Persian War (1963–1984) was a British National Hunt horse and a three-time winner of the Champion Hurdle at Cheltenham . He is considered to have been one of the greatest hurdlers of all time. He won the Triumph Hurdle in 1967, before progressing to dominate the hurdling ranks for the next three years, including winning the Champion Hurdle three times, before the emergence of dual Champion Hurdle winner Bula . He was rated the best hurdler since Sir Ken in the 1950s, and described as “the ultimate champion” by trainer Colin Davis, and his career is considered to have heralded ‘a golden age’ of two-mile hurdling that saw outstanding champions Bula, Comedy Of Errors , Night Nurse , Monksfield and Sea Pigeon . However, many observers felt that Persian War could have accomplished even more if not for the interference of his owner Henry Alper, who employed six trainers to prepare the horse during his career and often targeted unsuitable races.
57-525: Persian War may refer to: Persian War (horse) (1963–1984), British-trained racehorse Persian Wars or Greco-Persian Wars Persian War , the first two books of The Wars of Justinian by Procopius See also [ edit ] Anglo-Persian War Gulf War (1991), also known as the Persian Gulf War, Operation Granby, or Operation Desert Storm Iran–Iraq War (1980–1988), also known as
114-472: A Cooper ) and Jane (driving a Maserati ) some distance behind in 3rd and 4th. Sandown was repaved and received many new safety features in 2013 in accordance with new FIA rules. More tyre barriers were added, and new catch fencing was also added during big events like Historic Sandown and the Wilson Security 500. The main grandstand was also upgraded to feature a new bar and food complex. Along with
171-457: A 500 km distance. The first two races ran for six hours while the next two ran for just three hours. The race distance was 250 km from 1970 until 1975. This was increased to 400 km in 1976 and stayed that way until 1983. It was changed for the last time in 1984 with an increase to 500 km. The 1990, 1993 and 1994 events had no major sponsor and were underwritten by circuit promoter and former Formula 5000 star Jon Davison. With
228-497: A Holden or a Ford. 1984 saw an extension of the track to 3.878 km (2.410 mi) to comply with FIA regulations for minimum track length for World Championship events. It also saw the first 500 km race held at the circuit, the Castrol 500 , being Round 3 of the 1984 Australian Endurance Championship . Along with the circuit changes, some AUD$ 600,000 had been spent relocating the pits from its original place between what
285-588: A bad chill and was in a poor state when he eventually returned to Britain. Now in the yard of Chepstow trainer Colin Davies, Persian War slowly returned to form with two placed efforts under big weights at Doncaster and Kempton. He was then targeted at the Schweppes Gold Trophy at Newbury where, at only 5 years old, he was allotted top weight of 11 st 13 lbs against a field of thirty one rivals. Displaying all of his talent, Persian War beat
342-788: A six-length win the Challow Hurdle at Nebwury, a dogged half length victory in the Walton Hurdle at Kempton , and a seven-length triumph in the Victor Ludorum Juvenile Hurdle (then one of the most prestigious juvenile contests) at Haydock . He suffered a defeat at Kempton in the Friary Meux Gold Cup, when he misjudged a hurdle and struck his head on the ground, losing two teeth and gashing his tongue. Despite this, he finished third to Acrania and Te Fou. Persian War confirmed his status as
399-576: A sponsorship deal with Betta Electrical and have been a large part of the series since. The 2003 event was won by Mark Skaife and Todd Kelly for the Holden Racing Team . In 2004, it was won by Marcos Ambrose and Greg Ritter in a Pirtek-backed Stone Brothers Racing Falcon. In 2005, it was won by Craig Lowndes and Frenchman Yvan Muller in a Betta Electrical backed Falcon. In 2006, Ford Performance Racing got its maiden endurance victory with Mark Winterbottom and Jason Bright . In 2007,
456-537: A three-year-old. He was sold out of Hern's yard to David Naylor-Leyland for 3,600 guineas and went into training with Tom Masson. Persian War made his hurdling debut in October in a two-mile race at Ascot , where he finished second to Capablanca. He improved markedly in his next start, where he won the Toll House Juvenile Hurdle at Sandown by fifteen lengths from Major Imp, before romping by
