Harzand (horse)
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Harzand (foaled 6 March 2013) is an Irish
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 who won the 2016 Epsom Derby. He showed some promise when finishing fifth in his only race as a two-year-old in 2015. In the spring of 2016 he won 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 ...
by sixteen
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 ...
and then established himself as a potential top-class performer with a win in the Group Three
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 Leopardst ...
. On 4 June 2016, despite doubt about his suitability for the race and a late injury scare, he defeated fifteen opponents to win the 237th running of The Derby. Three weeks later he won 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 ...
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 ...
but he was beaten in two subsequent races and was retired from racing at the end of the season.


Background

Harzand is a brown horse with no white markings 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 is from the third crop of foals sired by
Sea The Stars Sea The Stars (foaled 6 April 2006) is a retired champion Irish Thoroughbred racehorse regarded as one of the greatest racehorses of all time. He won the 2000 Guineas, the Derby, the Eclipse Stakes – the first colt to accomplish this trebl ...
who won 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 ...
,
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
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 2009. His other major winners have included
Taghrooda Taghrooda (foaled 27 January 2011) is an Irish bred British trained Thoroughbred racehorse. In 2014 she won the classic Oaks Stakes and went on to win Britain's premier weight-for-age race, the King George VI and Queen Elizabeth Stakes. She subs ...
and
Sea The Moon Sea The Moon (foaled 27 January 2011) is a retired German Thoroughbred racehorse who won the 2014 Deutsches Derby. He was trained by Markus Klug, and bred and owned by Gestut Görlsdorf. Background Sea The Moon is a bay colt bred by Gestüt G ...
. Harzand's dam Hazariya was a high class racemare whose wins included the
Athasi Stakes The Athasi Stakes is a Group 3 flat horse race in Ireland open to thoroughbred fillies and mares aged three years or older. It is run over a distance of 7 furlongs (1,408 metres) at the Curragh in ear ...
in 2005. She is a granddaughter of Hazy Idea, the dam of
Hittite Glory Hittite Glory (18 April 1973 – 14 November 1996) was a British Thoroughbred racehorse and sire, best known for his 100/1 success in the 1975 Flying Childers Stakes. As a two-year-old, he won one of his first four races before recording his u ...
, making her a close relative of
Never Bend Never Bend (1960–1977) was a champion American Thoroughbred racehorse who was the 1962 American Champion Two-Year-Old and later became a leading sire in England. Racing Career 1962: Two-year-old season Foaled at Claiborne Farm for owner/bre ...
and
Hethersett Hethersett is a large village and electoral ward in the county of Norfolk, England, about south-west of Norwich. It covers an area of and had a population of 5,441 in 2,321 households at the 2001 census, increasing to 5,691 at the 2011 cen ...
. Throughout his racing career, Harzand was trained 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 ...
by
Dermot Weld Dermot K. Weld (born 29 July 1948), a former jockey is one of Ireland's most successful racehorse trainers. He holds the record for the most winners trained in Ireland (2,578 set in August 2000). Weld maintains his stable, Rosewell House, in C ...
and was ridden in all of his races by
Pat Smullen Patrick Joseph Smullen (22 May 1977 – 15 September 2020), was an Irish jockey who won the Irish flat racing Champion Jockey title nine times. In a career running from 1992 to 2018 he rode 1,845 winners in Ireland and 47 in Britain. Amongst his ...
. He usually races in a sheepskin
noseband A noseband is the part of a horse's bridle that encircles the nose and jaw of the horse. In English riding, where the noseband is separately attached to its own headstall or crownpiece, held independently of the bit, it is often called a cavesson ...
.


Racing career


2015: two-year-old season

Harzand made his racecourse debut 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 mile at
Gowran Park Gowran Park is a horse race course in County Kilkenny, Ireland. It is located in the Annely Estate near the village of Gowran.The first meeting was held in 1914. and the first ever racecourse commentary in Ireland took place here in 1952. Gowran ...
on 20 September 2015. Starting the 11/4 second favourite in a sixteen-runner field started slowly before making steady progress in the closing stages and finishing fifth behind the
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 ...
-trained Newsman.


