M-Lolshan (22 May 1975 – after 1998) was a British

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 tough and consistent middle distance horse who won or placed in 19 of his 22 races. After winning one of his three starts as a juvenile in 1977, he made steady improvement as a three-year-old, winning the

King George V Stakes The King George V Stakes is a flat handicap horse race in Great Britain open to three-year-old horses. It is run at Ascot over a distance of 1 mile 3 furlongs and 211 yards (2,406 metres), a ...

in June and the

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 ...

in October as well as being placed in the

St Leger The St Leger Stakes is a Group 1 flat horse race in Great Britain open to three-year-old thoroughbred colts and fillies. It is run at Doncaster over a d ...

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 ...

and

Geoffrey Freer Stakes The Geoffrey Freer Stakes is a Group 3 flat horse race in Great Britain open to horses aged three years or older. It is run at Newbury over a distance of 1 mile, 5 furlongs and 61 yards (2,671 me ...

. In 1979 he won the

Grosser Preis von Baden The Grosser Preis von Baden is a Group 1 flat horse race in Germany open to thoroughbreds aged three years or older. It is run at Baden-Baden over a distance of 2,400 metres (about 1½ miles), and it is schedul ...

and was placed in the

Princess of Wales's Stakes The Princess of Wales's Stakes is a Group 2 flat horse race in Great Britain open to horses aged three years or older. It is run on the July Course at Newmarket over a distance of 1 mile and 4 furlo ...

, Geoffrey Freer Stakes and

Preis von Europa The Preis von Europa is a Group 1 flat horse race in Germany open to thoroughbreds aged three years or older. It is run at Cologne over a distance of 2,400 metres (about 1½ miles), and it is scheduled to take place eac ...

as well as finishing fourth in both the

Coronation Cup The Coronation Cup is a Group 1 flat horse race in Great Britain open to horses aged four years or older. It is run at Epsom Downs over a distance of 1 mile, 4 furlongs and 6 yards (2, ...

and the

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 ...

. He made little impact as a breeding stallion.

Background

M-Lolshan was a "lengthy" brown horse with no white marking bred in Ireland. As a

yearling Yearling may refer to: *Yearling (horse), a horse between one and two years old *''The Yearling ''The Yearling'' is a novel by American writer Marjorie Kinnan Rawlings, published in March 1938. It was the main selection of the Book of the Mo ...

he was put up for auction at the Houghton Sale at Newmarket and was sold for 10,000

guineas The guinea (; commonly abbreviated gn., or gns. in plural) was a coin, minted in United Kingdom of Great Britain and Ireland, Great Britain between 1663 and 1814, that contained approximately one-quarter of an ounce of gold. The name came from t ...

. He entered the ownership of Essa Alkhalifa and was sent into training with Ryan Price at Findon in

West Sussex West Sussex is a county in South East England on the English Channel coast. The ceremonial county comprises the shire districts of Adur, Arun, Chichester, Horsham, and Mid Sussex, and the boroughs of Crawley and Worthing. Covering an ar ...

. He was one of the best horses sired by the outstanding stayer

Levmoss Levmoss (1965–1977) was an Irish Thoroughbred racehorse whose career lasted from 1967 to 1969. He was the leading stayer in Europe in 1969, when he won the premier long-distance races in England (Ascot Gold Cup) and France (Prix du Cadran) ...

, who won the

Ascot Gold Cup The Gold Cup is a Group 1 flat horse race in Great Britain open to horses aged four years or older. It is run at Ascot over a distance of 2 miles 3 furlongs and 210 yards (4,014 ...

and the

Prix de l'Arc de Triomphe The Prix de l'Arc de Triomphe is a Group 1 flat horse race in France open to thoroughbreds aged three years or older. It is run at Longchamp Racecourse in Paris, France, over a distance ...

in 1969. Levmoss was a representative of the

Byerley Turk The Byerley Turk (c. 1680 – c. 1703), also spelled Byerly Turk, was the earliest of three stallions that were the founders of the modern Thoroughbred horse racing bloodstock (the other two are the Godolphin Arabian and the Darley Arabian).Ahner ...

sire line, unlike more than 95% of modern thoroughbreds, who descend directly from the

Darley Arabian The Darley Arabian (foaled c. 1700) was one of three dominant foundation sires of modern Thoroughbred horse racing bloodstock. The other two founders were the Godolphin Arabian and the Byerley Turk. This bay Arabian horse was bought in Alep ...

. M-Lolshan's dam Supreme Lady, who won one race as a two-year-old in 1967, and also produced Ladytown, the grand-dam of

Vinnie Roe Vinnie Roe is a retired Irish Thoroughbred racehorse and active sire. He won the Irish St. Leger for four years in succession (2001–2004) and was named European Champion Stayer in the Cartier Racing Awards for 2002. He also became known inte ...

Racing career

1977: two-year-old season

After finishing third over seven

furlongs A furlong is a measure of distance in imperial units and United States customary units equal to one eighth of a mile, equivalent to 660 feet, 220 yards, 40 rods, 10 chains or approximately 201 metres. It is now mostly confined to use in hors ...

on his racecourse debut M-Lolshan contested a 23-runner

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 mile at

Newbury Racecourse Newbury Racecourse is a racecourse and events venue in the civil parish of Greenham, adjoining the town of Newbury in Berkshire, England. It has courses for flat races and over jumps. It hosts one of Great Britain's 36 annual Group 1 flat r ...

in September. He accelerated away from his opponents in the closing stages and won by three

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 Ponte Vecchio. In his only other start he was brought back in distance and finished third behind Home Run and Dactylographer in the Philips Electrical Stakes over seven furlongs at

Ascot Racecourse Ascot Racecourse ("ascot" pronounced , often pronounced ) is a dual-purpose British racecourse, located in Ascot, Berkshire, England, which is used for thoroughbred horse racing. It hosts 13 of Britain's 36 annual Flat Group 1 horse races and ...

. At the end of the year the Independent Timeform organisation gave him a rating of 101, 29 pounds behind their top two-year-old

Try My Best Try My Best (1975–1993) was an American-bred, Irish-trained Thoroughbred racehorse and sire. A son of Northern Dancer, he won the Dewhurst Stakes in 1978 and was the top-rated two-year-old in Britain and Ireland that year. Background Try M ...

1978: three-year-old season

In 1978 M-Lolshan finished second in his first three starts and was then moved up in distance and looked somewhat unlucky when narrowly beaten by the four-year-old Pollerton in the Golden Jubilee Handicap at

Kempton Park Racecourse Kempton Park Racecourse is a horse racing track together with a licensed entertainment and conference venue in Sunbury-on-Thames, Surrey, England, 16 miles south-west of Charing Cross, London and on a border of Greater London. The site has of ...

in June. Later that month he was sent to

Royal Ascot Ascot Racecourse ("ascot" pronounced , often pronounced ) is a dual-purpose British racecourse, located in Ascot, Berkshire, England, which is used for thoroughbred horse racing. It hosts 13 of Britain's 36 annual Flat Group 1 horse races and ...

for the King George V Handicap over one and a half miles and recorded his first victory of the campaign as he won very easily by four lengths. He followed up by winning a handicap over fourteen furlongs at

Newmarket Racecourse Newmarket Racecourse is a British Thoroughbred horse racing venue in Newmarket, Suffolk, Newmarket, Suffolk, comprising two individual racecourses: the Rowley Mile and the July Course. Newmarket is often referred to as the headquarters of ...

in July. M-Lolshan was moved up in class after his handicap wins and finished third to

Ile de Bourbon Ile de Bourbon (1975–1997) was an American-bred, British-trained Thoroughbred racehorse and sire. In a career which lasted from 1977 until October 1979 he ran twelve times and won five races. His most important success came in July 1978 wh ...

in the

Group 2 The term Group 2 may refer to: * Alkaline earth metal, a chemical element classification * Astronaut Group 2, also known as The New Nine, the second group of astronauts selected by NASA in 1962 * Group 2 (racing), an FIA classification for cars in a ...

at Newbury in August. Later that month he contested the

(a trial race for the St Leger) 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 ...

and finished third behind

Le Moss Le Moss (3 April 1975 – 17 August 2000) was a British Thoroughbred racehorse and sire. A specialist stayer, he excelled at distances of two miles and beyond, winning eleven times from fifteen races between 1977 and 1980. He showed good form ...

and Obraztsovy (also trained by Price). In the St Leger at

Doncaster Racecourse Doncaster Racecourse (also known as the Town Moor course) is a racecourse in Doncaster, South Yorkshire, England. It hosts two of Great Britain's 36 annual Group 1 flat races, the St Leger Stakes and the Racing Post Trophy. History Doncas ...

in September he started a 28/1 outsider but exceeded expectations as he finished third, beaten one and a half lengths and a head by

Julio Mariner Julio Mariner (24 January 1975–26 May 2004) was a British Thoroughbred racehorse and sire best known for winning the classic St Leger Stakes in 1978. In a racing career which lasted from August 1977 until October 1978 he won three of his ...

and Le Moss, with Obraztsovy, Ile de Bourbon and Galiani (winner of the

Grand Prix de Paris The Grand Prix de Paris is a Group 1 flat horse race in France open to three-year-old thoroughbred colts and fillies. It is run at Longchamp over a distance of 2,400 metres (about 1½ miles), and it ...

) finishing behind. On 7 October at the

Curragh The Curragh ( ; ga, An Currach ) is a flat open plain of almost of common land in County Kildare. This area is well known for Irish horse breeding and training. The Irish National Stud is located on the edge of Kildare town, beside the ...

M-Lolshan, ridden by Brian Taylor started 2/1 favourite for the Irish St Leger over fourteen furlongs. The best of his seven opponents appeared to be Icelandic (

Chester Vase The Chester Vase is a Group 3 flat horse race in Great Britain open to three-year-old colts and geldings. It is run over a distance of 1 mile, 4 furlongs and 63 yards () at Ches ...

), Valley Forge ( Blandford Stakes), the filly Sorbus (disqualified after finishing first in the

Irish Oaks The Irish Oaks is a Group 1 flat horse race in Ireland open to three-year-old thoroughbred fillies. It is run at the Curragh over a distance of 1 mile and 4 furlongs (2,414 metres), and it is s ...

) and Valour (

). M-Lolshan took the lead two furlongs from the finish and fought off the sustained challenge of Sorbus to win by three quarters of a length with Valley Forge a head away in third. Timeform gave him a rating of 125 for 1978, eight pounds behind Ile de Bourbon, who was their top-rated three-year-old. The official International classification however, were less impressed and rated him 12 pounds inferior to Ile de Bourbon.

1979: four-year-old season

After finishing third in the

Aston Park Stakes The Aston Park Stakes is a Group 3 flat horse race in Great Britain open to horses aged four years or older. It is run at Newbury over a distance of 1 mile and 4 furlongs (). Up until 2014 it was ru ...

on his first appearance of 1979, M-Lolshan appeared to be unsuited by the soft ground when running fourth behind Ile de Bourbon in the

Epsom Racecourse Epsom Downs is a Grade 1 racecourse on the hills associated with Epsom in Surrey, England which is used for thoroughbred horse racing. The "Downs" referred to in the name are part of the North Downs. The course, which has a crowd capacity of 13 ...

in June. In July he ran second to the three-year-old Milford in the

at Newmarket and then finished fourth to

Troy Troy ( el, Τροία and Latin: Troia, Hittite language, Hittite: 𒋫𒊒𒄿𒊭 ''Truwiša'') or Ilion ( el, Ίλιον and Latin: Ilium, Hittite language, Hittite: 𒃾𒇻𒊭 ''Wiluša'') was an ancient city located at Hisarlik in prese ...

Gay Mecene Gay Mecene (16 May 1975 – 24 December 1998) was an American-bred, French-trained Thoroughbred racehorse and sire. After winning his only race as a two-year-old in 1977, he developed into one of the best French-trained colts of his generatio ...

and

Ela-Mana-Mou Ela-Mana-Mou (1976–2008) was a British Thoroughbred race horse and sire. In a career which lasted from 1978 until October 1980, he ran sixteen times and won ten races. He was one of the best British two-year-olds of 1978, when he defeated T ...

in the

at Ascot. In August he recorded his first victory of the campaign by winning a minor race over one and a half miles at

Lingfield Park Racecourse Lingfield Park Racecourse (commonly referred to as Lingfield) is a horse racing course at Lingfield in Surrey, United Kingdom. It is owned by the ARC Racing and Leisure Group, formerly Arena Leisure Plc. Lingfield is best known as a winte ...

and then finished second to the three-year-old

Niniski Niniski (15 February 1976 – November 1998) was an American-bred, British-trained Thoroughbred racehorse and sire. In a racing career which lasted from October 1978 until October 1980, he ran fourteen times and won six races. After showing ...

in the Geoffrey Freer Stakes. In the following month he was sent to Germany for the Grosser Preis von Baden over 2400 metres and was equipped with blinkers for the first time. Ridden by Taylor he won his second Group 1 race as he defeated the

Deutsches Derby The Deutsches Derby is a Group 1 flat horse race in Germany open to three-year-old thoroughbred colts and fillies. It is run at Hamburg-Horn over a distance of 2,400 metres (about 1½ miles), and it is scheduled to tak ...

winner Königsstuhl by one and a quarter lengths. He returned to Germany in October for the

Cologne Cologne ( ; german: Köln ; ksh, Kölle ) is the largest city of the German western States of Germany, state of North Rhine-Westphalia (NRW) and the List of cities in Germany by population, fourth-most populous city of Germany with 1.1 m ...

but was beaten into third place by

Nebos Nebos (30 March 1976 – 26 June 1999) was a German Thoroughbred racehorse and sire. He was one of the best horses of his generation in Germany at the age of two winning three races including the Zukunfts Rennen. In the following year he w ...

and the Polish champion Czubaryk.

Stud record

After his retirement from racing M-Lolshan became a breeding stallion in Germany. Apart from his duties as a sire of Thoroughbreds he was also used a sire of German Warmbloods including

Trakehner Trakehner is a light warmblood breed of horse, originally developed at the East Prussian state stud farm in the town of Trakehnen from which the breed takes its name. The state stud ( :de:Hauptgestüt Trakehnen) was established in 1731 and ...

horses.

Pedigree

References

{{Reflist 1975 racehorse births Racehorses bred in Ireland Racehorses trained in the United Kingdom Thoroughbred family 19 Irish Classic Race winners Byerley Turk sire line