513-462: Is a motor racing circuit in the suburb of Springvale in Melbourne , Victoria , approximately 25 km (16 mi) south east of the city centre. Sandown is considered a power circuit with its " drag strip " front and back straights being 899 m (983 yd) and 910 m (1,000 yd) long respectively. Sandown Racecourse was first built as a horse racing facility, dating back into
570-504: Is different from Wikidata All article disambiguation pages All disambiguation pages Persian War (horse) Persian War was bred by Jakie Astor (The Honourable John Jacob Astor), later Sir John Astor, and was a big bay gelding. His sire, Persian Gulf , was a son of Triple Crown winner Bahram and had won the Coronation Cup in 1944. His dam, Warning, was a big boned daughter of champion sire Chanteur (also
627-412: Is run in his honour at Chepstow and features Monsignor, Reve De Sivola, and Silviniaco Conti on its roll of honour. In their book A Century of Champions , John Randall and Tony Morris described Persian War as "the greatest hurdler ever seen up until that time", and rated him 180, just 2 lbs behind their highest rated hurdler Night Nurse. Sandown Raceway Sandown International Raceway
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#1732772097358684-509: The 1962 Sandown International Cup , which was contested by world-famous international drivers including Jack Brabham , Jim Clark , Stirling Moss , Bruce McLaren and John Surtees . A second Sandown International Cup was held in 1963 , the two races serving as the forerunners of the Sandown round of the annual Tasman Series from 1964 to 1975. Throughout the 1960s and 1970s the race meetings continued to attract international stars along with
741-459: The 1978 Australian Grand Prix , the 50th anniversary of the event (and the final time it would be held at Sandown), was Argentina 's five-time Formula One World Drivers' Champion, the legendary Juan Manuel Fangio . Following the race Fangio, Australia's own three-time World Champion Jack Brabham, Bob Jane and former racer turned Holden dealer Bill Patterson , staged a spirited three-lap demonstration/race. Fangio and Brabham cleared out and swapped
798-471: The County Hurdle , when a bruised leg spelled his retirement at age eleven. From fifty-one races over hurdles, he won eighteen races and was second and third nine times each. He retired to Genesis Green Stud, where he lived until his death in 1984 aged 21. His heart is buried beneath a headstone raised by Henry Alper who also co-authored a book on Persian War. The Grade 2 Persian War Novices’ Hurdle
855-773: The Scottish Champion Hurdle just four days after his Chepstow race. During the summer of 1971, Persian War once again switched trainers to Dennis Rayson’s Exning yard. The change did little to revive his fortunes, and he went through the next season almost winless, with bad defeats behind Bula in the Skeaping Trophy Hurdle, behind Churchwood in the Benson & Hedges Hurdle, and in the Cheltenham Trial Hurdle when fifth to Canasta Lad. He ran better when second to Coral Diver in
912-567: The 19th century, but closed in the 1930s in a government run rationalisation program. Redevelopment began not long after World War II. A bitumen motor racing circuit was built around the outside of the proposed horse track (which was not completed until 1965) and was first opened in 1962 and held the race which became the Sandown 500 for the first time in 1964 . The circuit hosted its first Australian Touring Car Championship race in 1965. The opening meeting, held on 11 and 12 March 1962, featured
969-666: The Bathurst 1000, with the inaugural Dick Smith Sandown 500 won by the Holden Commodore Team Vodafone pairing of Craig Lowndes and Warren Luff. On 2 December 1984, Sandown held the last round of the 1984 World Endurance Championship . The race, known as the Sandown 1000 , was won by Stefan Bellof and Derek Bell in their Rothmans Porsche 956 . This race was the first FIA World Championship road racing motor racing event to be held in Australia. As
1026-611: The Champion Hurdle crown. In that race, Bula proved dominant in defeating Persian War by four lengths. Although well beaten, Persian War won his own private battle with Major Rose, defeating that rival by a length into third. The win showed Bula to be “an exceptional champion”, who confirmed this view by inflicting another, though narrow, defeat on Persian War in the Welsh Champion Hurdle. Persian War ran one final race that season, finishing fifth to Dondieu in
