Needham shares Dullahan’s story with the world
The 3-year-old, Dullahan, was expected to turn in a good performance in the Grade 1, $750,000 Toyota Blue Grass Stakes, but with a lot of speed going into the Blue Grass, nobody expected Dullahan to roar like a powerful locomotive in the deep stretch to
overhaul the 2-year-old champ, Hansen, like the way he did.
It was certainly something, and Philip Needham and his wife, who bred the Even the Score colt in partnership with Bena Halecky enjoyed every minute of it, and described the whole thing as “Unbelievable.”
The operation very much started with Dullahan’s half brother and the 2009 Grade 1 Kentucky Derby winner, Mine That Bird, when Needham was involved in partnership with William Betz, Peter Lamantia, and James Blackburn.
It was Needham, who diverted his partners attention toward Mine That Bird’s dam Mining My Own and Dullahan, and Bena Halecky came into the picture when the future breeding ventures merged with the daughter of Smart Strike.
Needham has foaled 40 mare for the past 35 years, and he has an eye for a special foal, and it is a good sign that if a foal gets up real early, and it took Dullahan 20 minutes to stand up, which showed that he was going to be a strong one.
However, he was as laid back as any, and in result Dullahan was easy to handle, but his lethargic attitude spurred from an uneventful life at the Emilie Fojan’s Bona Terra Stud near Georgetown, Kentucky, where Dullahan was foaled.
Needham said. “He was a laid-back horse and easy to handle. He wasn’t one that would raise a huge fuss or a huge commotion. He was quite professional from a very early age.”
Dullahan was a strapping young horse, a lot different than his brother Mine That Bird, and when they were together, anyone could have easily spotted Dullahan from afar.
“He was much bigger and stronger,” Needham said. “For the first two weeks (of his life), Mine That Bird could walk under his mother’s belly and this horse never could do that. He (Dullahan) was always an exceptional horse. He was correct; there weren’t any
real negatives. “
Tags: