Rich History is Kedrah's new stallion with an even richer pedigree

The search for stallions takes people to all manner of places, from the grandest racecourses and famous training yards to those off the beaten track farms, where rough diamonds can be unearthed and cut into the finest jewels.

When Thomas and Magette Meagher went on the hunt for a new stallion for their Kedrah House Stud in County Tipperary, little did they know that their quest would bring them to the Middle East, and a country not immediately associated with thoroughbred racing and breeding.

Rich History, a chestnut son of Dubawi with an even richer pedigree, began his stud career outside Cahir, a long way from the air-conditioned stables in the middle of the Jordanian desert that he had called home for the last few years.

"Where he was stabled was like a human hotel! It was all air-conditioned with rubber mats and four men to look after him," recalls Tom, his voice filled with astonishment.

The air conditioning was less of a luxury and more of a necessity as his wife Magette remembers: "There was hardly a blade of grass anywhere and the sunshine was beating down on you."

Very different from the rich paddocks he now inhabits in the Golden Vale, where he is sheltered from the worst of the Irish elements by the Galtee mountains. It's also a far cry from where he began life, in the verdant pastures of Moyglare Stud where his third dam, American champion two-year-old filly Talking Picture, became a foundation mare for Walter Haefner following her purchase.

Rich History is a son of Polished Gem, which makes him a half-brother to Prince of Wales's Stakes winner and sire Free Eagle; dual Irish St Leger heroine Search For A Song; the Group 2 winners Custom Cut and Sapphire; Valac who won an Australian Group 3 and the Listed-winning pair of Amma Grace and Falcon Eight.

Polished Gem is a winning Danehill sister to Dress To Thrill, who made racing history with her victory in the Grade 1 Matriarch Stakes for Dermot Weld and Moyglare Stud. Her Nashwan half-sister Trust In Luck is the second dam of Group 1-winning juveniles Thunder Moon and Vert De Grace. Polished Gem is also a daughter of Irish 1,000 Guineas winner Trusted Partner, a daughter of Affirmed and Talking Picture which makes her a sister to the stakes winners Low Key Affair, Easy To Copy and Epicure's Garden.

There is National Hunt success in the family too, which Meagher is keen to emphasise. Valac has turned successfully to hurdling as has Falcon Eight, who recently won a maiden hurdle at Thurles for Weld, in the silks of Dr Ronan Lambe's Gold Cup winner Lord Windemere.

So how did the eight-year-old Rich History come to be in Jordan and how did the Meaghers discover him?

The story of his journey from the Curragh and Rosewell House, from where he raced five times, to Jordan is shrouded by the desert sands but he was in training in Qatar at one stage before he wound up in Jordan.

The tale of his identification by the Meaghers is much more clear-cut as the time was ripe for the farm to recruit a new stallion to stand alongside Berkshire and Well Chosen.

"We set out our criteria - big horse, proper stallion and top-class female line - and we discussed all the options," he explains. "It didn't take us long to hit upon Polished Gem so we contacted Dermot Weld to find out more about Rich History and where he was. It was very clear cut. He's a lovely big horse who could be a proper stallion. He won his races abroad and we chased him, found him in Jordan where he had finished his racing career."

Rich History is related to a number of top-class Flat performers as well as Chester Vase scorer Falcon Eight, who struck over hurdles recently for Dermot WeldCredit: Alan Crowhurst (Getty Images)

The second element in his ideal stallion is the identity of the sire line and in Dubawi, whose sons appear to be creating something of a dynasty, the veterinary surgeon is convinced that he has the perfect potency.

Meagher says: "Frankel and Dubawi were the two sires I really liked but I wanted an outcross stallion, which Frankel isn't, and the more I researched it the more I thought he was less likely to be suitable as a National Hunt stallion. Dubawi's success at the Breeders' Cup capped everything for us."

Rich History's pedigree is tattooed with bold black ink, one of the essential criteria Meagher sticks to when assessing a potential stallion for his Cahir stud.

"The female line is vital too and there is so much to say about Polished Gem, the depth of that pedigree is incredible. There's so much under the first dam that you nearly forget the second dam but she was an impressive producer. The dam's pedigree is so important because everything comes from the dam's side. The depth of that pedigree is vital and that's where Rich History has an advantage," he says.

Not on the list of essential qualifications was a link to Danehill but Rich History's broodmare sire held enormous appeal for Meagher.

"The other great thing about this pedigree is Danehill. When I looked at the pedigree and saw Danehill there, Jeremy passed through my mind. He is the stallion I would have loved to own, and I think Danehill is hugely influential."

If that influence extends to Rich History becoming a successful stallion, then trips to far-flung locations in search of unpolished gems will become more of a regular occurrence.

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