Persian King adds another Group 1 in Prix d’Ispahan
The consistent Persian King (Ire) (Kingman {GB}) added a second Group 1 win to his resume Sunday with a commanding victory in the Prix d’Ispahan.
Racing for Ballymore Thoroughbred and Godolphin, Persian King broke widest of all in the 1800 metre race and took a prominent position close behind the leading Pogo (Ire) (Zebedee {GB}) with Pierre-Charles Boudot keeping his mount well in hand for much of the race.
As the field turned into the straight, Persian King drew even with the leader, who put up a good fight as Stormy Antarctic (GB) (Stormy Atlantic {USA}) ranged up close behind them.
In the final 300 metres, Boudot unleashed Persian King and he easily pulled away from both challengers to win by 2l. The evergreen Stormy Antarctic came running at the end to pass Pogo but was no match for last year’s G1 Poule d’Eassai de Poulains winner.
The victory was the second straight win for Persian King, who suffered an injury in last year’s Prix du Jockey Club and was off for nearly a year. Second first out for the season in June, Persian King has proved to have quickly bounced back to his 3-year-old form this year.
“There is no need to say that Andre Fabre has done a marvellous job to bring him back to where he is now,” Godolphin’s representative Anthony Stroud told Thoroughbred Daily News. “It’s been step-by-step and it will continue that way. He was a very good 2-year-old and has a lot of talent.”
The winner of seven of his 10 races, the Andre Fabre trainee is out of the winning Dylan Thomas (Ire) mare Pretty Please (Ire). That mare is a half-sister to Group 1 winner Planteur (Ire) (Danehill Dancer {Ire}) and dual Australian Listed winner Pilote D’Essai (GB) (Oasis Dream {GB}).
All four of Persian King’s first four dams have at least one stakes winner under their names, with his fourth dam the granddam of three-time Group 1 winner and sire Peintre Celebre (USA) (Nureyev {USA}) and Australian stakes-winners Lunar Rise (Starcraft) and Crafty (Manhattan Rain) among others.
Aloha Star upsets Arlie Stud S.
Going off at odds of 33-1, Starspangledbanner 2-year-old Aloha Star (Ire) outran her odds and three other rivals on Sunday to register a Group 2 victory in the Airlie Stud S. at The Curragh.
Breaking near the back of the park in the 1200 metre race, Aloha Star quickly took over the second-to-last spot as she raced keenly under Chris Hayes. The race truly started heating up with 600 metres left to go as Mother Earth (Ire) (Zoffany {Ire}) was urged along to catch the pacesetting Frenetic (Ire) (Kodiac {GB}). Mother Earth was never able to get to the leader but Aloha Star was about to ruin Frenetic’s chances at the win as she drew even with the leader within the final 100 metres.
Frenetic dug in deep but couldn’t keep Aloha Star at bay with the longshot taking over the lead and then holding off another late run from the former leader in the closing few metres. Registering her second straight victory, Aloha Star won by a head with Mother Earth 1.75l behind the pair in third.
“She probably needed the run at Tipperary, as we backed right off her,” Hayes told Thoroughbred Daily News. “The race went to plan today. She was a filly always crying out for that trip and hopefully she will improve. They went quick, but it felt like a piece of work to me because I was able to tow in off them and let the two boys go at it. I had one crack at them. I thought I was probably there 50 yards too soon, but she’s tough.”
One of two winners from two foals out of Zain Art (Ire) (Excellent Art {GB}), Aloha Star’s dam is a half-sister to a Listed stakes winner and a granddaughter of Group 3 winner Danzigaway (USA) (Danehill {USA}), who is also the dam of Grade 2 winner Silent Name (Jpn) (Sunday Silence {USA}) and a half-sister to Grade 2 winner Gold Away (Ire) (Goldneyev {USA}).
