Shahrastani (1983–2011) was an American-bred, British-trained

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 ...

. He won four of his seven races between September 1985 and October 1986. He is best known for his performances in the summer of 1986 when he defeated

Dancing Brave Dancing Brave (11 May 1983 – 2 August 1999) was an American-bred, British-trained thoroughbred racehorse. In a racing career which lasted from the autumn of 1985 until October 1986, he ran ten times and won eight races. Dancing Brave was the ou ...

in the

Epsom Derby The Derby Stakes, also known as the Epsom Derby or the Derby, and as the Cazoo Derby for sponsorship reasons, is a Group 1 flat horse race in England open to three-year-old colts and fillies. It is run at Epsom Downs Racecourse in Surrey o ...

and went on to win the

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 ...

by eight lengths. At the end of the season he was retired to stud, but made little impact as a stallion. He died in 2011.

Background

Shahrastani was a chestnut horse with a broad white blaze bred in

Kentucky Kentucky ( , ), officially the Commonwealth of Kentucky, is a state in the Southeastern region of the United States and one of the states of the Upper South. It borders Illinois, Indiana, and Ohio to the north; West Virginia and Virginia to ...

by his owner HH Aga Khan IV. He was sired by the

Triple Crown Triple Crown may refer to: Sports Horse racing * Triple Crown of Thoroughbred Racing * Triple Crown of Thoroughbred Racing (United States) ** Triple Crown Trophy ** Triple Crown Productions * Canadian Triple Crown of Thoroughbred Racing * Trip ...

winner

Nijinsky Vaslav (or Vatslav) Nijinsky (; rus, Вацлав Фомич Нижинский, Vatslav Fomich Nizhinsky, p=ˈvatsləf fɐˈmʲitɕ nʲɪˈʐɨnskʲɪj; pl, Wacław Niżyński, ; 12 March 1889/18908 April 1950) was a ballet dancer and choreog ...

and was the first foal of the mare Shademah, a half sister to the

Grand Prix de Saint-Cloud The Grand Prix de Saint-Cloud is a Group 1 flat horse race in France open to thoroughbreds aged four years or older. It is run at Saint-Cloud over a distance of 2,400 metres (about 1½ miles), and it is sc ...

winner Shakapour. The colt was sent into training with

Michael Stoute Sir Michael Ronald Stoute (born 22 October 1945) is a Barbadian British Thoroughbred horse trainer in flat racing. Career Stoute, whose father was the Chief of Police for Barbados, left the island in 1964 at the age of 19 to become an assis ...

at Newmarket and was ridden in all his races by

Walter Swinburn Walter Robert John Swinburn (7 August 1961 – 12 December 2016) was a flat racing jockey and trainer who competed in Great Britain and internationally. Biography Swinburn was born in Oxford. He was the son of Wally Swinburn, who won the ...

Racing career

1985:two-year-old season

Sharastani was not highly tried as a two-year-old and appeared on the racecourse only once. In September he finished strongly to be second by a head to My Ton Ton in the

Haynes, Hanson and Clark Conditions Stakes The Haynes, Hanson and Clark Conditions Stakes is a flat horse race in Great Britain open to two-year-old colts and geldings. It is run at Newbury over a distance of 1 mile (1,609 metres), and it i ...

at Newbury.

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 ...

described him as being "sure to improve" and a "very useful colt in the making".

1986:three-year-old season

In 1986 Shahrastani was aimed at the Epsom Derby and began his season by winning the

Sandown Classic Trial The Sandown Classic Trial is a Group 3 flat horse race in Great Britain open to three-year-old horses. It is run over a distance of 1 mile, 1 furlong and 209 yards ( ...

in April. He was described as looking extremely impressive as he defeated the previously unbeaten

Royal Lodge Stakes The Royal Lodge Stakes is a Group 2 flat horse race in Great Britain open to two-year-old colts and geldings. It is run on the Rowley Mile at Newmarket over a distance of 1 mile (1,609 metres), an ...

winner Bonhomie. A month later he was set to

York York is a cathedral city with Roman origins, sited at the confluence of the rivers Ouse and Foss in North Yorkshire, England. It is the historic county town of Yorkshire. The city has many historic buildings and other structures, such as a ...

where he won the

Dante Stakes The Dante Stakes is a Group 2 flat horse race in Great Britain open to three-year-old horses. It is run over a distance of 1 mile, 2 furlongs and 56 yards () at Y ...

. At

Epsom Epsom is the principal town of the Borough of Epsom and Ewell in Surrey, England, about south of central London. The town is first recorded as ''Ebesham'' in the 10th century and its name probably derives from that of a Saxon landowner. The ...

in June he started at odds of 11/2 for the Derby in a field of fifteen runners. The favourite for the race was the unbeaten Dancing Brave, the impressive winner of the

2000 Guineas The 2000 Guineas Stakes is a Group 1 flat race in Great Britain open to three-year-old thoroughbred colts and fillies. It is run on the Rowley Mile at Newmarket over a distance of 1 mile (1,609 metres) and scheduled to take place each year at ...

. After tracking the leaders in a slowly run race, Swinburn sent Shahrastani into the lead in the straight and opened up a clear lead. In the closing stages he held of the late challenge of Dancing Brave to win by half a length. Three weeks after his Epsom win, Shahrastani was sent to 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 ...

for the

. He started the even money favourite against a field which included the Epsom third Mashkour and Dancing Brave's stable companion Bakharoff, the leading European two-year-old of 1985. Shahrastani took the lead two furlongs from the finish and pulled away from his opponents to win very easily by eight lengths. In July, Shahrastani started favourite for his rematch with Dancing Brave in 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 ...

at Ascot. He was never able to reach the lead and finished fourth behind Dancing Brave, Shardari and

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 ...

. On his final racecourse appearance, Shahrastani finished fourth in October's

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 ...

at Longchamp.

Assessment

Sharastani was given a rating of 135 by

. In their book ''A Century of Champions'', John Randall and Tony Morris rated Sharastani as a "superior" Derby winner and the ninety-third best British or Irish racehorse of the 20th century.

Retirement and stud

At the end of the 1986 racing season, Shahrastani was retired to stud. He stood with limited success at

Three Chimneys Farm Three Chimneys Farm is an American Thoroughbred race horse breeding farm in Midway, Kentucky, established in 1972 by Mr. & Mrs. Robert N. Clay. Three Chimneys has been home to a number of famous horses including U.S. Triple Crown champion Se ...

as well as at Clashmore Stud in Ireland and breeding farms in France and Japan. His best runner on the flat was probably Dariyoun who won some good races in Spain including the domestic Group I Gran Premio Madrid. Shahrastani also sired the good hurdler Zabadi who won the

Anniversary 4-Y-O Novices' Hurdle The Anniversary 4-Y-O Novices' Hurdle is a Grade 1 National Hunt racing, National Hunt Hurdling (horse race), hurdle race in Great Britain which is open to Horse racing, horses aged four years. It is ...

He is also the damsire 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 ...

, whose victories include the 2003 Irish Derby and King George VI and Queen Elizabeth Diamond Stakes. Shahrastani was put down in December 2011 at Walton Fields Stud in Grimston, Leicestershire because of deteriorating health, having retired from stallion duties a year earlier. He was twenty-eight years old, an advanced age for a thoroughbred.

Pedigree

References

External links

YouTube video of Shahrastani's win in the 1986 Epsom Derby
{{Epsom Derby Winners 1983 racehorse births 2011 racehorse deaths Epsom Derby winners Racehorses trained in the United Kingdom Racehorses bred in Kentucky Irish Classic Race winners Thoroughbred family 3-o