Alandi (foaled 4 April 2005) is an Irish-bred

Thoroughbred The Thoroughbred is a horse breed best known for its use in horse racing. Although the word ''thoroughbred'' is sometimes used to refer to any breed of purebred horse, it technically refers only to the Thoroughbred breed. Thoroughbreds are c ...

racehorse and

sire Sire is an archaic respectful form of address to reigning kings in Europe. In French and other languages it is less archaic and relatively more current. In Belgium, the king is addressed as "Sire..." in both Dutch and French. The words "sire" a ...

. He was a slow-maturing horse who did not race as a two-year-old and made only one (winning) appearance at three. As a four-year-old he established himself as one of the best staying racehorses in the world with victories in the

Vintage Crop Stakes The Vintage Crop Stakes is a Listed flat horse race in Ireland open to thoroughbreds aged four years or older. It is run at Navan over a distance of 1 mile and 6 furlongs (2,816 metres), and it is scheduled to take pl ...

, Ballycullen Stakes,

Irish St. Leger The Irish St Leger is a Group 1 flat horse race in Ireland open to thoroughbreds aged three years or older. It is run at the Curragh over a distance of 1 mile and 6 furlongs (2,816 metres), and it i ...

and

Prix du Cadran The Prix du Cadran is a Group 1 flat horse race in France open to thoroughbreds aged four years or older. It is run at Longchamp over a distance of 4,000 metres (about 2 miles), and it is scheduled to take ...

. He was then sold to race in Australia as a

Melbourne Cup The Melbourne Cup is a Thoroughbred horse race held in Melbourne, Australia. It is a 3200-metre race for three-year-olds and over, conducted by the Victoria Racing Club on the Flemington Racecourse in Melbourne, Victoria as part of the Melbou ...

prospect but failed to reproduce his European form. A return to Europe in 2012 saw no improvement and he was retired from racing to become a breeding stallion in Poland.

Background

Alandi is a bay horse with a large white

star A star is an astronomical object comprising a luminous spheroid of plasma (physics), plasma held together by its gravity. The List of nearest stars and brown dwarfs, nearest star to Earth is the Sun. Many other stars are visible to the naked ...

and three white

socks A sock is a piece of clothing worn on the feet and often covering the ankle or some part of the calf. Some types of shoes or boots are typically worn over socks. In ancient times, socks were made from leather or matted animal hair. In the late ...

bred in Ireland by his owner

Aga Khan IV Shāh Karim al-Husayni (born 13 December 1936), known by the religious title Mawlānā Hazar Imam by his Ismaili followers and elsewhere as Aga Khan IV, is the 49th and current Imam of Nizari Ismailis, a denomination within Shia Islam. He ha ...

. The colt was sent into training with

John Oxx John M. Oxx (born 14 July 1950) is a retired Irish trainer of thoroughbred racehorses. By the end of the 2009 season Oxx had trained 35 Group One winners over his career, including the winners of 11 Classic races. He is best known as the traine ...

Kilcullen Kilcullen (), formally Kilcullen Bridge, is a small town on the River Liffey in County Kildare, Republic of Ireland, Ireland. Its population of 3,473 at the 2011 census made it the 12th largest settlement in County Kildare and the fastest growi ...

County Kildare County Kildare ( ga, Contae Chill Dara) is a county in Ireland. It is in the province of Leinster and is part of the Eastern and Midland Region. It is named after the town of Kildare. Kildare County Council is the local authority for the county, ...

and was ridden in all of his early races by

Mick Kinane Michael J. Kinane (born 22 June 1959, Killenaule, County Tipperary) is an Irish former flat racing jockey. He had a 34-year career, retiring on 8 December 2009. A prolific winner of the Irish, English and French Classic race ...

. He was sired by

Galileo Galileo di Vincenzo Bonaiuti de' Galilei (15 February 1564 – 8 January 1642) was an Italian astronomer, physicist and engineer, sometimes described as a polymath. Commonly referred to as Galileo, his name was pronounced (, ). He was ...

