‘His form is outstanding’ - new chapter beckons for Greenham Stakes winner Alparslan after private sale

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Alparslan, a striking winner of this year’s Group 3 Greenham Stakes, has been sold to continue his career in Hong Kong.

The son of Dandy Man won three of his five starts for owner Mohammad Saeed Al Shehhi and trainer Karl Burke, having been purchased by agent Federico Barberini for €75,000 from the Tattersalls Ireland September Yearling Sale. He was last seen finishing a fine fifth in the Irish 2,000 Guineas. 

The private deal was brokered by Mark McStay, who said: “He’s been purchased on behalf of trainer Douglas Whyte for his stable syndicate. We’d been interested in the horse since the Greenham and, when I looked at him at the Curragh, I thought he was a beautiful individual. He ran very well in the Guineas too. 

“We were on his trail in advance of the London Sale but didn’t manage to get a deal done. After he failed to sell there we made an approach to Federico Barberini and Karl Burke and managed to secure the horse. I want to thank them for facilitating the deal because I think he’s a horse that’ll do really well in Hong Kong.” 

McStay added: “His form is outstanding; he’s very genuine, very tough and he looks to have a great constitution. Obviously, Dandy Man has been very successful with his runners in Hong Kong with horses like Peniaphobia, who Douglas actually rode. He’s going to a trainer who’s done particularly well with his European imports, such as Russian Emperor. I’m delighted to have been able to get him and let’s hope he goes from strength to strength out there.”

Mark McStay: "I think he’s a horse who’ll do really well in Hong Kong"Credit: Alisha Meeder

Alparslan made an immediate impact when he reached the racecourse, winning a Leicester novice by five lengths. He took his record to two from two when running out a comfortable winner of the valuable Tattersalls Ireland Super Auction Sales Stakes. His final juvenile outing came in the Dewhurst Stakes, in which he was beaten less than five lengths into sixth behind the ill-fated Gewan. 

He began his Classic campaign by making all in the Group 3 Greenham, where he got the better of National Stakes hero Zavateri and the highly touted Albert Einstein. That form received a significant boost when Title Role, who finished fifth, subsequently landed the German 2,000 Guineas and the Grade 1 Belmont Derby.

Alparslan was allotted a Racing Post Rating of 109 for his Newbury victory. He matched that figure when last seen attempting to repeat his all-the-way tactics in the Irish 2,000 Guineas. He eventually finished fifth, beaten four and three-quarter lengths, by Gstaad. He was then offered at the Goffs London Sale on the eve of Royal Ascot but was retained by his vendor when the bidding reached £1,000,000.

Alparslan was the latest runner to carry Al Shehhi’s distinctive black and yellow silks to a stakes victory. The owner also enjoyed notable success with the likes of Arabie, winner of the 2024 Prix Robert Papin, and Wed, who struck in the Prix du Calvados in 2022. 

Alparslan (left) beats Zavateri and Albert Einstein in the GreenhamCredit: Edward Whitaker (racingpost.com/photos)

He appears to have another promising talent on his hands in the two-year-old Rosberg, who landed a Beverley maiden on his second outing for the Burke stable. 

Reflecting on the sale of Alparslan, Al Shehhi said: “I’m very grateful to Karl and Kelly for the great work they did with the horse, and to Federico for picking him as a yearling. Hopefully together we will find the next Alparslan.”

Barberini added: “We loved the horse and we’re very sad to see him go, but that’s the game and sometimes you need to make these decisions because it makes sense. We had a lot of fun with him and Karl has done an exceptional job. 

“We firmly believe there could’ve been some more nice days ahead if we’d kept him, but we got to the stage where there was a lot of interest. Hopefully he has a brilliant career in Hong Kong, and we’ll look forward to finding the next one.”

Alparslan was bred by the Dreeling family’s Coole House Farm in County Kildare. He is the first foal out of Laciredeski, a daughter of Toronado who struck in Germany and Belgium. She is a sibling to the Group 1-placed Erosandpsyche and three-time Listed winner Some Respect.

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