Alamshar
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Alamshar (foaled 18 April 2000) is a retired
Irish Irish may refer to: Common meanings * Someone or something of, from, or related to: ** Ireland, an island situated off the north-western coast of continental Europe ***Éire, Irish language name for the isle ** Northern Ireland, a constituent unit ...
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 active
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 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 when he overcame chronic injury problems 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 ...
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 ...
.


Background

Alamshar, a "neat" bay colt with a diamond-shaped 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 ...
, was bred in Ireland by his owner, the
Aga Khan Aga Khan ( fa, آقاخان, ar, آغا خان; also transliterated as ''Aqa Khan'' and ''Agha Khan'') is a title held by the Imām of the Nizari Ismāʿīli Shias. Since 1957, the holder of the title has been the 49th Imām, Prince Shah Karim ...
. He was sired by the Kentucky bred
Key of Luck Key or The Key may refer to: Common meanings * Key (cryptography), a piece of information that controls the operation of a cryptography algorithm * Key (lock), device used to control access to places or facilities restricted by a lock * Key (ma ...
, the winner of the
Prix d'Arenberg The Prix d'Arenberg is a Group 3 flat horse race in France open to two-year-old thoroughbreds. It is run at Chantilly over a distance of 1,100 metres (about 5½ furlongs), and it is scheduled to take place ...
. His dam Alaiyda, was a minor winner and a daughter of the disqualified Oaks "winner" Aliysa. He was therefore a product of one of his owner's most successful dam-lines, tracing back to the influential
Mumtaz Mahal Mumtaz Mahal (/'/; ), born Arjumand Banu Begum (27 April 1593 – 17 June 1631) was the empress consort of the Mughal Empire from 19 January 1628 to 17 June 1631 as the chief consort of the Mughal emperor Shah Jahan. The Taj Mahal in Agra, oft ...
. Like many of his owner's horses, he 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 ...
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 ...
. He was ridden in all his races by
Johnny Murtagh Johnny Murtagh (born 14 May 1970) is an Irish flat racing trainer and former jockey from Bohermeen, near Navan, Kells, County Meath. As a jockey he won many of the major flat races in Europe, including all the Irish Classi ...
.


Racing career


2002: two-year-old season

Alamshar made in his debut in September 2002 with a comfortable win in a maiden race at
Listowel Listowel ( ; , IPA: lʲɪsˠˈt̪ˠuəhəlʲ is a heritage market town in County Kerry, Ireland. It is on the River Feale, from the county town, Tralee. The town of Listowel had a population of 4,820 according to the Central Statistics Of ...
. He was obviously well-regarded, as he was immediately moved up to Group Three company for the
Beresford Stakes The Beresford Stakes is a Group 2 flat horse race in Ireland open to two-year-old thoroughbreds. It is run at the Curragh over a distance of 1 mile (1,609 metres), and it is scheduled to take place ...
at the Curragh the following month. He showed himself to be a promising colt by finishing strongly to catch the
Aidan O'Brien Aidan Patrick O'Brien (born 16 October 1969 in County Wexford, Ireland) Aidan O'Brien bio NTRA. ...
-trained favourite Brian Boru close to the finish and win by a head. The form of the race was made to look even better when Brian Boru won the Group One
Racing Post Trophy The Vertem Futurity Trophy is a Group 1 flat horse race in Great Britain open to two-year-old thoroughbred colts and fillies. It is run at Doncaster over a distance of 1 mile (1,609 metres), ...
two weeks later to become winter favourite for 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 ...
, a race for which Alamshar had not been entered.


2003: three-year-old season


Spring

Before he raced as a three-year-old, Alamshar's connections demonstrated their confidence in the colt by paying a £9,000 supplementary charge to add him to the entries for the Derby, and he appeared in the betting for the race at 14–1. Alamshar's 2003 debut in the
Ballysax Stakes The Ballysax Stakes is a Group 3 flat horse race in Ireland open to three-year-old thoroughbreds. It is run over a distance of 1 mile and 2 furlongs (2,012 metres) at Leopardstow ...
was rather unsatisfactory. The race was expected to be a contest between Alamshar and the
Aidan O'Brien Aidan Patrick O'Brien (born 16 October 1969 in County Wexford, Ireland) Aidan O'Brien bio NTRA. ...
-trained Alberto Giacometti, with a second O'Brien colt, Balestrini regarded as a pacemaker. Balestrini, however, having gone ten lengths clear, did not stop as expected. Alamshar finished strongly, but failed by half a length to catch the leader. His impressive performance in making up so much ground in the closing stages, led to Alamshar being made the new favourite for the Derby. In the build-up to the Derby it was noted that Alamshar occupied the same stable box as the trainer's previous winner
Sinndar Sinndar (27 February 1997 – 26 November 2018) was an Ireland, Irish Thoroughbred horse racing, racehorse and sire (horse), sire. In a racing career that lasted from September 1999 until October 2000, he ran eight times and won seven races ...
, although Oxx insisted that it was a coincidence. On his next appearance Alamshar was sent off at odds-on for the
Derrinstown Stud Derby Trial The Derrinstown Stud Derby Trial is a Group 3 flat horse race in Ireland open to three-year-old thoroughbreds. It is run over a distance of 1 mile and 2 furlongs (2,012 metres) a ...
and won by a head from The Great Gatsby. The win produced a mixed response; while the Alamshar had shown stamina and "courage", he was not particularly impressive. Even John Oxx admitted that it "wasn't a very spectacular performance", whilst pointing out that the colt was still recovering from a hoof abscess


