Persian Punch (1993–2004) was a

Thoroughbred The Thoroughbred is a list of horse breeds, horse breed developed for Thoroughbred racing, horse racing. Although the word ''thoroughbred'' is sometimes used to refer to any breed of purebred horse, it technically refers only to the Thorough ...

racehorse Horse racing is an equestrian performance activity, typically involving two or more horses ridden by jockeys (or sometimes driven without riders) over a set distance for competition. It is one of the most ancient of all sports, as its bas ...

trained in the

United Kingdom The United Kingdom of Great Britain and Northern Ireland, commonly known as the United Kingdom (UK) or Britain, is a country in Northwestern Europe, off the coast of European mainland, the continental mainland. It comprises England, Scotlan ...

. He was frequently heralded by the

Racing Post ''Racing Post'' is a British daily horse racing, greyhound racing, and sports betting publisher published in print and digital formats. It is printed in tabloid format from Monday to Sunday. , it has an average daily circulation of 60,629 ...

and his fans as the most popular horse in training during the final years of his career and had his own fan club and website. He was sired by Persian Heights and was out of Rum Cay who was trained by Roger Curtis at

Lambourn Lambourn is a village and civil parish in Berkshire, England. It lies just north of the M4 Motorway between Swindon and Newbury, and borders Wiltshire to the west and Oxfordshire to the north. After Newmarket it is the largest centre of r ...

Berkshire Berkshire ( ; abbreviated ), officially the Royal County of Berkshire, is a Ceremonial counties of England, ceremonial county in South East England. It is bordered by Oxfordshire to the north, Buckinghamshire to the north-east, Greater London ...

. He had a half brother by Mozart, Classic Punch. Persian Punch was trained throughout his racing career by

David Elsworth David Raymond Cecil Elsworth (born 1939) is a retired horse trainer living in the United Kingdom. He was the trainer of Desert Orchid, 1988 Grand National winner Rhyme 'n' Reason, and 1990 Queen Mother Champion Chase winner Barnbrook Again; thre ...

at Whitsbury Manor Racing Stables,

Fordingbridge Fordingbridge is a town and broader civil parish with a population of 6,200 on the River Avon in the New Forest District of Hampshire, England. It is located near the Dorset and Wiltshire borders and on the edge of the New Forest. It is sou ...

Wiltshire Wiltshire (; abbreviated to Wilts) is a ceremonial county in South West England. It borders Gloucestershire to the north, Oxfordshire to the north-east, Berkshire to the east, Hampshire to the south-east, Dorset to the south, and Somerset to ...

, England. His most famous stablemate was

Desert Orchid Desert Orchid (11 April 1979 – 13 November 2006), known as ''Dessie'', was an English racehorse. The grey achieved a revered and esteemed status within National Hunt racing, where he was much loved by supporters for his front-running attac ...

, retired by then but still leading out the 2 year olds. Persian Punch was owned by Jeff Smith, owner of Littleton Stud, whose silks had been carried by many famous racehorses including

Lochsong Lochsong (26 April 1988 – 27 May 2014) was a bay Thoroughbred filly who twice won the Cartier Award as Top European Sprinter and was voted 1993 European Horse of the Year. Background Lochsong was a bay mare bred by her owner, Jeff Smith's L ...

and

Chief Singer Chief Singer (19 March 1981 – 2000) was an Irish-bred, British-trained Thoroughbred racehorse and Horse breeding#Terminology, sire. In a racing career which lasted from June 1983 until September 1984 he ran nine times and won four races. ...

. Persian Punch's lad was Derek Brown. Persian Punch won 20 races and was placed in 19 of his 63 races, amassing total prize money of over £1million. Although he never won a

Group 1 Group 1 may refer to: * Alkali metal, a chemical element classification for Alkali metal * Group 1 (motorsport), a regulation set of the FIA for series-production touring cars used in motorsport. * Group One Thoroughbred horse races, the leading e ...

race (he was placed), he won 13 European Pattern races, equalling the record of Ardross,

Acatenango Acatenango is a stratovolcano in Guatemala, close to the city of Antigua. It is part of the mountain range of the Sierra Madre. The volcano has two peaks, ''Pico Mayor'' (Highest Peak) and ''Yepocapa'' (3,880 m) which is also known as Tres Herm ...

and

Brigadier Gerard Brigadier Gerard is the hero of a series of 17 historical short stories, a play, and a major character in a novel by the British writer Arthur Conan Doyle. Brigadier Etienne Gerard is a Hussar officer in the French Army during the Napoleonic Wars ...

