Dylan Thomas (horse)

Dylan Thomas
Dylan Thomas at 2007 Hong Kong Vase
Sire	Danehill
Grandsire	Danzig
Dam	Lagrion
Damsire	Diesis
Sex	Stallion
Foaled	2003
Country	Ireland
Colour	Bay
Breeder	Tower Bloodstock
Owner	Sue Magnier and Michael Tabor
Trainer	Aidan O'Brien
Record	18:10-4-1
Earnings	£3,368,912
Major wins
Derrinstown Stud Derby Trial (2006) Irish Derby (2006) Irish Champion Stakes (2006, 2007) Prix Ganay (2007) K. George VI & Q. Elizabeth Stakes (2007) Prix de l'Arc de Triomphe (2007)
Awards
Irish Champion 3yr old & Horse Of the year. European Horse of the Year (2007) European Champion Older Horse (2007)
Horse (Equus ferus caballus)
Last updated on February 3, 2009

Dylan Thomas (foaled April 23, 2003 in Ireland) is a Thoroughbred racehorse. He was trained in Ireland by Aidan O'Brien and owned by Sue Magnier and Michael Tabor. He was sired by Danehill out of Lagrion, a daughter of Diesis. Dylan Thomas is a half brother to the 2001 European champion two-year-old filly, Queen's Logic.

Racing career

2006: three-year-old season

As a three-year-old in 2006, Dylan Thomas won the Derrinstown Stud Derby Trial and finished third in the Epsom Derby. He subsequently won the Irish Derby at the Curragh, ridden by Kieren Fallon. After a summer break, Dylan Thomas beat Ouija Board in a thrilling finish to the Irish Champion Stakes in September. In late September 2006, Coolmore took the unusual step of sending Dylan Thomas to run in the Jockey Club Gold Cup at Belmont Park, his first (and only) race on dirt where he was to race against top US dirt 3yo, Bernardini. He never took to the surface and struggled from the break, trailing in a distant last.

2007: four-year-old season

As a four-year-old in 2007, Dylan Thomas won the Prix Ganay at Longchamp in France, and the King George VI and Queen Elizabeth Stakes at Ascot, the latter in impressive fashion under Johnny Murtagh. On September 8, 2007 he became the first two-time winner of the Irish Champion Stakes and rider Kieren Fallon became the first jockey to win the race three times in succession. The best was, however, saved till last and he crowned this fantastic season with a dramatic win in the Prix de l'Arc de Triomphe on unsuitably soft ground. Jockey Kieren Fallon had to endure a half-hour stewards enquiry into interference caused when Dylan Thomas veered sharply to the right halfway up the home straight, thereby coming across two other runners. Prior to this race Kieren Fallon had described Dylan Thomas as the best horse he had ever ridden, high praise indeed which was vindicated with the victory

After the Prix de l'Arc de Triomphe Dylan Thomas was entered in the John Deere Breeders' Cup Turf, but mainly because of the sloppy track he was never travelling well and didn't finish in the first three. After being withdrawn from the Japan Cup, his last race was the Hong Kong Vase, in which he finished 7th. Dylan Thomas retired to Coolmore Stud in Ireland before the end of the year. He raced for Michael Tabor and Susan Magnier, whose husband, John Magnier, is Coolmore's managing partner. "We've already had numerous enquires about him from breeders both here in Ireland and abroad, so we just wanted to put everyone in the picture," said farm manager Christy Grassick about the 4-year-old son of Danehill. "Dylan Thomas has everything it takes to be a great stallion, and Danehill is already proving a remarkable sire of sires with the likes of Danehill Dancer, Rock of Gibraltar, Dansili, and Danetime."

Dylan Thomas won 10 of his 18 races and earned £3,368,912. Bred in Ireland by Tower Bloodstock, Dylan Thomas is a half-brother to 2001 English champion 2YO filly Queen's Logic and is out of Irish Broodmare of the Year Lagrion, by Diesis.

Assessment

Dylan Thomas was named Horse of the Year at the annual Irish Horse Racing Awards in the Shelbourne Hotel, Dublin on Monday December 10, 2007.[3]

Stud career

He was retired at the end of 2007 and now stands as a "shuttle stallion" for Coolmore, serving mares at the main Coolmore farm in Ireland during the Northern Hemisphere breeding season and at Coolmore's Australia farm during the Southern Hemisphere breeding season.

References

• Dylan Thomas's pedigree and partial racing stats
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• [2]
• [3]