Dullahan (February 8, 2009 – October 20, 2013) was an American

Thoroughbred The Thoroughbred is a horse breed best known for its use in horse racing. Although the word ''thoroughbred'' is sometimes used to refer to any breed of purebred horse, it technically refers only to the Thoroughbred breed. Thoroughbreds are c ...

racehorse. As a two-year-old he recorded his first win in the

Grade I In the United Kingdom, a listed building or listed structure is one that has been placed on one of the four statutory lists maintained by Historic England in England, Historic Environment Scotland in Scotland, in Wales, and the Northern Irel ...

Breeders' Futurity Stakes The Breeders' Futurity Stakes is an American Grade I Thoroughbred horse race held annually in early October at Keeneland Race Course in Lexington, Kentucky. Currently offering a purse of $500,000, the race is open to two-year-old horses and is run ...

. In early 2012, he won the

Blue Grass Stakes The Blue Grass Stakes, currently the Toyota Blue Grass Stakes due to sponsorship by the Toyota Motor Corporation, is a horse race for 3-year-old Thoroughbreds held annually in April at Keeneland Racecourse in Lexington, Kentucky. The race is run ...

, finished third in the

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 ...

and was the beaten favorite for the

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 ...

. Later in the season, he defeated older horses in the

Pacific Classic The Pacific Classic Stakes is a Grade I American Thoroughbred horse race for three-year-olds and older over a distance of one and one quarter miles on the dirt track scheduled annually in August at Del Mar Racetrack in Del Mar, California. The ev ...

. He was euthanized of a ruptured colon on October 20, 2013, at

Winstar Farm WinStar Farm is an American Thoroughbred horse breeding and horse racing, racing farm near Versailles, Kentucky, owned by Kenny Troutt. It won the 2010 Eclipse Award for Outstanding Owner and 2016 Eclipse Award for Outstanding Breeder, Outstandi ...

in Versailles, Kentucky.

Background

Dullhan was a chestnut colt with a white blaze and a white

sock A sock is a piece of clothing worn on the feet and often covering the ankle or some part of the calf. Some types of shoes or boots are typically worn over socks. In ancient times, socks were made from leather or matted animal hair. In the late ...

on his right hind leg. He was bred in the United States by Phil Needham. As a son of the mare Mining My Own, he was a half-brother of the Kentucky Derby winner

Mine That Bird Mine That Bird (foaled May 10, 2006) is a champion American Thoroughbred racehorse who won the 2009 Kentucky Derby at 50-1 odds and came second in the Preakness Stakes and third in the Belmont Stakes. He had earnings of $2,228,637 and was inducte ...

. As a

yearling Yearling may refer to: *Yearling (horse), a horse between one and two years old *''The Yearling ''The Yearling'' is a novel by American writer Marjorie Kinnan Rawlings, published in March 1938. It was the main selection of the Book of the Mo ...

, he was sent to the

Keeneland Keeneland Association, Inc. is an equine business based in Lexington, Kentucky. It includes two distinct divisions: the Keeneland Race Course, a Thoroughbred racing facility, and Keeneland Sales, a horse auction complex. It is also known for it ...

sales, where he was bought for $250,000 by Jerry Crawford and Donegal Racing.

Racing career

2011: two-year-old season

Dullahan was slow to show worthwhile form as a two-year-old, being well beaten in minor events at

Churchill Downs Churchill Downs is a horse racing complex located on Central Avenue in south Louisville, Kentucky, United States, famed for hosting the annual Kentucky Derby. It officially opened in 1875 and was named for Samuel Churchill, whose family was ...

in June and July. He then moved to Saratoga where he finished second in a maiden race before finishing third in the

Grade II In the United Kingdom, a listed building or listed structure is one that has been placed on one of the four statutory lists maintained by Historic England in England, Historic Environment Scotland in Scotland, in Wales, and the Northern Irel ...

