Persian Heights (29 April 1985 – 18 March 1993) 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 Horse racing is an equestrian performance sport, typically involving two or more horses ridden by jockeys (or sometimes driven without riders) over a set distance for competition. It is one of the most ancient of all sports, as its basic pr ...

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 ...

. As a two-year-old in 1987 he won two of his first three races before sustaining an injury in the

Middle Park Stakes The Middle Park Stakes is a Group 1 flat horse race in Great Britain open to two-year-old colts. It is run on the Rowley Mile at Newmarket over a distance of 6 furlongs (1,207 metres), and it is s ...

. He made a belated winning debut in 1988 before recording his biggest win in the

St James's Palace Stakes The St James's Palace Stakes is a Group 1 flat horse race in Great Britain open to three-year-old colts. It is run at Ascot over a distance of 7 furlongs and 213 yards (1,603 metres). It is sched ...

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 ...

. The colt appeared to have registered another major success when passing the post clear of a top-class field in the

International Stakes The International Stakes is a Group 1 flat horse race in Great Britain open to horses aged three years or older. It is run at York over a distance of 1 mile, 2 furlongs and 56 yards (2, ...

but was controversially disqualified for causing interference in the straight. He ran well without winning in his last three contests and was retired from racing at the end of the year. After less than five years as a breeding stallion, Persian Heights died in 1993 at the age of eight.

Background

Persian Heights was a "rangy" chestnut horse with a white

sock 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 ...

on his left hind leg bred by the Newmarket-based Banstead Manor Stud. His sire, Persian Bold was a successful racehorse who won the

Richmond Stakes The Richmond Stakes is a Group 2 flat horse race in Great Britain open to two-year-old colts and geldings. It is run at Goodwood over a distance of 6 furlongs (1,207 metres), and it is sch ...

in 1977. He went on to be a "good" stallion, getting important winners such as

Kooyonga Kooyonga was an Irish champion Thoroughbred racehorse who raced from 1990 to 1992. After showing good form as a juvenile, she had a highly successful three-year-old campaign, winning the Group One Irish 1,000 Guineas and the Coronation Stakes ...

Bold Pilot Bold Pilot (April 21, 1993 – April 30, 2015) was a Turkish thoroughbred racehorse. He was sired by Persian Bold Persian may refer to: * People and things from Iran, historically called ''Persia'' in the English language ** Persians, the major ...

, Falcon Flight (

Prix Hocquart The Prix Hocquart is a Group 2 flat horse race in France open to three-year-old thoroughbred colts and fillies. It is run over a distance of 2,400 metres (about 1 mile and 4 furlongs) at ...

) and Bold Russian (

Celebration Mile The Celebration Mile is a Group 2 flat horse race in Great Britain open to horses aged three years or older. It is run at Goodwood over a distance of 1 mile (1,609 metres), and it is scheduled to t ...

). Persian Heights' dam Ready and Willing won over one and a half miles as a three-year-old and was a daughter of the

Yorkshire Oaks The Yorkshire Oaks is a Group 1 flat horse race in Great Britain open to fillies and mares aged three years or older. It is run at York over a distance of 1 mile 3 fu ...

runner-up No Saint. 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 ...

, the colt was offered for sale and bought for 25,000

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 ...

by representatives of Yazid Saud and Majed AlRasheed. He was trained throughout his racing career by Geoff Huffer at

Newmarket, Suffolk Newmarket is a market town and civil parish in the West Suffolk district of Suffolk, England. Located (14 miles) west of Bury St Edmunds and (14 miles) northeast of Cambridge. It is considered the birthplace and global centre of thoroughbred hor ...

Racing career

1987: two-year-old season

After finishing second on his racecourse debut, Persian Heights contested 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 six furlongs at

Great Yarmouth Racecourse Great Yarmouth racecourse is a horse racing course located a mile north of Great Yarmouth, owned by Arena Racing Company. The track takes the form of a narrow oblong of a mile and five furlongs round, with two long straights about five furlongs in ...

and won by six

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 seven opponents. He followed up in a minor race at

Pontefract Racecourse Pontefract Racecourse is a thoroughbred horse racing venue located in Pontefract, West Yorkshire, England. Layout The track is left-handed undulating course with a sharp bend into the home straight. Horses drawn low (i.e. on the inside of the ...

in the following month, winning more easily than the half-length margin of victory suggested. On his final appearance of the season he was moved up sharply in class for the

Group One Group One, Group 1, Grade I or G1 is the term used for the highest level of Thoroughbred and Standardbred stakes races in many countries. In Europe, the level of races for Thoroughbred racing is determined using the Pattern races, Pattern race sys ...