Summer

At Epsom he was made 4-1 second favourite for 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 ...
and put in a creditable effort, finishing a close third to
Kris Kin Kris Kin (5 March 2000 – 31 August 2012) was a thoroughbred race horse and active sire. He was bred in the United States but was trained in England during his racing career. In a career that lasted just over a year, from October 2002 to October ...
and The Great Gatsby. There were no excuses, with Johnny Murtagh saying that Alamshar "had every chance" although Oxx observed that "horses improve from the Derby". Alamshar was then aimed for 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 ...
in which he was matched against his owner's French-trained colt
Dalakhani Dalakhani (16 February 2000 – 15 January 2021) was an Irish thoroughbred race horse owned and bred by Aga Khan IV and trained by Alain de Royer-Dupré. He was sired by Darshaan covering Daltawa (Miswaki) and was therefore half-brother to Daylam ...
, the undefeated winner of the
Prix du Jockey-Club The Prix du Jockey Club, sometimes referred to as the French Derby, is a Group 1 flat horse race in France open to three-year-old thoroughbred colts and fillies. It is run at Chantilly over ...
. Shortly before the race Alamshar seemed most unlikely to take part, as back problems affected him so badly that he "couldn't walk straight", and his condition only improved after he was treated by a
chiropractor Chiropractic is a form of alternative medicine concerned with the diagnosis, treatment and prevention of mechanical disorders of the musculoskeletal system, especially of the spine. It has esoteric origins and is based on several pseudoscie ...
. The two Aga Khan colts dominated both the betting and the finish of the race with Alamshar gaining a narrow, but decisive victory to inflict Dalakhani's first and only career defeat. The win was popular as Alamshar was the locally trained contender, a point emphasised by Murtagh: "Dalakhani... may be the king of France but he's on our turf now". Four weeks later 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 ...
, Alamshar looked even better. In the words of Johnny Murtagh, "he came alive in my hands", after tracking the leaders into the straight and pulled away to win by three and a half lengths from
Sulamani Sulamani (April 9, 1999 – February 18, 2017) was an Irish-bred thoroughbred race horse who competed and won in Dubai, Europe and North America. A great-grandson of English Triple Crown champion, Nijinsky, he made his racing debut in April 200 ...
, with
Kris Kin Kris Kin (5 March 2000 – 31 August 2012) was a thoroughbred race horse and active sire. He was bred in the United States but was trained in England during his racing career. In a career that lasted just over a year, from October 2002 to October ...
third and top performers such as
Falbrav Falbrav (foaled 28 February 1998) is a retired Thoroughbred racehorse and active sire, bred in Ireland but trained in Italy and the United Kingdom during his racing career which ran from 2000 to 2004. He is notable for having won Group 1/Grade ...
,
Warrsan {{Infobox racehorse , horsename = Warrsan , image_name = , caption = Racing silks of Saeed Manana , sire = Caerleon , grandsire = Nijinsky , dam = Lucayan Princess , damsire = High Line , sex = Stallion , foaled = 1998 , country = Ir ...
,
Grandera Grandera (foaled 21 April 1998) is a retired Thoroughbred racehorse and active sire who was bred in Ireland and trained in the United Kingdom and Dubai during a racing career which lasted from 2000 to 2003. He is best known for his 2002 campaig ...
,
Nayef Nayef ( ar, نايف) is both a given name and a surname. Notable people with the name include: Given name * Nayef Aguerd (born 1996), Moroccan football player * Nayef Hawatmeh, founder of the Democratic Front for the Liberation of Palestine * Na ...
,
Millenary Millenary is a retired British Thoroughbred racehorse and active sire. He won the St. Leger Stakes in 2000, and, unusually for a Classic winner, stayed in training until the age of eight, winning many important races over middle and long dista ...
and Bollin Eric among the also-rans. ''
The Guardian ''The Guardian'' is a British daily newspaper. It was founded in 1821 as ''The Manchester Guardian'', and changed its name in 1959. Along with its sister papers ''The Observer'' and ''The Guardian Weekly'', ''The Guardian'' is part of the Gu ...
's'' correspondent called the race "one of the strongest renewals of the King George for many years" and wrote that "Alamshar simply took them apart". Oxx expressed his satisfaction, describing it as "a no-worries race", whilst explaining that the horse's back problems had required "a lot of work".