, who won the

Derby Derby ( ) is a city and unitary authority area in Derbyshire, England. It lies on the banks of the River Derwent in the south of Derbyshire, which is in the East Midlands Region. It was traditionally the county town of Derbyshire. Derby gai ...

Irish Derby The Irish Derby (Irish: Dearbaí na hÉireann) is a Group 1 flat horse race in Ireland open to three-year-old thoroughbred colts and fillies. It is run at the Curragh over a distance of 1 ...

and

King George VI and Queen Elizabeth Stakes The King George VI and Queen Elizabeth Stakes is a Group 1 flat horse race in Great Britain open to horses aged three years or older. It is run at Ascot o ...

in 2001 before becoming a very successful breeding stallion. Galileo's other progeny include Cape Blanco,

Frankel Frankel is the surname of: * Benjamin Frankel (1906–1973), British composer * Bethenny Frankel (born 1970), American chef and reality television personality * Charles Frankel (1917–1975), American philosopher, known for Charles Frankel Prize * ...

Nathaniel , nickname = {{Plainlist, * Nat * Nate , footnotes = Nathaniel is an English variant of the biblical Greek name Nathanael. People with the name Nathaniel * Nathaniel Archibald (1952–2018), American basketball player * Nate A ...

New Approach New Approach (foaled 18 February 2005) is a retired Irish Thoroughbred racehorse and active stallion. In a racing career which lasted from July 2007 to October 2008 he ran eleven times and won eight races. He was undefeated in five races as a tw ...

Rip Van Winkle "Rip Van Winkle" is a short story by the American author Washington Irving, first published in 1819. It follows a Dutch-American villager in colonial America named Rip Van Winkle who meets mysterious Dutchmen, imbibes their liquor and falls aslee ...

, Found, Minding and

Ruler of the World Ruler of the World (foaled 17 March 2010) is an Irish Thoroughbred racehorse who won The Derby in 2013. He was unraced as a two-year-old. In 2013, he won a maiden race at the Curragh and the Group Three Chester Vase before winning the Derb ...

. Alandi was one of several winners produced by the broodmare Aliya who won two of her eight races including the

Oyster Stakes The Oyster Stakes is a Listed flat horse race in Ireland open to thoroughbred fillies and mares aged three years or older. It is run at Galway over a distance of 1 mile 4 furlongs and 42 yards (2,452 m ...

in 1997. She was a full sister to Aliysa who finished first in the Epsom Oaks and was the granddam of

Alamshar Alamshar (foaled 18 April 2000) is a retired Irish Thoroughbred racehorse and active sire. He won five of his nine races in a career which lasted from September 2002 to September 2003. He is best known for his performances as a three-year-old whe ...

Racing career

2008: three-year-old season

Alandi did not race as a juvenile and began his track career in a

maiden race In horse racing a maiden race is an event for horses that have not won a race. Horses that have not won a race are referred to as maidens. Maiden horse races are held over a variety of distances and under conditions with eligibility based on the se ...

over one and a half miles on heavy ground at the

Curragh Racecourse The Curragh Racecourse -- usually referred to as simply the Curragh -- is one of Ireland's most important Thoroughbred racecourses. It is situated on the Curragh plain in County Kildare, between the towns of Newbridge and Kildare. History T ...

on 20 October 2008. Starting the 6/4 favourite against twelve opponents he made steady progress in the straight, took the lead inside the final furlong and won by one and three quarter

lengths Length is a measure of distance. In the International System of Quantities, length is a quantity with dimension distance. In most systems of measurement a base unit for length is chosen, from which all other units are derived. In the Intern ...

from Street Legal.