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 ...

on 3 October and started the 7/2 third favourite in a five-runner field. Ridden by

Ray Cochrane Ray Cochrane (born 18 June 1957 in Banbridge, County Down, Northern Ireland) is a retired Northern Irish horse racing jockey and current sports agent. Cochrane was the winning jockey in three of the five British Classic Races: the 1000 Gui ...

finished third behind

Gallic League Gallic League (24 March 1985 – after 1997) was a British Thoroughbred racehorse and sire. He showed his best form in the autumn of his two-year-old season but continued to run well in major sprint races for the next two years. In 1987 he w ...

and

Rahy Rahy (February 18, 1985 – September 22, 2011) was a Thoroughbred racehorse who competed in England and the United States. Background Bred by Hill 'n' Dale Farms in Lexington, Rahy was a son of the very important sire Blushing Groom and out o ...

, reportedly returning from the race with a split

pastern The is a part of the leg of a horse between the fetlock and the top of the hoof. It incorporates the long pastern bone (proximal phalanx) and the short pastern bone (middle phalanx), which are held together by two sets of paired ligaments to fo ...

1988: three-year-old season

Following his injury as a juvenile, Persian Heights did not reappear until 8 June 1988 when he started 2/1 second favourite for the Hermitage Stakes 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 ...

. He was fourth of the five runners entering the straight but moved up to take the lead approaching the final furlong and drew away to win by four lengths from Dust Devil. Six days after his win at Newbury, Persian Heights was sent to

for the St James's Palace Stakes: it was the 143rd running of the race and the first to be given Group One status. Ridden by

Pat Eddery Patrick James John Eddery (18 March 1952 – 10 November 2015) was an Irish flat racing jockey and trainer. He rode three winners of the Derby and was Champion Jockey on eleven occasions. He rode the winners of 4,632 British flat races, a f ...

he started the 9/2 joint second favourite behind the

Vincent O'Brien Vincent O'Brien (9 April 1917 – 1 June 2009) was an Irish race horse trainer from Churchtown, County Cork, Ireland. In 2003 he was voted the greatest influence in horse racing history in a worldwide poll hosted by the ''Racing Post''. In ...

-trained

Prince of Birds Prince of Birds (10 March 1985 – after 2006) was an American-bred, Irish-trained thoroughbred racehorse and sire. In a brief racing career he won three of his four races between June 1987 and June 1988. He won his only race as a two-year-o ...

who had won the

Irish 2,000 Guineas The Irish 2,000 Guineas 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 mile (1,609 metres), and it is ...

on his last start. The other contenders were Raykour (

Heron Stakes The Heron Stakes is a Listed flat horse race in Great Britain open to three-year-old thoroughbreds. It is run at Sandown Park over a distance of 1 mile (), and it is scheduled to take place each year ...

), Carmelite House (Houghton Stakes),

Blushing John {{Infobox racehorse , horsename = Blushing John , image = , caption = , sire = Blushing Groom , grandsire = Red God , dam = La Griffe , damsire = Prince John , sex = Stallion , foaled = 1985 , country = United States , colour = ...

Caerwent Caerwent ( cy, Caer-went) is a village and community in Monmouthshire, Wales. It is located about five miles west of Chepstow and 11 miles east of Newport. It was founded by the Romans as the market town of ''Venta Silurum'', an important settle ...

(

National Stakes The Vincent O'Brien National Stakes is a Group 1 flat horse race in Ireland open to two-year-old thoroughbred colts and fillies. It is run at the Curragh over a distance of 7 furlongs (1,408 metr ...

) and the French challenger Drapeau Tricolore. Persian Heights turned into the straight in third place behind Carmelite House and Blushing John, before Eddery sent him into the lead approaching the final furlong. He won "comfortably" by one and a half lengths from Raykour, with Caerwent half a length away in third. After a two-month break, Persian Heights was stepped up in distance and matched against older horses for the first time in the

over ten and a half furlongs at

York Racecourse York Racecourse is a horse racing venue in York, North Yorkshire, England. It is the third biggest racecourse in Britain in terms of total prize money offered, and second behind Ascot Racecourse, Ascot in prize money offered per meeting. It att ...

. He started second favourite behind the

Scottish Derby The Scottish Derby was a Group 2 flat horse race in Great Britain open to thoroughbreds aged three years or older. It was run at Ayr over a distance of 1 mile and 2 furlongs (2,012 metres), and it was scheduled to take place each year in July. ...

winner Kefaah in a field which also included the filly

Indian Skimmer The Indian skimmer or Indian scissors-bill (''Rynchops albicollis'') is one of the three species that belong to the skimmer genus ''Rynchops'' in the family Laridae. They are somewhat tern-like but like other skimmers, have a short upper mandibl ...

