Alamshar requires attention from a physical therapist every day, along with occasional visits from a chiropractor. Oxx said Alamshar would probably run next in the Irish Champion Stakes at Leopardstown, with the Breeders' Cup Turf at Santa Anita, California, also a possibility.īut the horse's program depends on how his back holds out. 'But he was getting a nice lead from the pacemaker, and he was really bombing along into the straight.' 'We didn't expect to win as easy as that, taking on such a high-class field,' Oxx said. Murtagh settled his horse in behind Izdiham for most of the trip in the mile-and-a-half, or 2,400-meter, race. Nayef's distaste for the turf allowed Johnny Murtagh, Alamshar's jockey, to take advantage of Nayef's pacemaker, Izdiham.

'He just cannot use ground like that,' Hills said. Nayef's jockey, Richard Hills, said the horse never settled into the race after rain Friday left the turf tacky. He outran not only Sulamani but Nayef, the 5-year-old colt owned by Sheik Hamdan al-Maktoum that had gone off as the favorite. The King George is the first serious chance for the Derby generation of 3-year-olds to take on older horses, and before Saturday the results were evenly split between up-and-comers and experienced runners, at 26 victories each.Īlamshar's victory was also one for youth. 'Alamshar is from one of the oldest bloodlines in my family, so it's very rewarding.'Īlamshar, trained by John Oxx in Currabeg, Ireland, settled for third in the Epsom Derby on June 7 before going on to win the Irish Derby three weeks later. 'What's most exciting is the continuation of the breeding stock,' the Aga Khan said.

This year has been the best ever for the famous green-and-red silks, and the Aga Khan sees it as a reward for many years of patience. The Aga Khan, on the other hand, only runs horses that come from the family breeding operation, which has been around since the early 1900's. His Godolphin stable has racked up 99 Group 1 victories, and the boys in blue are itching for No. The sheik has a breeding operation, too, but with an ambitious checklist of Group 1 races around the world to win, he does not have time to wait generations for results.

Sulamani was one of three entries Saturday for the sheik's Godolphin operation, and all of them had been bought privately after starting their careers elsewhere. It's often said that it is better to regret having sold a horse than to regret having kept it, but Sheik Mohammed has left plenty of owners with a dose of remorse. The horse chasing Alamshar down the stretch, Sulamani, was bought by Sheik Mohammed after he was impressed with the horse's second-place effort in the Prix de l'Arc de Triomphe.

Mumtaz mahal horse