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The Ispahan History: Between two trips

28 May 2021

The Ispahan History: Between two trips

photo scoopdyga.com

May, ParisLongchamp*

Prix d’Ispahan

 

Group 1, 4-year-olds and up, 1,800m/9f, €150,000

Created in 1873

Last winner: Persian King (m4, Ire by Kingman ex Pretty Please, by Dylan Thomas), owned by Ballymore Thoroughbred & Godolphin, bred by Dayton Investment, trained by André Fabre, ridden by Pierre-Charles Boudot.

Record-time: 1’49’’4 in 2010 by Goldikova, also a course-record.

The race will be run in 2021 for the 144th time.

 

The 2020 edition

Sunday, July 19, Chantilly. - Despite a formidable British armada and a promising comeback of Motamarris (Le Havre) earlier, the favourite Persian King (Kingman) easily defeated the 2020 du Prix d’Ispahan (Gr1). At the end of the race's 9 furlongs, the Ballymore and Godolphin-owned 4yo colt left his best rival, the outsider Stormy Antarctic (Stormy Atlantic), at 2 lengths, as the frontrunner Pogo (Zebedee) resisted to Motamarris (Le Havre) for 3rd place in a close finish.

Persian King was considered one of the most promising 2-year-olds in Europe after winning a Group 2 at Newmarket at that age. He actually won the Prix de Fontainebleau (Gr3) at 3 and then the Emirates Poule d'Essai des Poulains (French 2,000 Guineas, Gr1). Second to Sottsass in the Prix du Jockey Club (French Derby, Gr1) over 10.5 furlongs, he did not race again that year. Rather disappointing for his comeback in 2020, when 2nd over the mile in a minor Listed event, he redeemed himself in the Prix du Muguet (Gr2) and confirmed here with his 2nd Group 1 win.

2nd-placed Stormy Antarctic, however, is always so consistent in France, but this season he had been twice well beaten by the likes of Century Dream (Cape Cross) and Pogo, whom he beat easily here ...

 

History

A kind of an oddity in the European program, the Prix d'Ispahan has, however, traditionally been run at Longchamp since 1921 by horses 4yo and up over the hybrid distance of 1,850 metres, only a furlong or so longer than the mile. Usually contested in May, it offers specialized horses from between the mile and a mile and a quarter the opportunity to face each other on even ground for an often new and revealing encounter.

The Prix d'Ispahan was first run at Longchamp in 1873 as part of a special race meeting held on 13 July in honour of the Shah of Iran, who was making an official visit to Paris. The showpiece event on the hastily established six-race card was the Prix d'Ispahan (1 mile 7 furlongs), which was won by the winner of the Prix de Diane, Campêche. At the afternoon’s end, with time for one race left, six hurdles were quickly placed across Longchamp’s track and eight jumps horses, revelling at being able to express themselves on such good ground, lined up at the start of the Prix du Faristan, a 1-mile 5-furlong handicap in which Sir Quid Pigtail triumphed.

Open to ages 3 and over until 1987, when 3 year-olds were excluded (they were allowed to run in 2020 as the race had been moved from May to July, and run at Chantilly, because of the coronavirus pandemic), the Prix d'Ispahan has changed distance several times. Reduced to a mile and a half in 1874, it remained at that distance until 1890. It was subsequently further shortened, to 1 mile 3 furlongs from 1891 to 1902, 1 mile 2 ½ furlongs from 1903 to 1920 and 1 mile 1 ¼ furlongs since 1921.

(*) There have been six exceptions as a result of transfers: 1 mile 2 furlongs at Tremblay in 1943 and 1944 and at Chantilly in 1991, 2016, 2017 and 2020.

Great winners

Eight horses won the race twice: Champaubert (1897-98), La Camargo (1903-04), Moulins-la-Marche (1908-09), Rénette (1935-36), Hiéroclès (1942-43), Coaraze (1946-47), Fric (1955-56), Crystal Glitters (1983-84), Goldikova (2010-11).
Two Prix de l’Arc de Triomphe winners also won it: Allez France in 1974 and Sagace in 1985.
Le Sancy (1889), Epinard (1923), Miesque (1988) and Falbrav (2003) are some of the outstanding winners of the Ispahan through the ages.