1083-519: The Champion Hurdle, run this year on very heavy ground. Also in the field were Irish Champion Hurdle winner L’Escargot , who relished soft going, Sempervivum, Privy Seal, and former Triumph Hurdle winner England's Glory. The conditions took their toll on the field, with only five horses still in contention approaching the second last. Mud lover Drumikill momentarily looked dangerous before Persian War swept past to win by four lengths. Alper, who had reportedly won £25,000 in wagers, collapsed upon hearing
1140-531: The Lansdown 4YO Hurdle at Cheltenham behind Spanish Steps. Jockey Jimmy Uttley thought he was dead as he lay there, but Persian War soon recovered from the setback. However, his season was hampered by an outbreak of foot and mouth, and Alper decided that Persian War should race in France for a time. When trainer Swift disagreed, Alper removed the horse from his care and sent him to Chantilly , where he contracted
1197-695: The Lonsdale Handicap Hurdle at Kempton in February. Despite being well below peak fitness, he carried 12 st 7 lbs and won by three lengths from Privy Seal (under 11 st 5 lbs) in an effort dubbed the finest performance since Arkle . Persian War suffered a slight injury and a resulting temperature in the run up to his run in the Kingwell Hurdle at Wincanton , where he finished second to Boat Man while conceding him 16 lbs. Persian War returned to his best in
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#17327720973581254-604: The Newent Handicap Hurdle at Cheltenham, then fifth in the Broadway Hurdle at the same track in January. Alper proposed that the horse be tried over fences, which led to a falling out with Dennis Rayson, and Jack Gibson being appointed as Persian War’s sixth and final trainer. An injured leg ruled him out for the season before he could run in a chase. In 1974, Persian War was being trained to run in
1311-584: The Persian Gulf War or the First Gulf War Iraq War (2003–2011), also known as the Second or Third Gulf War Persian Wars (disambiguation) Roman–Persian Wars Russo-Persian War (1651–53) Russo-Persian War (1722–23) Russo-Persian War (1804–13) Russo-Persian War (1826–28) Russo-Persian Wars Persian Expedition of 1796 (Russo-Persian War of 1796) Turco–Persian Wars (disambiguation) Topics referred to by
1368-400: The Sandown 500, Historic Sandown, Shannons Nationals and two Victorian State Race Series events. The long-term future of this historic circuit is unclear as the owners of Sandown Park want to have it rezoned so that they can sell it to a property developer who would then demolish the venue and turn it into high density housing. The circuit is home to the famous Sandown endurance race which
1425-636: The Scottish Champion Hurdle and third to Mago in the Badmore Handicap Hurdle at Nottingham, before registering his final win in the Latecomers Hurdle over two miles six furlongs at Stratford . The one length win over Moison was considered to be inferior to his previous prestigious wins. Despite his deteriorating form, Persian War returned to racing the following season, finishing eleventh to Big Valley in
1482-707: The Sweeps Hurdle at Fairyhouse, where he won by eight lengths from Lockyersleigh and Inishmaan. He next finished third to old rival Major Rose in the Oteley Hurdle at Sandown, before a fifth under 12 st 7 lbs to Cala Mesquida in the Schweppes Gold Trophy. Persian War then took on the outstanding young hurdler Bula , who had won the previous season's Gloucestershire Hurdle by six lengths. He finished fourth, ten lengths behind Bula, who confirmed himself as most likely candidate for
1539-643: The VHRR (Victorian Historic Racing Register) and run by the MG Car Club of Victoria, it is a highly successful event which in 2009 attracted a record 400+ historic racing cars including touring cars, MG racers and Formula Fords and was also headlined by the Biante Touring Car Masters . 2009 was the 18th running of the event and was attended by the patron of the VHRR, Sir Jack Brabham . Several Melbourne cycling clubs hold regular races over