2016: three-year-old season


Spring

On his three-year-old debut, Harzand started the 4/9 favourite for the Blackwater Maiden over ten
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 ...
at
Cork Racecourse Cork Racecourse, also known as Cork Racecourse Mallow, is a horse racing venue at Mallow, County Cork, Ireland which stages both National Hunt racing and Flat racing. It is located 35 km north of Cork and 64 km from Limerick The cours ...
on 26 March. He took the lead two furlongs from the finish and won "easily" by sixteen
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 the
Aidan O'Brien Aidan Patrick O'Brien (born 16 October 1969 in County Wexford, Ireland) Aidan O'Brien bio NTRA. ...
-trained Sword Fighter (later to win the
Queen's Vase The Queen's Vase is a Group 2 flat horse race in Great Britain open to three-year-old horses. It is run at Ascot over a distance of 1 mile 6 furlongs and 34 yards (2,847 metres), and it is schedul ...
). On 10 April, Harzand was stepped up in class for the Group Three Ballysax Stakes on heavy ground at
Leopardstown Racecourse Leopardstown Racecourse is an Ireland, Irish horse-racing venue, located in Leopardstown, Dún Laoghaire–Rathdown, 8 km south of the Dublin city centre. Like the majority of Irish courses, it hosts both National Hunt and Flat racing. Th ...
. He was made the 2/1 favourite in a field of seven colts which included the
Jim Bolger James Brendan Bolger ( ; born 31 May 1935) is a New Zealand retired politician of the National Party who was the 35th prime minister of New Zealand, serving from 1990 to 1997. Bolger was born to an Irish immigrant family in Ōpunake, Taran ...
-trained Moonlight Magic and a three-horse O'Brien entry comprising Cook Islands,
Idaho Idaho ( ) is a state in the Pacific Northwest region of the Western United States. To the north, it shares a small portion of the Canada–United States border with the province of British Columbia. It borders the states of Montana and Wyom ...
and Beacon Rock. After chasing the leaders in the early stages he moved up on the outside approaching the final furlong, overtook Idaho 100 metres from the finish and won by one and a quarter lengths with a gap of seven and half lengths back to Beacon Rock in third. He showed a lot of quality there. I was caught for a little bit of speed early on and had to sit and suffer, but when I met the rising ground I never had any doubt I'd get to the horse in front as he stays very well. I think he is too big and heavy to go round Epsom, maybe 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 ...
but I think he has all the qualities for the Leger at
Doncaster Doncaster (, ) is a city in South Yorkshire, England. Named after the River Don, it is the administrative centre of the larger City of Doncaster. It is the second largest settlement in South Yorkshire after Sheffield. Doncaster is situated in ...
. The mile and six at Doncaster would be ideal." The form of the race was subsequently boosted when the fifth placed Moonlight Magic won 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) ...
.