2009: four-year-old season

Alandi's first run of 2009 saw him stepped up to Listed level for the Vintage Crop Stakes at

Navan Racecourse Navan Racecourse is a horse racing venue at Proudstown near Navan, County Meath, Ireland, approximately 48 kilometres from Dublin. The course stages Flat racing but is best known for National Hunt racing. Navan Racecourse is owned by Horse Racing ...

on 26 April in which he started at odds of 4/1 behind the reigning champion stayer

Yeats William Butler Yeats (13 June 186528 January 1939) was an Irish poet, dramatist, writer and one of the foremost figures of 20th-century literature. He was a driving force behind the Irish Literary Revival and became a pillar of the Irish litera ...

. After racing towards the rear of the eight runner field he took the lead approaching the final furlong, drew clear of the field and won by three and a half lengths from Hindu Kush despite being eased down by Kinane in the final strides. Four weeks later at

Leopardstown Leopardstown () is a suburb of Dublin in Dún Laoghaire–Rathdown, within the traditional County Dublin, Ireland. Located at the foot of the Dublin Mountains, it is a residential suburb with institutional lands and a large racecourse. It is di ...

Alandi started odds-on favourite for the

Saval Beg Stakes The Saval Beg Stakes is a Conditions races, Group 3 Flat racing, flat Horse racing, horse race in Ireland open to thoroughbreds aged four years or older. It is run at Leopardstown Racecourse, Leopardstown over a distan ...

but after some trouble in running he was beaten a length by Hindu Kush with

Sublimity In aesthetics, the sublime (from the Latin '' sublīmis'') is the quality of greatness, whether physical, moral, intellectual, metaphysical, aesthetic, spiritual, or artistic. The term especially refers to a greatness beyond all possibility ...

in third. A month after his defeat in the Saval Beg, the colt returned in the

Curragh Cup The Curragh Cup is a Group races, Group 2 Flat racing, flat Horse racing, horse race in Ireland open to thoroughbreds aged three years or older. It is run at the Curragh Racecourse, Curragh over a d ...

on 27 June and was made the 9/4 second choice in the betting. He raced in third place but struggled to obtain a clear run in the straight before finishing strongly to take second place beaten a neck by the five-year-old mare Profound Beauty. In the Listed Challenge Stakes at Leopardstown in July he was in contention for most of the way but looked outpaced in the closing stages and finished fifth of the six runners behind Profound Beauty. Despite three consecutive defeats, Alandi started odds-on favourite when he contested the Listed Ballycullen Stakes at

Fairyhouse Fairyhouse Racecourse is a horse racing venue in the Republic of Ireland. It is situated in the parish of Ratoath in County Meath, on the R155 road, R155 Regional road (Ireland), regional road, off the N3 road (Ireland), N3. It hosted its first ...

on 22 August. He took the lead a quarter of a mile from the finish and pulled clear of the field to win "very easily" by five lengths from his stablemate Aliyfa. In the Irish St. Leger at the Curragh on 12 September Alandi started the 3/1 second favourite behind

Godolphin Racing Godolphin (Arabic: جودلفين) is the Maktoum family's private Thoroughbred horseracing stable and was named in honour of the Godolphin Arabian, who came from the desert to become one of the three founding stallions of the modern Thoroug ...

's multiple

Group 1 Group 1 may refer to: * Alkali metal, a chemical element classification for Alkali metal * Group 1 (racing), a historic (until 1981) classification for Touring car racing, applied to standard touring cars. Comparable to modern FIA Group N * Group On ...

winner Schiaparelli. Profound Beauty an Yeats were again in opposition whilst the best-fancied of the other four runners was the

Fred Archer Stakes The Fred Archer Stakes is a Listed flat horse race in Great Britain open to thoroughbreds aged four years or older. It is run on the July Course at Newmarket over a distance of 1 mile 4 furlongs (2, ...

