|
|
Bahram
|
|
 |
|
|
Bred and raced
in England by H.H. the Aga Khan, *Bahram was undefeated in nine starts
in England, earning the equivalent of $215,433. He was the champion
at two, winner at two of the National Breeders' Produce, Rous Memorial,
Gimcrack, Boscawen, and Middle Park Stakes. At three, he won the 1935
English Triple Crown (2,000 Guineas, Derby, St. Leger) as well as
the St. James's Palace Stakes.
With little left to prove outside of competing against older horses, he was retired to Egerton Stud, Newmarket, England in 1936 for a fee of 500 guineas. His owner had previously sold two other Derby winners to America, *Blenheim II, and *Blenheim II's son Mahmoud, so the British breeding industry was outraged when it was announced that *Bahram, the second leading sire in 1940 (and leading juvenile sire of 1941), would be sent to America for the 1941 season, after only five years at stud.
|
Big Game
Persian Gulf
Doubleton with son Double Eclipse
| | He was purchased for 40,000 pounds ($160,000) by a syndicate which included Walter P. Chrysler, S. W. Labrot, Alfred G. Vanderbilt, and James Cox Brady, and stood in America, first in Maryland and later at Chrysler's North Wales Stud in Warrenton, Virginia.
Unfortunately, *Bahram was not a great success in the States and at the age of 13 (in 1945), he was sold (for a reported $130,000) to continue his stud career in Argentina.
He sired 25 stakes winners and his first crop (English) included the St. Leger and Irish Derby winner TURKHAN, as well as Irish Oaks winner QUEEN OF SHIRAZ, both owned by the Aga Khan. Turkhan sired the good fillies Linaria, Ella Retford, but his lasting influence comes through a lesser daughter Turkish Blood, dam of the stakes winner Vienna (sire of *Vaguely Noble). Queen of Shiraz produced *Poona II and Sallymount.
His other English-sired foals included the 2,000 Guineas winner BIG GAME (Leading Sire in
Great Britain in 1948, sire of Combat, Faux Tirage, Gigantic, Khorassan
II, Makarpura, and a great broodmare sire), Coronation Cup winner
PERSIAN GULF (a perennial leading sire of classic winners including
Derby winner Parthia, Zabara, Queen of Sheba, Zarathustra, Tamerlane,
Rustam, Zimone, *Persian Road II, Proud Chieftain, Idle Hour, Persian
Wonder, and Gulf Pearl), as well as stakes winners THE DRUID, BIRIKAN,
and GREAT TRUTH, and the important producers QUEEN OF BAGHDAD (dam
of *Noor), MAH IRAN (dam of *Migoli, *Moondust II), BIBIBEG (dam of
*Grounded II, Quaheri), LIBERATION (dam of Elpenor, Emperor), and
DOUBLETON (dam of *Double Eclipse and second dam of Meld).
In America, *Bahram's
best runners were STUD POKER ($192,460), SUN BAHRAM ($112,330), and
the good two-year-old and sire, STONE AGE. He did very little as a
sire in Argentina, outside of *HOLD ON II, who won stakes in both
Argentina and the U.S. and *NARANJAL.
|
*Bahram was a large,
somewhat leggy brown horse, his only marking was a star, and his conformation
was considered close to flawless. He grew to 16.2 hands, big and sound
(both of which were was unusual for this male line), and full of quality.
His temperament was outstanding, in fact Ulbrich describes it as his
only fault, being "placid to the point of lethargy." He died in Argentina
in January of 1956 at the age of 24.
--Anne Peters
|
|
|
|