. At the age of 10, he was just denied the Stayers Triple Crown of

Goodwood Cup The Goodwood Cup is a Group 1 flat horse race in Great Britain open to horses aged three years or older. It is run at Goodwood over a distance of 2 miles (3 ...

Ascot Gold Cup The Gold Cup is a Group 1 flat horse race in Great Britain open to horses aged four years or older. It is run at Ascot over a distance of 2 miles 3 furlongs and 210 yards (4 ...

, and

Doncaster Cup The Doncaster Cup is a Group 2 flat horse race in Great Britain open to horses aged three years or older. It is run at Doncaster over a distance of 2 miles 1 furlong and 197 yards (3,600 m ...

when Mr Dinos beat him into 2nd place at

Ascot Ascot, Ascott or Askot may refer to: Places Australia * Ascot, Queensland, suburb of Brisbane * Ascot, Queensland (Toowoomba Region), a locality * Ascot Park, South Australia, suburb of Adelaide * Ascot (Ballarat), town near Ballarat in Victoria ...

. He won three

Jockey Club Cup A jockey is someone who rides horses in horse racing or steeplechase racing, primarily as a profession. The word also applies to camel riders in camel racing. The word "jockey" originated from England and was used to describe the individual ...

s, a

, two

Goodwood Cup The Goodwood Cup is a Group 1 flat horse race in Great Britain open to horses aged three years or older. It is run at Goodwood over a distance of 2 miles (3 ...

s, three

Henry II Stakes The Henry II Stakes is a Group 3 flat horse race in Great Britain open to horses aged four years or older. It is run at Sandown Park over a distance of 2 miles and 50 yards (), and it is schedule ...

, and two Lonsdale Cups. Persian Punch also travelled to Australia on two occasions, and finished third in the 1998 and 2001

Melbourne Cup The Melbourne Cup is an annual Group 1 Thoroughbred horse race held in Melbourne, Australia, at the Flemington Racecourse. It is a 3200-metre race for three-year-olds and older, conducted by the Victoria Racing Club that forms part of the ...

s. He earned the 2001 and 2003 Cartier Award for Top Stayer. Persian Punch died on 28 April 2004, when he collapsed at the end of the

Sagaro Stakes The Sagaro Stakes is a Group 3 flat horse race in Great Britain open to horses aged four years or older. It is run over a distance of 1 mile 7 furlongs and 209 yards () at Ascot in late Apri ...

at Ascot. His fan club contacted

Newmarket Racecourse Newmarket Racecourse is a British Thoroughbred horse racing venue in Newmarket, Suffolk, Newmarket, Suffolk, comprising two individual racecourses: the Rowley Mile and the July Course. Newmarket is often referred to as the headquarters of ...

, where he had his most wins and his last victory, to request a memorial there to him. The Persian Punch Memorial Fund was founded, and a lifesize bronze by

Philip Blacker Philip Blacker (b. 1949) was a jockey until his retirement in 1982. Since then, he has been a sculptor of sporting arts. He is the son of General Sir Cecil Blacker. Career Jockey Blacker became a professional jockey at the start of the 196 ...

was unveiled on the anniversary of his last win. This was mostly funded by Jeff Smith, but fans were given the opportunity to contribute and their names are displayed on a plaque.

References

* His own website https://web.archive.org/web/20050907094531/http://www.persianpunch.co.uk/

External links

Career 1-2-3 Colour Chart
– ''Persian Punch'' 1993 racehorse births 2004 racehorse deaths Racehorses bred in Ireland Racehorses trained in the United Kingdom Thoroughbred family 3-n Cartier Award winners {{Racehorse-stub

See also

References

External links