Summer

On 4 June, Harzand was one of sixteen colts to contest the 237th running of the Epsom Derby. His participation had been in doubt until shortly before the race as he had dislodged a
shoe A shoe is an item of footwear intended to protect and comfort the human foot. They are often worn with a sock. Shoes are also used as an item of decoration and fashion. The design of shoes has varied enormously through time and from culture t ...
when being shipped from Ireland and had to spend some time with his affected foot in a bucket of ice. Weld later commented "It was pretty chaotic. He looked pretty unlikely to run. His foot was very sore. My staff poulticed it for the journey over and iced it for four hours. We then got hold of Jim Bolger’s vet, Jim Reilly, who was able to tack the shoe back on. He tapped it on very delicately and then we put it in ice again". Harzand was made the 13/2 third favourite behind
US Army Ranger United States Army Rangers, according to the US Army's definition, are personnel, past or present, in any unit that has the official designation "Ranger". The term is commonly used to include graduates of the US Army Ranger School, even if t ...
and
Wings of Desire ''Wings of Desire'' (, ; ) is a 1987 romantic fantasy film written by Wim Wenders, Peter Handke and Richard Reitinger, and directed by Wenders. The film is about invisible, immortal angels who populate Berlin and listen to the thoughts of its hu ...
in a sixteen-runner field which also included Cloth of Stars, Idaho, Moonlight Magic, Humphrey Bogart (
Lingfield Derby Trial The Derby Trial Stakes is a Listed flat horse race in Great Britain open to three-year-old colts and geldings. It is run over a distance of 1 mile, 3 furlongs and 133 yards () a ...
) and Algometer (
Cocked Hat Stakes The Cocked Hat Stakes is a Listed flat horse race in Great Britain open to three-year-old colts and geldings. It is run at Goodwood over a distance of 1 mile 3 furlongs and 44 yards (2,253 metr ...
). Harzand was held up by Smullen in the early stages and turned into the straight in eighth place behind the pacemaking Port Douglas. He began to make steady progress and moved into second place behind Idaho approaching the last quarter mile before taking the lead a furlong from the finish. He was strongly challenged by US Army Ranger in the closing stages but stayed on strongly to pull ahead again and win by one and a half lengths. Smullen, who was winning the race first time commented "I spotted the white face of US Army Ranger, but this horse responded to me. The trouble we had with him this morning, I didn't know if he would get here, but it's a great team effort. I'm delighted for them." The Aga Khan was winning the race for the fifth time, equaling the record of his grandfather
Aga Khan III Sultan Muhammad Shah (2 November 187711 July 1957), commonly known by his religious title Aga Khan III, was the 48th Imam of the Nizariyya. He played an important role in British Indian politics. Born to Aga Khan II in Karachi, Aga Khan III ...
. After the race he said "Winning the Derby is the goal of every owner and it’s been the goal of every owner for centuries. We are not in the marketplace for horses. We breed them. All the effort begins before the horses are even bred because you are looking at the matings. Then you breed, you raise, you run and then you take them back to the stud if they are good enough". Weld said "I always wanted to win it, possibly never had a horse good enough". On the following day he praised the colt's "toughness and courage" and identified 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
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 ...
as possible targets. Three weeks after his win at Epsom Harzand returned to Ireland for the Irish Derby 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 ...
on 25 June. Idaho, Red Verdon, Moonlight Magic, Port Douglas and Shogun were again in opposition but Harzand was made the 4/6 favourite in a nine-runner field. Smullen settled the colt in third place before moving up on the outside to take the lead two and a half furlongs from the finish. He overcame a sustained challenge from Idaho to win by half a length. After the race Weld said "A lot of people thought Harzand didn't have speed but he showed today that he had. He's a proper horse and the first two picked up and really quickened. Pat gave him a great ride. It's been a very special day. The horse will have a good break now and will be aimed at the Arc".


Autumn

Harzand returned on 10 September 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 (2,012 ...
in which he was dropped in distance to ten furlongs and was matched against older horses. He started 2/1 favourite but after tacking the leaders he began to struggle three furlongs out and finished eighth behind the French colt
Almanzor Abu ʿĀmir Muḥammad ibn ʿAbdullāh ibn Abi ʿĀmir al-Maʿafiri ( ar, أبو عامر محمد بن عبد الله بن أبي عامر المعافري), nicknamed al-Manṣūr ( ar, المنصور, "the Victorious"), which is often Latiniz ...
. A veterinary examination revealed that he had been "struck into" during the races, sustaining a minor injury to one of his hind legs. The colt recovered sufficiently to contest 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 ...
at
Chantilly Racecourse Chantilly Racecourse (In French: "Hippodrome de Chantilly") is a Thoroughbred turf racecourse for flat racing in Chantilly, Oise, France, about north of the centre of the city of Paris. Chantilly Racecourse is located in the country's main hors ...
on 2 October and started third favourite behind
Postponed Postponed (foaled 4 April 2011) is an Irish-bred, British-trained Thoroughbred racehorse. He won one minor race as a two-year-old before establishing himself as a useful middle-distance performer in the following year with wins in the Glasgow S ...
and
Makahiki The Makahiki season is the ancient Hawaiian New Year festival, in honor of the god Lono of the Hawaiian religion. It is a holiday covering four consecutive lunar months, approximately from October or November through February or March. The focu ...
. Ridden as usual by Smullen he never looked likely to win and finished ninth of the sixteen runners behind Found. Three weeks after his run at Longchamp, it was announced that Harzand had been retired from racing and would begin his career as a breeding stallion at the Aga Khan's Gilltown Stud in 2017.


Pedigree


References


External links


Career 1-2-3 Colour Chart
– ''Harzand'' {{Epsom Derby Winners 2013 racehorse births Racehorses bred in Ireland Racehorses trained in Ireland Thoroughbred family 21-a Epsom Derby winners Irish Classic Race winners