Dylan Thomas’s Breeders’ Cup trial turns into a disaster at Belmont

IRISH Derby winner Dylan Thomas made a disastrous debut on the dirt in New York on Saturday night as Bernardini threw down the gauntlet to his Breeders’ Cup Classic rivals.

Aidan O’Brien’s three-year-old never made an impression on a four-horse field for the mile and a quarter US$750,000 Jockey Club Gold Cup at Belmont Park. It was a performance that left his connections to shrug their shoulders and admit that the dirt was just not for this particular thoroughbred.

Dylan Thomas had trailed badly from the off as Nick Zito’s Wanderin Boy set the pace down the back straight with Bernardini in tow, Andromeda’s Hero already a distant third as the Irish horse brought up the rear.