Persian Rules in Spain by Manuel de Luque

Persian Rules in Spain

by Manuel de Luque ©

The closure of the Madrid racecourse five years ago has brought many disastrous consequences to the Spanish racing and breeding industries, amongst them the almost total disappearance of good class racing in Spain. The reservoir of quality in these quite bleak times has been the summer meeting held in the beautiful Northern town of San Sebastián. And this year the king of the place has been the grey Spanish bred six-year-old Persian Ruler, a son of Don Roberto and Kalawelsh, by Kalaglow.

He has won three races, amongst them the top weight for age contest in our country, the Copa de Oro de San Sebastián (12f), and the traditional Gran Premio de San Sebastián (14f). The first winner of the Gran Premio, back in 1916, was the super-illustrious Teddy, whose owner, J.D. Cohn, had brought the horse to the newly constructed San Sebastián racecourse from the war ravaged France.

Persian Ruler is the winner of 14 races, one of them the Prix d'Hedouville (G3) as a four-year-old, which makes him the only Spanish-bred horse to have won a group race in a top racing country. The horse had shown his quality in Spain in his juvenile and classic seasons, and after that was sent to be trained in France and apart from the mentioned success also run well to be third in the prestigious Preis Von Europa (G1). In 2000, he was trained in the U.S. by Cristophe Clement, and the best result he managed to achieve was a third place in a stakes race run in Delaware Park (the listed Cape Henlopen Stakes). Back home like a prodigal son, he has rediscovered his winning ways.

Don Roberto (Roberto - Exit Smiling, by Stage Door Johnny), did his racing in the U.S., where as a five-year-old he won the Rolling Green Handicap (G3) and was second in the Sunset Handicap (G1). Sent as a stallion to France, the most notable of his progeny there was Sierra Roberta, a group winner in Europe and second in the Breeders' Cup Turf (G1). Meanwhile, the horse was advertising himself beautifully in Spain with several good performers, the best being the great Robertiya, champion at two and three and later dam of the very good filly Volvoreta (1997, by Suave Dancer), winner of the Prix Vermeille (G1) and third in the Arc (G1).

Not unnaturally, Don Roberto was imported into our country, where he covered his first book of mares in 1992 and, although never the most consistent of sires, he has been a success, heading the sires list three times, and looks set for another first this season. Don Roberto died last spring of ruptured aorta. He was still an active sire despite being 24.

Persian Ruler's dam, Kalawelsh, was bred in France but did all her racing in Spain, where she proved quite useful, winning three of her nine races. A really elegant-looking grey mare, as a broodmare Kalawelsh has been very successful, because apart from Persian Ruler, she has produced his full sister Robertville (1991), a winner and second in the Spanish Oaks, and Kashwan (1994, by Unfuwain), champion two-year-old in Spain, winner as Persian Ruler of the Copa de Oro and several times placed in Group races in France.

The first name of note in Kalawelsh female line is that of her second dam, Quarterings (by Princely Gift), winner, group placed and dam of two winners, one of them the good stayer Belfalas, winner of the Goodwood and Doncaster Cups, both G3. The next dam, Fouri (by Persian Gulf), did not win and did not produce anything of note, but in the next step back, things change as we find Instantaneous, dam of classic winner and very good stallion Court Martial. After that we get into the famed Astor breeding territory.

The good results of Kalawelsh as a broodmare can perhaps be explained by her pedigree, full of interesting relationships. Without going into detail, in the seven first removes of her pedigree she has: six lines of Fairway and as many of his full brother Pharos; two lines of Nasrullah and one of his full sister Rivaz; three male lines of Fair Trial; and two male lines of Sansovino. Furthermore, she has sex balanced linebreeding to Hyperion (5 x 6 x 7), his sire Gainsborough (6 x 7 x 6), Blenheim (7 x 7 x 7 x 6), his sire Blandford (7 x 7 x 6 x 6) and a 6 x 4 cross of the mare Doubleton and her full brother Persian Gulf, both by Bahram out of Double Life.

To cap it all, Kalawelsh's sire, Kalaglow, has Palestine 4 x 3, and her dam, Welsh Heiress, has Instantaneous 4 x 3 too. Of course, Palestine is a son of Fair Trial, and this sire produced Court Martial when mated with Instantaneous. So both close inbreedings complement each other. Nice combination.

Now to Persian Ruler. With two good horses like him and his full sister Robertville to its credit, it must be admitted that the Don Roberto - Kalawelsh combination was a very nice one. The sire added to the rich Pharos and Blandford background of Kalawelsh with additional strains, and has, like the mare, lines of Nasrullah and Prince Rose. It is also interesting to point out the similarities between the pedigrees of Turn-to and Zeddaan, grandsires of Don Roberto and Kalawelsh, respectively. Turn-to descends in tail male line from Royal Charger and Zeddaan from Royal Charger's three-quarter brother Nasrullah, and they also share strains of Craig An Eran and Swynford.

Royal Charger is a product of the Nearco/Solario cross, the same that produced Matelda, which we find in Kalawelsh. But the crux of the matter lies, in my opinion, on the fact that Don Roberto's third dam is Queen of Light (1949, by Borealis - Picture Play, by Donatello), a mare that also appears in the pedigree of Kalawelsh as dam of her maternal grandsire, Welsh Pageant, giving Persian Ruler a most unusual 4 x 5 linebreeding to this mare, a scion on the world famous Absurdity family developed by the Joel family in their Childwick Bury Stud near London.

Queen of Light carried the black and scarlet Joel silks to victory in the Falmouth Stakes as a three-year-old and later proved a really good broodmare. Three of her six daughters were very good producers. Two of these, Chandelier (by Goyama) and Picture Light (by Court Martial) , appear in Persian Ruler pedigree. The other, Crystal Palace (by Solar Slipper), was the dam of the 1967 Derby winner Royal Palace (by Ballymoss), a great runner but very moderate sire.

The Royal Palace connection may give some additional clues to the quality of Persian Ruler. In the pedigree of Exit Smiling, Don Roberto's dam, we find the names of Ballymoss and Queen of Light, who provide three-quarters of the ancestry of Royal Palace. In this respect, it is interesting to note how Kalawelsh's ancestry provides many of the names who combined successfully with Royal Palace in his few group winning progeny, such as Fair Trial, Hyperion, Prince Rose, Donatello (in Dunfermline); Owen Tudor, Nasrullah, Double Life (in Antrona), Hyperion, Court Martial (in Escorial), and Nasrullah, Fairway (in Royal Hive). Perhaps this factor is a contrinbuting one in Persian Ruler's quality.

I have no news about the plans for Persian Ruler. It is to be hoped that he retires to stud in Spain and his reproductive qualities resemble more the ones of his sire, Don Roberto, than those of his relative Royal Palace. Is is not inconceivable, however, to see him siring good broodmares, given the amount of female quality his pedigree accumulates.