1596-734: The Welsh Champion hurdle thirteen days later, where he finished third to Frozen Alive and Coral Diver while giving them 16 lbs and 7 lbs respectively in weight. As he had had wind issues again during the race, Persian War had his soft palate operated on at the Newmarket Equine Research Centre in an attempt to solve the problem. During the summer, the relationship between Henry Alper and Colin Davies soured until Alper removed all of his horses from Davies' yard and assigned Arthur Pitt from Epsom as Persian War’s new trainer. Persian War showed renewed form
1653-528: The back straight was a popular spectator area during the 1970s and 1980s with several converted double-decker buses frequenting race meetings. Sandown continued to host both the 500 kilometre race and a sprint round of the championship, the Sandown Challenge , throughout the majority of the 1970s, 1980s and 1990s. In 2001 and 2002, the circuit hosted the Grand Finale as the closing round of
1710-652: The best juvenile hurdler around with a win in the Triumph Hurdle at Cheltenham in April, where he reversed placings with Te Fou. Persian War returned the following season with a twenty-five-length win in the Wyld Court Hurdle at Newbury, beating a field that included top class hurdler Mugatpura (future winner of the Fighting Fifth and Scottish Champion Hurdle ). In his next race, he fell in
1767-455: The best of Australia's drivers. Australia's traditional Holden / Ford rivalry really surfaced at the track in the late 1960s and through the 1970s with drivers such as Norm Beechey , Ian Geoghegan , Allan Moffat , Bob Jane , Colin Bond and Peter Brock and continues to the present day. From 1968 to 1980 almost every major touring car race held at the circuit was won be those driving either
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1824-416: The circuit's outright lap record with a time of 1:33.580. Easternats was a car festival held at the race track annually. It attracted a large number of entrants for the show'n'shine and various other events. It comprised usually a turn out of 750 entered vehicles. This event has since been discontinued. Historic Sandown is an annual event held at the circuit on the first weekend of November. Promoted by
1881-667: The creation of V8 Supercars in 1997, the Sandown 500 event remained as part of their calendar for that year and 1998. Sandown became a sprint round of the V8 Supercars Championship Series for 1999 and 2000, then as three 150 km races with pit stops in 2001 and a 150 km race on the Saturday and 300 km race on the Sunday in 2002. The event was won by Todd Kelly in 2001 and by Marcos Ambrose in 2002. The 500 km format returned in 2003 with
1938-413: The field until the fifth hurdle, when Persian War took a clear lead. Approaching the final flight, only Major Rose mustered a challenge, and Persian War saw him off to win by a length and a half “in the manner of Sir Ken”. After the race, trainer Colin Davies declared the horse as “the best hurdler I’ve ever seen… so far there has been nothing to touch him”. Persian War’s final effort that season came in
1995-423: The firm ground Chorus was made favourite at 7/2 with Persian War second choice at 4/1. His fellow Alper owned stablemate Straight Point led the field with Persian War tracking. Running down the hill, Saucy Kit challenged Persian War before a bad mistake ended his effort and left Persian War clear. Chorus put in a good run at the last flight, but Persian War repelled him to win by four lengths. John Oaksey wrote of
2052-709: The following season, winning the Cleehill Hurdle at Ludlow by a distance from Mugatpura (who fell and was remounted) before winning Newbury’s Woolton Hill Hurdle in similar fashion from Vega Star. He then finished fourth under 12 st 7 lbs to Inishmaan in the Fighting Fifth Hurdle and a close third to Pendil and Dondieu in the Cheltenham Trial Hurdle in December. Persian War then travelled over to Ireland to run in
2109-473: The highly regarded Major Rose by half a length and set a weight-carrying record. Persian War then returned to Cheltenham as one of the favourites for the Champion Hurdle , with former winners Saucy Kit and Salmon Spray, Gloucestershire Hurdle winner Chorus, Cheltenham Trial Hurdle winner Sempervivum, and top class Mugatpura also in the field. It was rated the best Champion Hurdle for years, and on
