Dunaden (26 February 2006 – 30 April 2019) was a French-trained

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. He won the 2011 Melbourne Cup, ridden by

Christophe Lemaire Christophe Patrice Lemaire (Japanese:, born 20 May 1979) is a French-born jockey. He has enjoyed much of his success on the Japanese flat racing circuit, with the most wins at Japan Racing Association racetracks for five consecutive years sinc ...

, trained by Mikel Delzangles. The horse was owned by Sheikh Fahad al Thani and managed by David Redvers. He was the first horse to win the

Hong Kong Vase The Hong Kong Vase is a Group 1 flat horse race in Hong Kong which is open to thoroughbreds aged three years or older. It is run over a distance of 2,400 metres (about miles or 12 furlongs) at Sha Tin, and it is scheduled to take place each year ...

after winning the Melbourne Cup.

Early life and racing career

The horse was purchased for €1,500 as a foal at the Arqana mixed December sale in France in 2006. The foal was purchased by Dutch owner/breeder Jetty van der Hulst and grew up at her stud in

Nederweert Nederweert (; li, Ni-jwieërt ) is a municipality and a town in southeastern Netherlands with a population of as of and has an area of of which is water. Nederweert lies at the intersection of three channels: the Zuid-Willemsvaart, the Noord ...

(The Netherlands). As a 3-year-old he was claimed out of her stable after winning in France. Dunaden showed his Melbourne Cup credentials in early 2011 with a win in the

Prix de Barbeville The Prix de Barbeville is a Group 3 flat horse race in France open to thoroughbreds aged four years or older. It is run over a distance of 3,100 metres (about 1 mile and 7½ furlongs ...

and a second in the

Prix Vicomtesse Vigier The Prix Vicomtesse Vigier is a Group 2 flat horse race in France open to thoroughbreds aged four years or older. It is run at Longchamp over a distance of 3,100 metres (about 1 mile and 7½ furlongs), and it i ...

. He prepared for the Melbourne Cup in Australia by winning the

Geelong Cup The Geelong Cup is a Geelong Racing Club Group 3 Thoroughbred horse race, held under handicap conditions over a distance of 2400 metres at the Geelong Racecourse, Geelong, Victoria, Australia on a Wednesday in late October. The prize money for ...

. In the Melbourne Cup, he settled back in the running and finished down the middle of the track, hitting the line alongside

Red Cadeaux Red Cadeaux (6 March 2006 – 21 November 2015) was a British-bred Thoroughbred racehorse who was a triple runner up in the Melbourne Cup in 2011, 2013 and 2014. Racing career Notable performances by Red Cadeaux include: * June 2011 - 1st in ...

in the closest photo-finish ever in the Melbourne Cup, winning by 5–10 cm. He went on to win the prestigious

a few weeks later with

coming home in third. On 20 October 2012 Dunaden maintained his undefeated run in Australian races with a win in the 2012

Caulfield Cup The Caulfield Cup is a Melbourne Racing Club Group 1 Thoroughbred horse race held under handicap conditions, although the Melbourne Racing Club is in the process of turning the race into weight for age (WFA) conditions. This is for all horses ...

, following an outstanding ride from jockey Craig Williams. In doing so, Dunaden became the first horse to win the Caulfield Cup from wider than barrier 15 (starting from barrier 18), as well as the first horse to win after being the original horse allotted with the top weight at acceptances (58 kg). On 1 May 2019. Dunaden died from a paddock accident at the Overbury Stud in England.

Stud record

Dunaden is sired by Nicobar, of the rare

Byerley Turk The Byerley Turk (c. 1680 – c. 1703), also spelled Byerly Turk, was the earliest of three stallions that were the founders of the modern Thoroughbred horse racing bloodstock (the other two are the Godolphin Arabian and the Darley Arabian).Ahner ...

sire line. Dunaden retired to Overbury Stud in 2014. His first progeny began racing as 2-year-olds in 2018. Overbury Stud is offering prizemoney premiums of up to sixty-four percent for all Dunaden first-crop race winners during their two and three year-old season. Dunaden stood for a service fee of £3000, on October First, Standing Live Foal terms. Dunaden's first foals, in 2016, sold for an average price of 9,401 English Guineas.

Pedigree

References

External links

Dunaden: sold for $1500, wins $3.6m
- The Age. Retrieved 2 November 2011. 2006 racehorse births 2019 racehorse deaths Melbourne Cup winners Racehorses trained in France Racehorses bred in France Thoroughbred family 4-d Byerley Turk sire line Caulfield Cup winners {{racehorse-stub