Thomas on Horses
Profile: Dullahan
Dullahan (Eclipse Sportswire)
PPs and Pedigree
Dullahan has shown growth at age 3, probably the most growth of any of these horses from last year. At age 2, Dullahan showed ability, but he was slow on his release points. He could get stuck in a crowd and he was prone to using up too much energy on space battles.
In his races this year, Dullahan’s transitions are smoother, and he is a more emotionally stable horse. He still doesn’t release from his targets as fast as he could, but he has shown he can move into space with the best of them.
His win in the Blue Grass Stakes showed a lot of ability. He can target and release, and he can influence the space of other horses. Dullahan has a high group dynamic and a good individual dynamic.
His patterns of motion are very specific, and I think this horse needs to be strategically ridden. I think Dullahan likes close contact, and he can use space battles to builds momentum and launch forward. Although his rhythms of motion are still a little behind the top horses, he should be able to handle the chaos of the Derby.
Dullahan is a very good horse, and he has a chance depending on how the race unfolds. If his jockey can maneuver him strategically to do his best work in the second half of the race, he could be the one to skirt through.
Kerry Thomas is a groundbreaking researcher of behavioral genetics in horses. He created emotional conformation profiling, which measure’s the mental and emotional capacities of the equine. Horse owners around the world use him to profile and unlock the minds of their horses both in training and pre-purchase evaluations. Thomas’ work in the field of equine behavioral genetics has pioneering applications in all the sport horse industries, including Thoroughbred racing and breeding. 