girl. Bred by Westbury Stables, he was purchased in the OBS August Yearling Sale in 2006 for $120,000. He was purchased a second time in the Barretts March Two-Year Olds In Training auction in 2007 for $250,000 by Mr. William K. & Mrs. Suzanne Warren Jr.

Racing career

Trained by David M. Carroll, Denis of Cork is best known for his third-place finish in the

2008 Kentucky Derby The 2008 Kentucky Derby was the 134th running of the Kentucky Derby. The race took place on May 3, 2008 with 157,770 in attendance, the second largest in Derby history.2008 Belmont Stakes The 2008 Belmont Stakes was the 140th running of the Belmont Stakes. The race was won by Da'Tara, who led the race wire to wire. Da'Tara went off at 38–1 odds, making the win a monumental upset. Entrants included the favorite, winner of both the ...

. The colt earned his first win in a maiden special weight ran at a distance of 7

furlongs A furlong is a measure of distance in imperial units and United States customary units equal to one eighth of a mile, equivalent to 660 feet, 220 yards, 40 rods, 10 chains or approximately 201 metres. It is now mostly confined to use in hors ...

, winning by three-quarters of a length. He came five lengths off the lead turning for home, and built up enough strength to propel himself to the front so that he could fight with the front-runner. When they finished, there was a gap of 7½ lengths back to the third-place finisher. He finished the race in a sharp time of 1:22.42. He made his second appearance in an

allowance race Glossary of North American horse racing: Additional glossaries at: *Glossary of Australian and New Zealand punting *Glossary of equestrian terms This is a basic glossary of equestrian terms that includes both technical terminology and jargon ...

at Fair Grounds Race Course in

New Orleans New Orleans ( , ,New Orleans
Merriam-Webster. ; french: La Nouvelle-Orléans , es, Nuev ...

Louisiana Louisiana , group=pronunciation (French: ''La Louisiane'') is a state in the Deep South and South Central regions of the United States. It is the 20th-smallest by area and the 25th most populous of the 50 U.S. states. Louisiana is borde ...

. The race was distanced at 1 mile and 40 yards, and he finished in front by a head. In his third race, Denis of Cork won the one mile Grade III

Southwest Stakes The Southwest Stakes is a Grade III American Thoroughbred horse race for three-year-old horses at a distance of one and one-sixteenth miles on the dirt run annually in late January at Oaklawn Park Race Track in Hot Springs, Arkansas. The event cu ...

at Oaklawn Park Race Track in Hot Springs, Arkansas. Again, the colt gained momentum moving off the final turn, and won with a time of 1:37:89.

2008 Kentucky Derby

His fourth start, the

Illinois Derby The Illinois Derby is a race for Thoroughbred horses for three year olds run over a distance of one and one-eighth miles (9 furlongs) on the dirt at Hawthorne Race Course in Stickney/Cicero, Illinois, just west of Chicago in early April each year. ...

, was his first loss, where he finished 5th behind 1st-place finisher Recapturetheglory. Despite this, his earnings were enough to score him a spot in the

2008 Kentucky Derby The 2008 Kentucky Derby was the 134th running of the Kentucky Derby. The race took place on May 3, 2008 with 157,770 in attendance, the second largest in Derby history.Big Brown Big Brown may refer to: * Big Brown (horse), an American thoroughbred racehorse * Big brown bat, an North American bat * Big Brown, a nickname for the delivery company United Parcel Service * Big Brown Box, an Australian online retailer *Big Brown ...

, and the ill-fated filly,

Eight Belles Eight Belles (February 23, 2005 – May 3, 2008) was an American Thoroughbred racehorse who came second in the 2008 Kentucky Derby to the winner Big Brown. Her collapse just after the race resulted in immediate euthanasia. Earlier in the ye ...

2008 Belmont Stakes

Denis of Cork skipped the

Preakness Stakes The Preakness Stakes is an American thoroughbred horse race held on Armed Forces Day which is also the third Saturday in May each year at Pimlico Race Course in Baltimore, Maryland. It is a Grade I race run over a distance of 9.5 furlongs () on ...

so that he could return for the

as a fresh horse. This paid off, as he finished 2nd behind the upset-winner,

Da' Tara Da' Tara (foaled April 26, 2005) is an American thoroughbred racehorse who won the 2008 Belmont Stakes in an upset over Big Brown. Da' Tara was a 38-1 underdog entering the post at Belmont. He is trained by Nick Zito, his jockey is Alan Garcia, ...

. However, when Denis of Cork returned from the

, it was discovered that the colt had suffered from a pre-condylar fracture in one of his hind ankles. After this was discovered, the colt was sidelined for the rest of the season.

Retirement

Denis of Cork spent the 2009 winter at Fair Grounds Race Course after being returned to his trainer when he had fully recovered from a strifle injury suffered in January 2009. He was expected to return to racing until a soft tissue injury was found after a breeze in early January 2010. Denis of Cork was retired to stud at the Vinery near Summerfield, Florida for a fee of $2,500. Tom Ludt, Vinery president, explained his pleasure with the decision. "Denis of Cork showed a lot of class on the racetrack. He won three races, including a graded stakes, and placed in two classics in only six starts. He's by a stallion who continues to prove himself, and we are very pleased to stand him." in 2011, Denis of Cork was moved to stand at James Casey's Taylor Mountain Farm in Charles Town, West Virginia, where he currently stands today. Standing alongside stallions Juba, Luftikus, and Windsor Castle, his best foals include stakes runners Romantic Cork, Celtic Moon, Return to Denis, and Bray's Secret.

References

Denis of Cork's pedigree and partial racing stats

Triple Crown Mania profile for Denis of Cork

{{DEFAULTSORT:Denis Of Cork 2005 racehorse births Thoroughbred family 5-i Racehorses bred in Florida Racehorses trained in the United States