With Anticipation Stakes The With Anticipation Stakes is a Grade III American Thoroughbred horse race for two-year-olds over a distance of miles on the turf track scheduled annually in end of August or early September at Saratoga Race Course in Saratoga Springs, New York ...

on turf in September. Despite having failed to win in four starts, he moved up to Grade I level for the

at Keeneland. Ridden by

Kent Desormeaux Kent Jason Desormeaux (born February 27, 1970) is an American thoroughbred horse racing Hall of Fame jockey who holds the U.S. record for most races won in a single year with 598 wins in 1989. He has won the Kentucky Derby and Preakness Stakes t ...

he was held up in the early stages before finishing strongly to take the lead near the finish and won by three quarters of a

length Length is a measure of distance. In the International System of Quantities, length is a quantity with dimension distance. In most systems of measurement a base unit for length is chosen, from which all other units are derived. In the Interna ...

from Majestic City. He was badly hampered and almost fell in the early stages but recovered well, leading Desormeaux to describe him as a "super horse". In the

Breeders' Cup Juvenile The Breeders' Cup Juvenile is a Thoroughbred horse race for 2-year-old colts and geldings raced on dirt. It is held annually in late October or early November at a different racetrack in the United States or Canada as part of the Breeders' Cup ...

at Churchill Downs on 5 November, Dullahan started a 16/1 outsider and stayed on in the straight to finish fourth of the thirteen runners behind Hansen,

Union Rags Union Rags (foaled March 3, 2009 in Kentucky) is a champion American Thoroughbred racehorse who won the 2012 Belmont Stakes. He also won the Champagne Stakes and the Saratoga Special Stakes Background Union Rags is a bay with a white blaze si ...

and Creative Cause.

2012: three-year-old season

Dullahan made his first appearance as a three-year-old at

Gulfstream Park Gulfstream Park, owned by The Stronach Group, is a Thoroughbred race track, casino and outdoor entertainment and shopping destination in Hallandale Beach, Florida. Thoroughbred horse racing occurs year-round, defined by three distinct race meets ...

in March, where he finished second to Howe Great in the Grade III

Palm Beach Stakes The Colonel Liam Stakes is a Listed American Thoroughbred horse race run annually in late February or early March on the turf course at Gulfstream Park in Hallandale Beach, Florida over a distance of 1 1/16 miles. A listed event open to three-yea ...

. A month later he was sent to Keeneland to contest the Blue Grass Stakes, in which he was matched against the

Eclipse Award The Eclipse Award is an American Thoroughbred horse racing award named after the 18th-century British racehorse and sire, Eclipse. An Eclipse Award Trophy is presented to the winner in each division that is made by a few small selected American ...

winner Hansen for the second time. In front of a record crowd of 40,617 Desormeaux restrained the colt in the early stages before moving him up to overtake Hansen near the finish and win going away by one and a quarter lengths.

USA Today ''USA Today'' (stylized in all uppercase) is an American daily middle-market newspaper and news broadcasting company. Founded by Al Neuharth on September 15, 1982, the newspaper operates from Gannett's corporate headquarters in Tysons, Virgini ...

described his performance as "scintillating" and reported that Romans felt that Dullahan was by far his best chance of winning the Kentucky Derby. In the Derby, Dullahan started at odds of 12/1 in a field of twenty. He raced in the middle of the field before being switched to the outside in the straight. He made steady progress to finish third behind

I'll Have Another I'll Have Another (foaled April 1, 2009) is a champion American Thoroughbred racehorse who won the 2012 Kentucky Derby and Preakness Stakes. He was bred in Kentucky, owned by Canadian businessman J. Paul Reddam and trained by Doug O'Neill. In ...

and

Bodemeister Bodemeister (foaled April 28, 2009) is a Thoroughbred race horse who won the 2012 Arkansas Derby and finished second to I'll Have Another in the 2012 Kentucky Derby and 2012 Preakness Stakess. He went on to become the sire of 2017 Kent ...

