Dullahan getting readied for his fifth start on dirt in the Belmont Stakes
Donegal Racing’s 3-year-old colt, Dullahan’s form is on the rise, and as a sophomore he has largely impressed with his impeccable closing down abilities in hopeless situations, but he is yet to run down I’ll Have Another as he finished narrowly in third in the Kentucky Derby 5 May, 2012, at Churchill Downs.
Although, trainer Dale Romans has saved him from running in the Grade 1, $1 million Preakness Stakes, two weeks after the Run for the Roses, and now he feels that his colt is turning up better for workouts ahead of the Belmont Stakes - the decider, as far as I’ll Have Another’s bid of becoming a Triple Crown winner is concerned.
Bred in Kentucky by Bena Halecky, Judy Needham and Philip Needham, Dullahan has run on All-Weather tracks and on grass most of his career, despite his two early attempts at his maiden on dirt, Dullahan has showed progression in his last two starts at dirt.
The son of Even the Score finished fourth on dirt as a juvenile in the Grade 1 Breeders’ Cup Juvenile at Churchill Downs, to the front-wheeling, Hansen, as Union Rags finished second and Creative Cause third.
Dullahan’s next start on dirt was in the Grade 1 Kentucky Derby, where he was exceptional in the closing stages of the race, despite going extra wide on the final bend under jockey Kent Desormeaux, Dullahan made up ground and pushed through to finish a strong third.
Trainer Dale Romans took Dullahan out for a jog on 29 May, 2012, under exercise rider Faustino Aguilar, as the Belmont Stakes contender.
Out of Smart Strike mare Mining My Own, Dullahan is scheduled to breeze on 2 June, 2012, at Belmont Park, after breezing one mile in 1 minute and 43 seconds flat at Churchill Downs on 26 May, 2012.
"We'll start getting serious tomorrow," Romans said. "The good thing with skipping the Preakness is that you do more when you train. When you go back in two weeks and back in three weeks, it limits you to be ready for the mile and a half. We've tried doing some old school stuff, like longer, slower gallops and longer works. We'll see if it pays off."
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