winner All The Aces. Schiaparelli set the pace with Alandi settled behind the leaders before moving up into second place in the straight. Alandi overtook the favourite just inside the final furlong and held off a persistent challenge from the British filly Clowance to win by half a length. Schiaparelli finished third, five lengths behind Clowance and eighteen lengths ahead of Profound Beauty in fourth. After the race John Oxx said "Mick had fancied him for this race for a while – he always said to me if it was soft he would take some beating. One mile, six furlongs is the bare minimum for him as he's a real grinder. I was happy to see him come off the bridle as early as he did because Mick said afterwards they went a hell of a gallop on such soft ground." For his final run of the year Alandi was sent to France and stepped up in distance for the

over 2400 metres at

Longchamp Racecourse The Longchamp Racecourse (french: Hippodrome de Longchamp) is a 57 hectare horse-racing facility located on the Route des Tribunes at the Bois de Boulogne in Paris, France. It is used for flat racing and is noted for its variety of interlaced tr ...

on 4 October. The Prix Gladiateur winner Kasbah Bliss (also a top class

hurdler Hurdling is the act of jumping over an obstacle at a high speed or in a sprint. In the early 19th century, hurdlers ran at and jumped over each hurdle (sometimes known as 'burgles'), landing on both feet and checking their forward motion. Today, ...

) started favourite with Alandi on 5/1 and other fancied runners being Yeats, Incanto Dream (

Prix Maurice de Nieuil The Prix Maurice de Nieuil is a Group 2 flat horse race in France open to thoroughbreds aged four years or older. It is run at Longchamp over a distance of 2,800 metres (about 1¾ miles), and it is scheduled t ...

) and Askar Tau (

Doncaster Cup The Doncaster Cup is a Group 2 flat horse race in Great Britain open to horses aged three years or older. It is run at Doncaster over a distance of 2 miles 1 furlong and 197 yards (3,600 metr ...

). Kinane positioned his mount just behind the leaders and turned into the straight in third place behind Yeats and Incanto Dream. Alandi went to the front 300 metres from the finish and hung on to win by a short head from the fast-finishing Kasbah Bliss. Oxx commented "He's a good horse, very genuine and now goes on all types of ground. Mick has always said two things – one, that on heavy ground he could win the Irish St. Leger, two, that when he tackles extreme distances he could be a Gold Cup candidate. He was spot on with his assessment". In the 2009 World Thoroughbred Rankings Alandi was given a rating of 119, making him the 65th best racehorse in the world and the second best horse in the Extended distance division.

2010 – 2012: later career

Before the start of the 2010 season Alandi was sold to Lloyd Williams and sent to race in Australia where he was trained by

Robert Hickmott Robert Hickmott (born 28 January 1969) is an Australian racehorse trainer and former Australian rules footballer, who played for the Melbourne Football Club in the Australian Football League (AFL). In 2012, he became the first former footballer ...

. His record in Australia was very disappointing as he finished last or last-but-one in all five of his starts. Williams had hoped that the horse would be a major contender for the

but admitted "I just haven't been able to get him going at all. He's not half the horse he was when John Oxx was training him". In 2012 Alandi was returned to Europe and joined the stable of P. J. Prendergast in Ireland. He returned to the track at

Goodwood Racecourse Goodwood Racecourse is a horse-racing track five miles north of Chichester, West Sussex, in England controlled by the family of the Duke of Richmond, whose seat is nearby Goodwood House. It hosts the annual Glorious Goodwood meeting in lat ...

in August 2012 but failed to recapture his old form as he finished tailed-off last in the Listed

March Stakes The March Stakes is a Group 3 flat horse race in Great Britain open to horses aged three years. It is run at Goodwood over a distance of 1 mile and 6 furlongs (2,816 metres), and it is scheduled ...

Stud career

After his retirement from racing Alandi began his stud career in 2014 at the Millennium Stud in

Strzegom Strzegom (german: Striegau) is a town in Świdnica County, Lower Silesian Voivodeship, in south-western Poland. It is the seat of the Gmina Strzegom administrative district (gmina). It lies approximately north-west of Świdnica, and west of th ...

, Poland.

Pedigree

References

{{Reflist, 2 2005 racehorse births Racehorses bred in Ireland Racehorses trained in Ireland Racehorses trained in Australia Thoroughbred family 9-c Irish Classic Race winners