Autumn

It might have been expected that Alamshar would have been aimed at 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 ...
, but with that race being targeted by Dalakhani, he was instead brought back to shorter distances, over which he was unable to reproduce his summer form. Oxx ruled out the idea of aiming the colt at the
Breeders' Cup Classic The Breeders' Cup Classic is a Grade I Weight for Age thoroughbred horse race for 3-year-olds and older run at a distance of on dirt. It is held annually at a different racetrack as part of the Breeders' Cup World Championships in late October o ...
saying "I am not one of these people who like to take wild chances with good horses and run them on dirt." He ran well in 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 (2,012 ...
but was unable to produce the same acceleration he had shown at Ascot, finishing fourth behind
High Chaparral High Chaparral (1 March 1999 – 21 December 2014) was an Irish Thoroughbred racehorse and sire. In a career that lasted from September 2001 to October 2003, he ran 13 times and won 10 races. His win in the Racing Post Trophy made him one ...
,
Falbrav Falbrav (foaled 28 February 1998) is a retired Thoroughbred racehorse and active sire, bred in Ireland but trained in Italy and the United Kingdom during his racing career which ran from 2000 to 2004. He is notable for having won Group 1/Grade ...
and
Islington Islington () is a district in the north of Greater London, England, and part of the London Borough of Islington. It is a mainly residential district of Inner London, extending from Islington's High Street to Highbury Fields, encompassing the ar ...
. There had been hopes that Alamshar would stay in training as a four-year-old, but in October, it was announced that he had been sold to the JRA and that 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 would be his final race before going to stud in Japan. At Newmarket he led at half way but was overtaken by
Rakti Rakti (10 February 1999 – December 2010) was a British Thoroughbred racehorse, who won six Group One races in Italy (where he was originally trained) and the United Kingdom in a career which lasted from 2001 to 2005. Background Rakti was ...
two furlongs from the finish and faded into a disappointing sixth place.


Race record


Assessment

In the
World Thoroughbred Racehorse Rankings The Longines World's Best Racehorse Rankings (LWBRR), known as World Thoroughbred Racehorse Rankings (WTRR) before 2012, are horseracing's equivalent to World Rankings by other major sporting organizations such as ATP Tennis Rankings, World Golf R ...
for 2003, Alamshar was given a rating of 131 for his King George win, making him the third-best horse in the world behind
Hawk Wing Hawk Wing (foaled 1999 in Kentucky) is an American-bred, Irish-trained Thoroughbred racehorse. Owned by the Magnier family and trained by Aidan O'Brien, the horse won three Group 1 races and was the leading horse in the world in 2003. 2001: Two ...
(134) and Dalakhani (132). He was named British Champion Three-Year-Old Colt in 2003 by the
British Horseracing Board __FORCETOC__ From 10 June 1993 until 30 July 2007, the British Horseracing Board (BHB) was the governing authority for horseracing in Great Britain. It was created in 1993, and took on responsibilities previously held by the Jockey Club. This wa ...
. In 2008 the Aga Khan named his new
super yacht A superyacht or megayacht is a large and luxurious pleasure vessel. There are no official or agreed upon definitions for such yachts, but these terms are regularly used to describe professionally crewed motor or sailing yachts, ranging from to ...
"The Alamshar" in his horse's honour.


Stud record

Alamshar began his stud career in Japan by standing at the
Shizunai Stallion Station Shizunai Stallion Station is a Japanese Thoroughbred horse farm was opened in 1963 and is located on the island of Hokkaidō. Operated by the Japan Bloodhorse Breeders' Association (JBBA), it is located in Shizunai whose sister city is Lexington, ...
in 2004 and 2005. He then returned to Ireland when the JBBA leased him to the
Irish National Stud The Irish National Stud (official name: ''Comhlacht Graí Náisiúnta na hÉireann Teo.'') is a Thoroughbred horse breeding facility in Tully, Kildare, County Kildare, Ireland. It was formally established by incorporation on 11 April 1946 ...
for the next two seasons. He was sent back to Japan again in late 2007. To date, he has had little success as a stallion, but is still active, standing at
Shichinohe Stallion Station The Japan Bloodhorse Breeding Association ( ja, 日本軽種馬協会, or ) is a public company established to manage the racehorse breeding industry in Japan. It was founded in 1946 as the Thoroughbred Corporation Association, and was renamed to ...
.


Pedigree


Notes

{{King George VI and Queen Elizabeth Stakes Winners 2000 racehorse births Racehorses trained in Ireland Racehorses bred in Ireland Irish Classic Race winners Thoroughbred family 9-c King George VI and Queen Elizabeth Stakes winners