Foreign legion

12 winners were trained abroad by Federico Tesio (Bistolfi, 1938), Henry Cecil (Indian Skimmer, 1989), Roger Charlton (Sanglamore, 1991), Paul Cole (Zoman, 1992), Saeed Bin Suroor (Halling, 1996 et Best of the Bests, 2002), Garry Wragg (Sasuru, 1997), John Gosden (Observatory, 2001), Luca Cumani (Falbrav, 2003), Emilio Borromeo (Prince Kirk, 2004), Masanori Sakaguchi (A Shin Hikari, 2016), Roger Varian (Zabeel Prince, 2019).

 

Owners

  • Marcel Boussac (8 wins): Goyescas (1933), Hiéroclès (1942, 1943), Priam (1945), Coaraze (1946, 1947), Dynamiter (1951), Arbèle (1952).
  • Aga Khan IV (6 wins): Jour et Nuit III (1964), Silver Shark (1966), Zeddaan (1968), Sendawar (2000), Valixir (2005), Sageburg (2008).
  • Famille Wildenstein (6 wins): Allez France (1974), Sagace (1985), Arcangues (1993), Bigstone (1994), Loup Sauvage (1998), Persian King (2020, through Ballymore).
  • Casaque Wertheimer (5 wins): Carwhite (1978), Green Tune (1995), Goldikova (2010, 2011), Solow (2015)
  • Frédéric de Lagrange (5 wins): Gavarni (1877), Courtois (1879), Castillon (1880), Poulet (1882), Veston (1883).
  • Arthur de Schickler (4 wins): Paradoxe (1875), Embellie (1888), Le Sancy (1889), Le Sagittaire (1896).
  • Adolphe Abeille (4 wins): Champaubert (1897, 1898), La Camargo (1903, 1904).
  • Casaque Niarchos (3 wins): Baillamont (1986), Miesque (1988), Maxios (2013).
  • François Dupré (3 wins): Bel Amour (1948), Ménétrier (1949), La Sega (1962).
  • Godolphin (3 wins): Halling (1996), Best of the Bests (2002), Persian King (2020).


Trainers

  • André Fabre (9 wins): Al Nasr (1982), Crystal Glitters (1984), Creator (1990), Arcangues (1993), Loup Sauvage (1998), Valixir (2005), Manduro (2007), Golden Lilac (2012), Persian King (2020). 
  • Charles Semblat (8 wins): Hiéroclès (1942, 1943), Priam (1945), Coaraze (1946, 1947), Dynamiter (1951), Arbèle (1952), Chief (1957)
  • François Mathet (7 wins): Bel Amour (1948), Ménétrier (1949), La Sega (1962), Jour et Nuit III (1964), Silver Shark (1966), Zeddaan (1968), Lightning (1977). 
  • Thomas Jennings (5 wins): Gavarni (1877), Courtois (1879), Castillon (1880), Poulet (1882), Veston (1883).
  • Freddy Head (3 wins): Goldikova (2010, 2011), Solow (2015).
  • Tom Cunnington (3 wins): Alphonsine (1881), Despote (1885), Dido (1901).
  • William Webb (3 wins): Embellie (1888), Le Sancy (1889), Le Sagittaire (1896).
  • Robert Denman (3 wins): Fourire (1899), Caïus (1905), Ouadi Halfa (1907).
  • Frank Carter (3 wins): Rouble (1912), Foxling (1913), Alcyon (1930).
  • Henry Count (3 wins): Kircubbin (1922), Prémontré (1924) et Rodosto (1934). Alec Head (3 victoires) : Sadi II (1953), Riverman (1972), Carwhite (1978). 
  • John Cunnington junior (3 wins): Caldarello (1967), Grandier (1969), Irish River (1979).
  • François Boutin (3 wins): Ramirez (1975), Baillamont (1986), Miesque (1988).


Riders

  • Yves Saint-Martin (7 wins): La Sega (1962), Jour et Nuit III (1964), Silver Shark (1966), Zeddaan (1968), La Troublerie (1973), Allez France (1974), Crystal Glitters (1983).
  • Olivier Peslier (6 wins): Bigstone (1994), Loup Sauvage (1998), Sageburg (2008), Goldikova (2010, 2011), Recoletos (2018).
  • Roger Poincelet (5 wins): Coaraze (1947), Ménétrier (1949), Fort Napoléon (1950), Hamanet (1959), Tobago (1960).
  • Jacques Doyasbère (4 wins): Hiéroclès (1942, 1943), Priam (1945), Coaraze (1946, 1947).
  • Freddy Head (4 wins): Riverman (1972), Carwhite (1978), Baillamont (1986), Miesque (1988).