WITH a session-topping foal selling for €60,000 last year at Tattersalls Ireland, Old Persian (Dubawi) is already making a statement about his intent to be a challenger for sire honours in the years ahead. That colt, purchased by Kevin Ross, is from Old Persian’s second crop, and a year earlier Gerry Hogan spent €47,000 on a first crop colt.
Old Persian has been supported in huge numbers since retiring to Glenview Stud. His acquisition by the Cashman family was a sound move. Dodging Bullets completed a Grade 1 hat-trick when beating Somersby by a length and a half to take the Queen Mother Champion Chase at the Cheltenham Festival in 2015. The win came two months after he had beaten the great Sprinter Sacre by three lengths in the Clarence House Chase over a furlong farther at Ascot, leg two of a treble that began with the Tingle Creek Chase at Sandown a few weeks before Christmas.
The Paul Nicholls-trained bay was bred by Frankie Dettori and was a brilliant chaser at around two miles, hitting a career peak of 171. Dodging Bullets also provided early proof that Dubawi’s (Dubai Millennium) stock could be top-class National Hunt horses, and since then he sired another Grade 1 winner in Hisaabaat, victorious in the Champion Four-Year-Old Hurdle at Punchestown, the Spring Juvenile Hurdle at Leopardstown, and second in the Triumph Hurdle at Cheltenham.
Old Persian won the Group 2 King Edward VII Stakes at Royal Ascot as a three-year-old, added the Group 2 Great Voltigeur Stakes at York, and returned to action for a top-class international campaign as a four-year-old. He won the Group 1 Dubai Sheema Classic at Meydan and the Grade 1 Northern Dancer Turf Stakes at Woodbine, both over 12 furlongs, landed a Group 2 contest over the same trip, also at Meydan, and was third in the Group 1 Grosser Preis von Berlin in Germany.
A three-parts brother to the dual stakes-placed sprinter Chapelli (Poet’s Voice), Old Persian is out of a full-sister to the Group 2 Ribblesdale Stakes scorer Silkwood (Singspiel) and half-sister to Silent Honor (Sunday Silence), winner of the Group 2 Cherry Hinton Stakes. The Group 1-placed dual Group 2 victor Permian (Teofilo) is under one of his third dam’s daughters.
Third dam Massaraat (Nureyev), a stakes-winning daughter of stakes winner Pasadoble (Prove Out), is Miesque’s full-sister. That champion became a broodmare of rare influence. Her classic-winning son Kingmambo (Mr Prospector) was a leading international sire, while her daughter East Of The Moon (Private Account) is the dual classic-winning ancestress of Alpha Centauri (Mastercraftsman) and Alpine Star (Sea The Moon).
Miesque’s Group 1-winning descendants also include Rumplestiltskin (Danehill), Tapestry (Galileo) and Study Of Man (Deep Impact).
Race record
OLD PERSIAN (GB), Bay 2015. Top rated older horse in U.A.E. in 2019 (11-14f.). Won nine races, £3,412,858, from 1 mile to 1 mile 4 furlongs, at 2 to 4 years including, Longines Dubai Sheema Classic, Meydan, Gr.1, Northern Dancer Turf Stakes, Woodbine, Gr.1, King Edward VII Stakes, Ascot, Gr.2, Sky Bet Great Voltigeur Stakes, York, Gr.2, SkyCargo Dubai City of Gold Stakes, Meydan, Gr.2, Betway Fairway Stakes, Newmarket, L, also placed second in Havana Gold Newmarket Stakes, Newmarket, L, and third in Longines Grosser Preis von Berlin, Berlin-Hoppegarten, Gr.1.
At stud
Retired to Stud in 2021, first crop are two-year-olds
Information
Stands at: Glenview Stud, Fermoy, Co Cork, P61 HE30, Ireland
Contact: Paul Cashman, Rachel Robinson, Stephen O’Flynn
Telephone: +353 25 36701 or +353 86 601 8981
Email: glenview@rathbarrystud.com
Web: www.rathbarrystud.com
Fee: Private