Shady Heights Shady Heights (12 May 1984 – ca. 1997) was a British Thoroughbred racehorse. In four seasons on the racecourse he competed in Britain, Ireland, France, Germany, Japan and the United States, winning seven of his twenty-nine contests. He sho ...

( Rogers Gold Cup), Fijar Tango (

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 ...

) and Lapierre (

Prix Jean Prat The Prix Jean Prat is a Group 1 flat horse race in France open to three-year-old thoroughbred colts and fillies. It is run at Deauville over a distance of 1,400 metres (about 7 furlongs), and it is sche ...

). After turning into the straight fifth of the six runners he accelerated into the lead a furlong out and finished first beating Shady Heights and Indian Skimmer by a length and a half and a neck despite hanging to the left in the closing stages. Indian Skimmer's rider

Steve Cauthen Steve Cauthen (born May 1, 1960) is a retired American jockey. In 1977 he became the first jockey to win over $6 million in a year working with agent Lenny Goodman, and in 1978 he became the youngest jockey to win the U. S. ...

lodged an objection to the winner, and the racecourse stewards ruled that Persian Heights had caused interference which prevented the filly from finishing second. Under the rules of racing at the time, Persian Heights was relegated to third, and the race awarded to Shady Heights. Persian Heights was beaten in his three remaining races, but ran consistently against top-class opposition. In September he started 2/1 favourite for the

Irish Champion Stakes The Irish Champion Stakes ( Irish: Curadh-Dhuais na hÉireann) is a Group 1 flat horse race in Ireland open to horses aged three years or older. It is run at Leopardstown over a distance of 1 mile and 2 furlongs (2,01 ...

Phoenix Park Racecourse Phoenix Park Racecourse is a former horse racing venue in Ireland. It was located in the townlands of Ashtown and Castleknock in the civil parish of Castleknock on the northern edge of the Phoenix Park in Dublin. The course was founded by JHH ...

and finished fourth behind Indian Skimmer,

Triptych A triptych ( ; from the Greek language, Greek adjective ''τρίπτυχον'' "''triptukhon''" ("three-fold"), from ''tri'', i.e., "three" and ''ptysso'', i.e., "to fold" or ''ptyx'', i.e., "fold") is a work of art (usually a panel painting) t ...

and Shady Heights, proving the best of the three-year-old entrants. Later that month he was brought back in distance for the

Queen Elizabeth II Stakes The Queen Elizabeth II Stakes is a Group 1 flat horse race in Great Britain open to horses aged three years or older. It is run at Ascot over a distance of 1 mile (1,609 metres), and it is s ...

over one mile at Ascot and finished third behind Warning and Salse. On his final appearance he finished second to Indian Skimmer in the

Champion Stakes The Champion Stakes is a Group 1 flat horse race in Great Britain open to thoroughbreds aged three years or older. It is run at Ascot over a distance of 1 mile and 2 furlong ...

at Newmarket in October, with

Doyoun Doyoun (8 March 1985 – 5 December 2002) was a British Thoroughbred racehorse and sire, best known for winning the classic 2000 Guineas in 1988. In a racing career which lasted from October 1987 until October 1988 he ran seven times and wo ...

finishing third ahead of Shady Heights.

Assessment

As a two-year-old, Persian Heights was given a rating of 103 by the independent

Timeform Timeform is a sports data and content provider located in Halifax, West Yorkshire, England. Founded in 1948, it provides systematic information on form to punters and others involved in the horse racing industry. The company was purchased by ...

organisation, making him 24 pounds inferior to the top-rated juvenile Warning. In their annual ''Racehorses of 1987'', they described him as "sure to win more races".

Stud record

Persian Heights was retired from racing to become a breeding stallion at the Castle Hyde Stud in Ireland. On 18 March 1993, in his fifth season at stud he collapsed and died after covering a mare. By far the most successful of his offspring was the popular stayer Persian Punch, whilst the best of his other progeny included

Caulfield Cup The Caulfield Cup is a Melbourne Racing Club Group 1 Thoroughbred horse race held under handicap conditions, although the Melbourne Racing Club is in the process of turning the race into weight for age (WFA) conditions. This is for all horses ...

and

Mackinnon Stakes The VRC Champions Stakes, registered as the ''LKS Mackinnon Stakes'', is a Victoria Racing Club Group 1 Thoroughbred horse race run under Weight for Age conditions over a distance of 2000 metres at Flemington Racecourse in Melbourne, Australia on ...

winner, Paris Lane, and the St Simon Stakes winner Persian Brave.

Pedigree

References

{{reflist 1985 racehorse births 1993 racehorse deaths Racehorses bred in the United Kingdom Racehorses trained in the United Kingdom Thoroughbred family 16-g