His Highness The Aga Khan's brilliant G1 Irish Derby and G1 King George VI and Queen Elizabeth Stakes hero Alamshar died due to old age on August 20, JBBA Stallions announced on X Friday morning. The pensioned son of Key Of Luck was 26.
Johnny Murtagh, who partnered Alamshar throughout his career, remembered him as an unassuming and perhaps underappreciated horse who was capable of exceptional performances at his best.
“He had two great days,” Murtagh told TDN. “The day at the Curragh was a brilliant day and a brilliant performance, and then he went on to the King George. When you look at the field he beat there, he put up some performance.
“He ran very, very well in the Epsom Derby. It was a slow-run race and he flew home, so we did fancy him [for the Irish Derby].
“He wasn't a big, powerful horse; he was quite unassuming. But on those two days, the Irish Derby and the King George, he was pretty exceptional. He was the real deal.”
2003 Irish Derby – Alamshar pic.twitter.com/fUhiufkZT3
— History of Horse Racing (@horsevault) January 8, 2024
A homebred for the late Aga Khan, Alamshar was the fifth foal out of Alaiyda (Shahrastani). Unbeaten in two starts for John Oxx as a juvenile, including the G3 Beresford Stakes, he opened his sophomore year with a second in the G3 Ballysax Stakes, before putting his stamp on the G2 Derrinstown Stud Derby Trial Stakes later that spring.
Third in the 2003 edition of the G1 Derby, Alamshar delivered arguably the performance for which he is best known when defeating fellow Aga Khan runner Dalakhani in the Irish Derby while wearing his owner's original green-and-brown hooped silks. He doubled up in the King George later that summer, and after two more starts, retired with a mark of 9-5-1-1 and $2,046,874 in earnings.
Retired to Japan for stallion duty in 2004, he was moved to the Irish National Stud under a lease agreement for 2006 and 2007, before returning to the Land of the Rising Sun where he spent the remainder of his career. He was pensioned after the 2017 breeding season at the JBBA's Shizunai Stallion Station. Although he only left 128 foals, Alamshar is the damsire of stakes winners Snapraeterea (Buratino) and Rhein Carina (Pyro). The former was placed twice in group races in Ireland.
Added The Aga Khan Studs in a statement on X, “Remembering Alamshar, the brilliant Irish Derby and King George winner who has passed away at the age of 26. Thank you to our friends, JBBA Stallions, for caring for him so well.”
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