Persian King (horse)

Persian King (foaled 18 February 2016) is an Irish-bred, French-trained Thoroughbred racehorse. He showed very promising form as a two-year-old in 2018 when he won three of his four races including a very competitive edition of the Autumn Stakes. In the following year he won the Prix de Fontainebleau and Poule d'Essai des Poulains before finishing second in the Prix du Jockey Club.

Persian King
SireKingman
GrandsireInvincible Spirit
DamPretty Please
DamsireDylan Thomas
SexColt
Foaled18 February 2016[1]
CountryIreland
ColourBay
BreederDayton Investments
OwnerBallymore Thoroughbred Ltd
Godolphin
TrainerAndre Fabre
Record10: 7-3-0
Earnings£773,617
Major wins
Autumn Stakes (2018)
Prix de Fontainebleau (2019)
Poule d'Essai des Poulains (2019)
Prix du Muguet (2020)
Prix d'Ispahan (2020)

Background

Persian King is a bay colt with no white markings bred in Ireland by Dayton Investments, a breeding company associated with the Wildenstein family. He entered the ownership of Ballymore Thoroughbred Ltd and was sent into training with Andre Fabre at Chantilly in France.

He was from the first crop of foals sired by Kingman who was named Cartier Horse of the Year in 2014 when he won the Irish 2000 Guineas, St. James's Palace Stakes, Sussex Stakes and Prix Jacques Le Marois.[2]

Persian King's dam Pretty Please showed modest racing ability in a brief racing career, winning one of her two races in France.[3] Pretty Please was a half-sister to the Prix Ganay winner Planteur, and as a descendant of the broodmare Petroleuse (foaled 1978), was closely related to Pawneese and Peintre Celebre.[4]

Racing career

2018: two-year-old season

Persian King was ridden in all of his races as a two-year-old by Pierre-Charles Boudot. On his racecourse debut the colt started 1.1/1 favourite for a maiden race over 1500 metres at Deauville Racecourse on 7 August but finished second, beaten two lengths by the Freddy Head-trained Anodor. On 1 September at Chantilly Racecourse Persian King started 2/5 favourite for a similar event over 1600 metres on good to soft ground and recorded his first success as he came home six lengths clear of his five opponents.[5] Two weeks later the colt started 3/5 favourite for a more competitive race over the same course and distance and won again, taking the lead 300 metres out and accelerating away from his rivals to win "easily" by five lengths from Lone Peak.[6]

On 13 October Persian King was sent to England and was made 6/5 favourite for the Group 3 Autumn Stakes over the Rowley Mile at Newmarket Racecourse in which his seven opponents included four from England and three from the Irish stable of Aidan O'Brien. After tracking the leaders Persian King took the lead a furlong out and got the better of a "sustained duel" with Magna Grecia to win by a neck with three lengths back to Circus Maximus in third.[7] After the race the owner's representative Anthony Stroud said He's a very good horse who has won his last three races. The jockey said he handled the ground really well but it turned out to be a tougher race than we thought. He certainly showed courage. He's out of a Dylan Thomas mare so we know he's going to stay further and I can see him going up in trip next season".[8]

2019: three-year-old season

Boudot continued his association with Persian King in 2019, partnering the colt in all of his three starts. Before the start of the season, a majority share in the horse was acquired by Godolphin. The colt began his campaign in the Group 3 Prix de Fontainebleau over 1600 metres at Longchamp Racecourse on 14 April. Starting the 1/5 favourite Persian King took the lead soon after the start and was never challenged, drawing away in the closing stages to win by five lengths from Epic Hero.[9] Four weeks later, over the same course and distance on heavy ground, the colt was stepped up to the highest class and started the 1/2 favourite for the Group 1 Poule de'Essai des Poulains. His nine opponents included Shaman (Prix La Force), Anodor (Prix des Chenes), Munitions (Prix Djebel), San Donato (Doncaster Stakes), Duke of Hazzard (Prix Isonomy) and Van Beethoven (Railway Stakes). Persian King raced in fifth place as the outsider Senza Limiti set the pace before moving up on the inside to take the lead 300 metres from the finish. He kept on well in the closing stages to win by a length and a head from Shaman and San Donato.[10] After the race Andre Fabre said "He would prefer good ground. The Jockey Club was the long-term plan, so we'll see. The other option is to wait for Ascot, but we'll decide with Sheikh Mohammed and Diane Wildenstein. The Jockey Club seems the obvious target."[11]

As Fabre had predicted, Persian King reappeared in the Prix du Jockey Club over 2000 metres at Chantilly on 2 June and went off the 1.8/1 favourite in a fifteen-runner field. After racing in mid division he took the lead inside the last 400 metres but was soon overtaken and beaten two lengths into second place by Sottsass.[12]

After the race Persian King was reported to be "sore" and Fabre announced in July that the colt would be unlikely to race again in 2019.[13]

In the 2019 World's Best Racehorse Rankings Persian King was given a rating of 117, making him the 112th best racehorse in the world.[14]

Pedigree
Pedigree of Persian King (FR), bay colt, 2016[1]
Sire
Kingman (GB)
2011		 Invincible Spirit (IRE)
1997		 Green Desert (USA) Danzig
Foreign Courier
Rafha (GB) Kris
Eljazzi (IRE)
Zenda (GB)
1999		 Zamindar (USA) Gone West
Zaizafon
Hope (IRE) Dancing Brave (USA)
Bahamian
Dam
Pretty Please (IRE)
2009		 Dylan Thomas (IRE)
2003		 Danehill (USA) Danzig
Razyana
Lagrion (USA) Diesis (GB)
Wrap It Up (IRE)
Plante Rare (IRE)
2002		 Giant's Causeway (USA) Storm Cat
Mariah's Storm
Palmeraie (USA) Lear Fan
Petroleuse (IRE) (Family: 9)[4]
  • Persian King is inbred 4 × 4 to Danzig, meaning that this stallion appears twice in the fourth generation of his pedigree.
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References
  1. "Persian King pedigree". Equineline.
  2. "Kingman - Race Record". Racing Post.
  3. "Pretty Please - Race Record". Racing Post.
  4. "Vintner Mare - Family 9". Thoroughbred Bloodlines.
  5. "Prix des Terriers des Houx result". Racing Post. 1 September 2018.
  6. "Prix de la Reconversion d'un Cheval de Courses en Cheval de Loisir result". Racing Post. 15 September 2018.
  7. "Autumn Stakes result". Racing Post. 13 October 2018.
  8. "Persian King shows class and courage to land Autumn Stakes". racingtv.com. 14 October 2018.
  9. "Prix de Fontainebleau result". Racing Post. 14 April 2019.
  10. "Poule de'Essai des Poulains result". Racing Post. 12 May 2019.
  11. Burton, Scott (12 May 2019). "Persian King Impresses in French Two Thousand Guineas". The Blood-Horse.
  12. Burton, Scott (2 June 2019). "Sottsass Downs Persian King to Win Prix du Jockey Club". The Blood-Horse.
  13. "Persian King likely to miss remainder of season". Timeform. 24 July 2019.
  14. "The 2019 World Thoroughbred Rankings". IFHA. Retrieved 2020-01-22.
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