A headless horseman may well win this year’s Kentucky Derby

Strange doings as messenger from hell is among Kentucky Derby favorites

JAMES O'BRIEN,

IrishCentral.com Staff Writer

Published Sunday, April 22, 2012, 8:23 AM

Updated Sunday, April 22, 2012, 8:23 AM

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Dullahan and Jerry Crawford

A horse called Dullahan is one of the favorites for the upcoming Kentucky Derby and he will run in the green and gold colors of Donegal Racing stables.

Jerry Crawford, a successful Iowa attorney, is the man behind Donegal Racing tables and he has more than a touch of the macabre about his name for his colt who recently won the Blue Grass stakes, akey pre for the Derby.

Racing fans have no idea what the name of Dullahan actually means. Dullahan is actually a type of Irish monster from mythology. It is a headless horseman usually seen riding a jet black horse and carrying his or her head under one arm.

According to Gaelic mythology the head's eyes are massive and constantly dart about like flies, while the mouth is constantly in a hideous grin that touches both sides of the head.

The flesh of the head is said to have the color and consistency of moldy cheese. The dullahan's whip is actually a human corpse's spine, and the wagons they sometimes use are made of similarly funereal objects (e.g. candles in skulls to light the way, the spokes of the wheels made from thigh bones, the wagon's covering made from a worm-chewn pall). When the dullahan stops riding, it is where a person is due to die. The dullahan calls out their name, at which point they immediately perish.

There is no way to bar the road against a dullahan—all locks and gates open on their own when it approaches. Also, they do not appreciate being watched while on their errands, throwing a basin of blood on those who dare to do so (often a mark that they are among the next to die), or even lashing out the watchers' eyes with their whips. Nonetheless, they are frightened of gold, and even a single gold pin can drive a dullahan away.

So if you see a horse named after a headless horseman charging down the home stretch in the Derby two weeks hence, know that Celtic mythology is about to have its day in the sun.

Nster.com

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BillyFitz | Apr 23, 2012, 01:41 PM EDT

SingleDonald - thank you for tip on the Dosage Index. Makes sense.

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SingleDonald | Apr 23, 2012, 12:16 PM EDT

I have a further comment to make. After reading the May issue of American Turf, I will declare that Dullahan has virtually no chance to win the Kentucky Derby. His Dosage Index is 4.20. Nearly all Kentucky Derby winners, since 1929, have had Dosage Indexes no greater than 4.00. The Dosage Index, for those who don't know, is a complex formula which takes into account 5 aspects of breeding. Spectacular Bid, the 1979 Kentucky Derby winner, just qualified, at 4.00. He would go on to lose the only 2 races he ran at a mile and a half, the Belmont Stakes (to Coastal), and the Jockey Cup Gold Cup (to Affirmed). Thus, at 4.00, his stamina was suspect. Right now, my 3 choices for the 2012 Kentucky Derby are: Union Rags, Creative Cause & Gemologist. They have Dosage Indexes of 2.14, 1.43, & 2.73, respectively. I will need more time to list those 3 in my favored order of finish, but I am keying on them.

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EileenL | Apr 22, 2012, 08:32 PM EDT

My few bob will be on you Doolihan ,,,,Jerry Crawford walk him proudly to the winners circle ,,

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SingleDonald | Apr 22, 2012, 07:28 PM EDT

Although Dullahan beat Hansen, in the Blue Grass Stakes, that race was won at Keeneland, which has a synthetic track. Churchill Downs, home of the Kentucky Derby, has a traditional dirt track. Dullahan has shown ability on synthetic surfaces, but is questionable on dirt tracks. We all remember Washington Irving's "The Legend of Sleepy Hollow". In that story, set in Colonial America, Ichabod Crane is chased out of town by the Headless Horseman. When Ichabod rides over a bridge, the Headless Horseman pulls up, refusing to cross over water. Could water also have been the bane of the Dullahan, besides gold?

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Murph46 | Apr 22, 2012, 11:07 AM EDT

Go Dullahan!

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Ed Jordan | Apr 22, 2012, 10:45 AM EDT

I think it would be great to see a Irish horse winning the Kentucky Derby. The best of luck to Dullahan (Headless Horseman) and his owner Jerry Crawford from Eamonn Jordan Kirby Co Clare.

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