Thunderhead (horse)
| Thunderhead | |
|---|---|
| Sire | Merry Boy |
| Grandsire | Asterus |
| Dam | Herodiade |
| Damsire | Tourbillon |
| Sex | Stallion |
| Foaled | 1949 |
| Country | France |
| Colour | Chestnut |
| Breeder | Jean Desbons |
| Owner | Eugène Constant |
| Trainer | Etienne Pollet |
| Record | 6:3-2-0 (incomplete) |
| Major wins | |
|
Prix de Fontainebleau (1952) 2000 Guineas (1952) |
|
| Awards | |
| Timeform rating 133d | |
Thunderhead (foaled 1949) was a French Thoroughbred racehorse and sire, best known for winning the classic 2000 Guineas in 1952. He won once as a two-year-old and showed improved form in the spring of 1952, winning the Prix de Fontainebleau before recording an emphatic win over twenty-five opponents in the 2000 Guineas. He then finished second when favourite for the Poule d'Essai des Poulains and ran poorly when strongly-fancied for the Epsom Derby. He was later exported to South Africa where he had some success as a breeding stallion.
When racing in Britain he was known as Thunderhead II.
Thunderhead was a chestnut horse, "built more as a sprinter than a stayer" with a small white star, bred in France by Jean Desbons. He was probably the best horse sired by Merry Boy who finished second in the Prix Eugene Adam in 1941. His dam Herodiade was a great-granddaughter of the broodmare Gondolette, whose other descendants included Hyperion, Sansovino and Big Game. As a yearling, the colt was bought by Eugène Constant and sent into training with Etienne Pollet.
Alan Bell, the chairman of the Victoria Racing Club, who viewed Thunderhead in the spring of 1952 said "the colt is a fine, strongly built individual, big bodied but splendidly boned to carry his big frame, with powerful hocks and gaskins, and with a beautiful shoulder and character written all over him. Seldom have I seen a thoroughbred I liked better".
After finishing second on his racecourse debut, Thunderhead won a race over 1200 metres at Saint-Cloud Racecourse in the late autumn of 1951.
On his first appearance as a three-year-old, Thunderhead was moved up in distance and won the Prix de Fontainebleau over 1600 metres at Longchamp Racecourse. It was the first running of the race in its modern form: it had previously been run over 2200 metres before being discontinued in 1948.
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