The Ispahan History: Between two trips

May, ParisLongchamp*

Prix d’Ispahan

Group 1, 4-year-olds and up, 1,850m/9f50y, €250,000

Created in 1873

Last winner: Mqse de Sevigné (f5, (IRE) by Siyouni ex Penne, by Sèvres Rose), owned by Édouard de Rothschild, bred by Écurie de Meautry, trained by André Fabre, ridden by Alexis Pouchin.

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

The race will be run in 2025 for the 148th time.

The 2024 edition

Sunday, May 26, 2024, ParisLongchamp Racecourse (Paris).** – Eight top-class contenders, including two classics winners, lined up for the €250,000 Prix d’Ispahan (Gr1), demonstrating the value of median distances in an international selection program.

Fresh from his victory in the Prix Ganay (Gr1), Haya Zark (Zarak) took the lead at the top of the hill in this 9.5f race, overtaking the returning Blue Rose Cen (Churchill) and the visitor Brave Emperor (Sioux Nation), who were the quickest out of the gates.

They were followed, two by two, from the rail to the centre of the track by Mqse de Sevigné (Siyouni) and Dolayli (Siyouni), then Checkandchallenge (Fast Company) and Marhaba Ya Sanafi (Muhaarar), and finally Horizon Doré (Dabirsim).

In the final straight, Dolayli challenged the leaders alongside Marhaba Ya Sanafi, who was hampered by the slow pace. Halfway down the straight, the jury was still very much out: Haya Zark continued his effort, Dolayli had reached his momentum with Mqse de Sevigné on his left, and Horizon Doré launched down the middle of the track. Blue Rose Cen was trapped behind a wall of horses, and Marhaba Ya Sanafi had thrown in the towel as, 100 yards out, the four pretenders were still battling it out. Mqse de Sevigné took the advantage by a head over Horizon Doré, who was once again remarkable, with Haya Zark showing extraordinary courage to reclaim third place from Dolayli, who passed an important and conclusive test at this level.

Ispahan (Gr1, 1850m) à #ParisLongchamp : Arrivée très serrée et 🥇 in extremis de Mqse de Sevigné (Siyouni) pour ⁦@EddeRothschild⁩ sur un formidable Horizon Doré (Dabirsim) ⁦@GousserieRacing⁩ pic.twitter.com/n4p8ircJgS

— France Galop (@francegalop) May 26, 2024

Winner of the Prix Vanteaux (Gr3) as a 3-year-old in 2022 after her first victory, ninth in the Poule d’Essai (French 1,000 Guineas) despite recording the fourth-best time over the final 3 furlongs of a messy race, Mqse de Sevigné was then exclusively aimed at races over 1m2f and above, finishing second five times in her last six outings... Supplemented for her return to the mile in the "Rothschild," she achieved an unprecedented double last year in this race’s 20th edition. She made headlines again by winning the Sumbe Prix Jean Romanet (Gr1). She later finished second to Inspiral in the Sun Chariot Stakes (Gr1) over one mile. She prepared for this new Group 1 by victoriously conceding weight to Skalleti in the Prix Jacques Laffitte (L).

Mqse de Sevigné is a sister to Méandre (Slickly), winner of a Grand Prix de Paris (Gr1). Their full sister, Ondoyante (Slickly), a maiden 13-year-old mare, was sold barren for €2,500 to Paul Nataf at the Arqana mixed sales in February 2022. A Saxon Warrior filly was born in 2020, followed by a Kodiac colt. Neither has debuted or been entered in races yet, but the 3-year-old colt is still in training.

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 officially visiting 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.

(*) Six exceptions resulted from 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

14 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), ECD Walker (Dreamloper, 2022), OJ Burrows (Anmaat, 2023).

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 (10 wins): Al Nasr (1982), Crystal Glitters (1984), Creator (1990), Arcangues (1993), Loup Sauvage (1998), Valixir (2005), Manduro (2007), Golden Lilac (2012), Persian King (2020), Mqse de Sevigné (2024). 
• 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).