2166-692: The late Jim Clark in 1968 , with Clark's winning margin being only 0.1 seconds from the Ferrari of New Zealand 's Chris Amon being one of the closest finishes in the race's history. John Goss ' 1976 victory saw him become the first, and so far only winner of both the Australian Grand Prix and the Bathurst 1000 touring car race. The winners of the Australian Grands Prix held at Sandown Raceway are: Special Guest at
2223-529: The lead many times. Fangio was driving a Mercedes-Benz W196 that he raced in 1954 and 1955 , while Brabham (not yet Sir Jack) drove the Repco V8 powered Brabham BT19 in which he won the 1966 Formula One World Championship to become the first and only person to win the Drivers' championship in a car of his own design and build. Brabham 'won' the demonstration, just ahead of Fangio, with Patterson (driving
2280-691: The major sponsor of the Sandown 500 is Just-Car Insurance and the event is called the Just Car Insurance 500, and was won by Craig Lowndes, his fourth victory, and Jamie Whincup . For the 2008 season , the 500 kilometres endurance race was moved to the Phillip Island circuit. Sandown remained on the calendar as a venue, but hosted a regular multiple sprint race format event earlier in the year. The event returned to its single 500 kilometres roots in September 2012 as an enduro precursor to
2337-493: The motor circuit in house. As part of securing the future of motorsport at the venue Sandown's Manager Wade Calderwood negotiated a long-term deal with V8 Supercars. Under this deal the MRC invested significant funds as part of a 3-year upgrade to the pits and circuit safety. Under the local Council permit, Sandown Raceway is limited to running five motorsport events per year, at no louder than 95 decibels. Currently these events include
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2394-399: The original 8 turn layout, but a modified 13 turn course. This was achieved by simply bypassing the largely unpopular tight and twisty infield section that had been in use since 1984 and using only the re-configured National (outer) Circuit. The effect was also to bring the cars closer to the spectator area on the outside of the esses to bring back spectators to the area. The esses at the end of
2451-547: The race name suggests, the race distance was to be 1,000 km (620 mi) long. However, under WEC rules, with the exception of the 24 Hours of Le Mans , races also had a time limit of 6 hours. The six-hour mark was reached when the Bellof/Bell Porsche had run only 206 laps (803.4 km), thus the race was declared at the time limit some 51 laps short of the 1000 km distance. The next (and only other) FIA World Sportscar Championship race held in Australia
2508-790: The result. He added to his record with a win in the Welsh Champion Hurdle on firm ground, beating Sempervivum by two lengths with old rival Te Fou back in third. He travelled over to France for another attempt at the French Champion Hurdle, but after falling in the Prix La Barka, he was rested for the season. Against the advice of his trainer, Alper ran Persian War on the Flat in the Newbury Autumn Cup in September. The horse finished fourth in
2565-557: The same margin in the Freshmans Hurdle at Newbury . He returned to Newbury at the end of December for an eight-length win in the Kintbury Hurdle. It was this race that brought Persian War to the attention of Henry Alper, who immediately purchased him for £9,000, a then record price for a hurdler, and relocated him to Brian Swift’s yard at Epsom . Under his new ownership, Persian War continued his winning ways with
2622-419: The same term [REDACTED] This disambiguation page lists articles associated with the title Persian War . If an internal link led you here, you may wish to change the link to point directly to the intended article. Retrieved from " https://en.wikipedia.org/w/index.php?title=Persian_War&oldid=1055818407 " Category : Disambiguation pages Hidden categories: Short description
2679-399: The season. When the Sandown 500 returned in 2003, the sprint round was removed from the calendar and Sandown no longer hosts two major V8 Supercars events per year. The infield section was still used for motorcycle racing at the track until about 2001 as the high speed esses (turns 6–9) at the end of the back straight were deemed too dangerous for the bikes at high speed (the entry speed off