. Dullahan skipped the Preakness to go straight for the

on June 9. Following the late withdrawal of "I'll Have Another", he was made the favorite for the race, but finished fifth behind

. After a seven-week break, Dullahan returned in the Haskell Invitational Stakes at Monmouth Park in which he finished seventh, behind Paynter. A month later he was tested against older horses in the TVG Pacific Classic at

Del Mar Racetrack The Del Mar Fairgrounds is a event venue in Del Mar, California. The annual San Diego County Fair is held here, which was called the Del Mar Fair from 1984 to 2001. In 1936, the Del Mar Racetrack was built by the Thoroughbred Club with foundin ...

and won by half a length from

Game On Dude Game On Dude (foaled April 26, 2007 in Kentucky) is a retired American Thoroughbred racehorse gelding. He won fourteen graded stakes races, including eight Grade I stakes: the Santa Anita Handicap in 2011, 2013, and 2014 the only horse to have won ...

in a new track record time of 1:59.54. It was Dullahan's third Grade I win, all of them achieved on a

synthetic Synthetic things are composed of multiple parts, often with the implication that they are artificial. In particular, 'synthetic' may refer to: Science * Synthetic chemical or compound, produced by the process of chemical synthesis * Synthetic o ...

surface, and gave the colt automatic entry into the

Breeders' Cup Classic The Breeders' Cup Classic is a Grade I Weight for Age thoroughbred horse race for 3-year-olds and older run at a distance of on dirt. It is held annually at a different racetrack as part of the Breeders' Cup World Championships in late October o ...

. Dullahan's two remaining starts as a three-year-old were disappointing: he finished fifth when favorite for the

Jamaica Handicap The Caesars Belmont Derby is an American Grade I stakes race for three-year-old Thoroughbred race horse run over a distance of miles on the turf at Belmont Park in July. The purse for the event is US$1,000,000. The event is the first of three of ...

at Belmont in October and then ran ninth, behind

Little Mike Little Mike (foaled May 24, 2007 in Florida) is an American Thoroughbred racehorse best known for winning the 2012 Breeders' Cup Turf. Background Little Mike is a Bay (horse), bay gelding bred by Carlo Vaccarezza, who immigrated to the United S ...

in the

Breeders' Cup Turf The Breeders' Cup Turf is a Weight for Age Thoroughbred horse race on turf for three-year-olds and up. It is held annually at a different racetrack in the United States or Canada as part of the Breeders' Cup World Championships. The race's current ...

2013: four-year-old season

Dullahan was sent to race in the United Arab Emirates in March 2013 but ran poorly in his two races including the

Dubai World Cup The Dubai World Cup (Arabic: كأس دبي العالمي) is a Thoroughbred horse race held annually since 1996 and contested at the Meydan Racecourse (Arabic: ميدان) which in Arabic suggests a place wher ...

in which he finished eleventh of the twelve runners behind Animal Kingdom. On his return to the USA he finished third in the Grade III Arlington Handicap but then finished eighth behind Game On Dude when he attempted to repeat his 2012 success in the Pacific Classic. Dullahan sustained a tendon injury in the Pacific Classic and was retired from racing on October 14. Six days later, the colt suffered a severe attack of

colic Colic or cholic () is a form of pain that starts and stops abruptly. It occurs due to muscular contractions of a hollow tube ( small and large intestine, gall bladder, ureter, etc.) in an attempt to relieve an obstruction by forcing content out ...

in his stable. Despite prompt medical attention and surgery he was euthanized at 4:45 am on October 20. According to a Facebook post by Dale Romans, Dullahan was regarded my those who knew him as an incredible horse – full of personality and talent. "Love you, Dullahan – our thoughts and prayers are with you, buddy !!

Pedigree

References

{{reflist Racehorses bred in Kentucky Racehorses trained in the United States 2009 racehorse births 2013 racehorse deaths Thoroughbred family 23-b