| Shahrastani | |
|---|---|
 Racing silks of Aga Khan | |
| Sire | Nijinsky |
| Grandsire | Northern Dancer |
| Dam | Shademah |
| Damsire | Thatch |
| Sex | Stallion |
| Foaled | March 27, 1983 |
| Country | United States |
| Colour | Chestnut |
| Breeder | HH Aga Khan IV |
| Owner | HH Aga Khan IV |
| Trainer | Michael Stoute |
| Record | 7: 4-1-0 |
| Earnings | US$987,692 (equivaklent) |
| Major wins | |
| Sandown Classic Trial (1986) Dante Stakes (1986) Epsom Derby (1986) Irish Derby (1986) | |
| Awards | |
| Timeform rating: 135 | |
| Last updated on May 13, 2007 | |
Shahrastani (1983–2011) was an American-bred, British-trainedThoroughbredracehorse. He won four of his seven races between September 1985 and October 1986. He is best known for his performances in the summer of 1986 when he defeatedDancing Brave in theEpsom Derby and went on to win theIrish Derby by eight lengths. At the end of the season he was retired to stud, but made little impact as a stallion. He died in 2011.
Shahrastani was a chestnut horse with a broad whiteblaze bred inKentucky by his ownerHH Aga Khan IV. He was sired by theTriple Crown winnerNijinsky and was the first foal of the mare Shademah, a half sister to theGrand Prix de Saint-Cloud winner Shakapour. The colt was sent into training withMichael Stoute atNewmarket and was ridden in all his races byWalter Swinburn.
Sharastani was not highly tried as a two-year-old and appeared on the racecourse only once. In September he finished strongly to be second by a head to My Ton Ton in theHaynes, Hanson and Clark Conditions Stakes atNewbury.Timeform described him as being "sure to improve" and a "very useful colt in the making".[1]
In 1986 Shahrastani was aimed at the Epsom Derby and began his season by winning theSandown Classic Trial in April. He was described as looking extremely impressive as he defeated the previously unbeatenRoyal Lodge Stakes winner Bonhomie.[2] A month later he was set toYork where he won theDante Stakes.
AtEpsom in June he started at odds of 11/2 for the Derby in a field of fifteen runners. The favourite for the race was the unbeaten Dancing Brave, the impressive winner of the2000 Guineas. After tracking the leaders in a slowly run race, Swinburn sent Shahrastani into the lead in the straight and opened up a clear lead. In the closing stages he held of the late challenge of Dancing Brave to win by half a length. Three weeks after his Epsom win, Shahrastani was sent to theCurragh Racecourse for theIrish Derby. He started the even money favourite against a field which included the Epsom third Mashkour and Dancing Brave's stable companion Bakharoff, the leading European two-year-old of 1985. Shahrastani took the lead two furlongs from the finish and pulled away from his opponents to win very easily by eight lengths. In July, Shahrastani started favourite for his rematch with Dancing Brave in theKing George VI and Queen Elizabeth Stakes atAscot. He was never able to reach the lead and finished fourth behind Dancing Brave, Shardari andTriptych.[3]
On his final racecourse appearance, Shahrastani finished fourth in October'sPrix de l'Arc de Triomphe atLongchamp.
Sharastani was given a rating of 135 byTimeform.[4]
In their bookA Century of Champions, John Randall and Tony Morris rated Sharastani as a "superior" Derby winner and the ninety-third best British or Irish racehorse of the 20th century.[5]
At the end of the 1986 racing season, Shahrastani was retired to stud. He stood with limited success atThree Chimneys Farm inKentucky as well as at Clashmore Stud in Ireland and breeding farms in France and Japan. His best runner on the flat was probably Dariyoun who won some good races in Spain including the domestic Group I Gran Premio Madrid. Shahrastani also sired the good hurdler Zabadi who won theAnniversary 4-Y-O Novices' Hurdle[6] He is also the damsire ofAlamshar, whose victories include the 2003 Irish Derby and King George VI and Queen Elizabeth Diamond Stakes. Shahrastani was put down in December 2011 at Walton Fields Stud in Grimston, Leicestershire because of deteriorating health, having retired from stallion duties a year earlier. He was twenty-eight years old, an advanced age for a thoroughbred.[7]
| Sire Nijinsky II | Northern Dancer | Nearctic | Nearco |
|---|---|---|---|
| Lady Angela | |||
| Natalma | Native Dancer | ||
| Almahmoud | |||
| Flaming Page | Bull Page | Bull Lea | |
| Our Page | |||
| Flaring Top | Menow | ||
| Flaming Top | |||
| Dam Shademah | Thatch | Forli | Aristophanes |
| Trevisa | |||
| Thong | Nantallah | ||
| Rough Shod | |||
| Shamim | Le Haar | Vieux Manoir | |
| Mince Pie | |||
| Diamond Drop | Charlottesville | ||
| Martine |