2736-564: The straight was close to 200 km/h (120 mph) with very little runoff area between the track and the outside fence. Using the infield section not only bypassed the esses but slowed the bikes down and allowed them to continue using the circuit for the series such as the Australian Superbike Championship . In late 2007 the Melbourne Racing Club, owner of the venue, brought the management of
2793-704: The summer season. Annually, Athletics Victoria hold a road race (sometimes a team relay) as a part of the AV Cross Country season. Sandown Raceway has held the Australian Grand Prix on six occasions, the last being in 1978 , seven years before the event became part of the FIA Formula One World Championship in 1985 . Two World Drivers' Champions were winners of the AGP at Sandown, Jack Brabham in 1964 and
2850-430: The tongue strap at Haydock and recorded the worst finish of his career in seventh behind Tanlic while conceding over a stone to all of his rivals (and 33 lbs to the winner). He ran with the strap in the Lonsdale Handicap Hurdle at Kempton and put up an improved performance to finish second, beaten three quarters of a length, behind Big Valley while conceding 31 lbs. In his final race before Cheltenham, Persian War
2907-649: The two-mile race, badly jarred himself on the firm ground, and had to be rested. Persian War returned to racing in December in the Gold Bond Hurdle at Sandown, where he finished second by five lengths to Escalus after swallowing his tongue. He next ran in the Irish Sweeps Hurdle at Fairyhouse but again suffered breathing issues (despite a tongue strap) and lost his position half a mile from home before battling to third place while conceding winner Normandy 12 lbs. Persian War ran without
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#17327720973582964-568: The win in Horse and Hound, “Here beyond argument was a truly great performance”. Persian War's season ended with two thirds in France, behind Orvilliers in the Prix La Barka and Grande Course de Haies d’Auteuil (French Champion Hurdle). Again Persian War suffered an interrupted start to his season when he fell in his debut at Worcester and fractured his femur. He returned to the races in
3021-608: The winner of the Coronation Cup), and had produced Escort, who finished fourth in the Derby for Jakie Astor. Warning was not a product of the Astor Studs (from which most of Jakie's mares derived) but had been purchased by Jakie. Persian War went into training with Astor's trainer, Dick Hern . Gelded as a 2yo, in an equine virus ravaged year Hern managed to win two small races with him at Salisbury and Wolverhampton as
3078-401: Was also held at Sandown on 20 November 1988. This was the 1988 360 km of Sandown Park , the final round of the 1988 World Sports-Prototype Championship , which was won by Jean-Louis Schlesser and Jochen Mass driving their Sauber Mercedes C9 . This race would prove to be the final top level motor race on the 3.878 km (2.410 mi) International Circuit, with Schlesser setting
3135-490: Was first held in 1964 through to 2007 , with a return to the V8 Supercars calendar in 2012. Traditionally the domain of touring cars, the race has also been held for Series Production cars from 1968 – 1972 and GT Sports Cars in 2001 and 2002 . Peter Brock is the most successful driver of the Sandown enduro with nine outright wins including seven in a row from 1975 to 1981. The race itself wasn't always run over
3192-527: Was second by a short head to Orient War (receiving 12 lbs) in the City Trial Hurdle at Nottingham . Despite his string of defeats, he was rated the 5/4 favourite in the Champion Hurdle. Also in the field were old rival Major Rose; his early season conqueror Escalus; Triumph Hurdle and dual Christmas Hurdle winner Coral Diver; Imperial Cup winner Solomon; last year’s second Drumikill; and Mugatpura. Persian War’s owner-mate Bobby Moore led
3249-467: Was turns one and two (now turns one and four) to its now permanent place coming onto the main straight. Peter Brock and Larry Perkins took their Holden Dealer Team VK Commodore to a one lap victory in the 1984 Castrol 500; it was to be the last of Brock's record nine wins in the Sandown enduro events. In 1989, the 3.878 km (2.410 mi) International Circuit was abandoned and the track reverted to 3.104 km (1.929 mi), though not by using
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