Ksar (horse)

Ksar (1918–1937) was a French Thoroughbred racehorse who had back-to-back wins in France's most prestigious horse race, the Prix de l'Arc de Triomphe.

Breeding

Bred by Evremond de Saint-Alary at his Haras de Saint Pair du Mont in Normandy, Ksar was purchased by the renowned French horseman Edmond Blanc. Ksar was inbred to the French Derby winner, Omnium II (3f x 2f) with this giving him three crosses of Dollar (4f x 5m x 6m).^[2] Kizil Kourgan was the winner of the French 1000 Guineas and Oaks, the Grand Prix de Paris and other races. Her first foal was Kenilworth, by Childwick. Kenilworth won the Prix Greffulhe, Prix Rainbow and the marathon four mile (6,400 metres) race, Prix Gladiateur before being exported to Australia and becoming a successful sire.^[3][4]

Racing record

Edmond Blanc died in 1920, and his widow raced Ksar, beginning at age two when he won the Prix de la Salamandre at Longchamp Racecourse.

At age three, Ksar was the dominant horse in France, winning five major races, including the coveted Prix du Jockey Club and the first of his two consecutive Prix de l'Arc de Triomphes. He ran poorly in the 1921 Grand Prix de Paris which had previously been won by both Ksar's sire and dam.^[3]

Ksar continued his dominance at age four, winning his second Arc and adding the Grand Prix de Saint-Cloud (Prix du President de la Republique). Ksar was retired after his four-year-old racing season with 11 wins and 3 places from his 15 starts.^[1]

Stud record

At his owner's Haras de Jardy, stud, Ksar was the leading sire in France in 1931 and an influential sire.

Notable progeny includes

• Diademe, who won in England and France,
• Le Ksar (2,000 Guineas, stood in England from 1939 to 1943 and then exported to Argentina)
• Maravilla a successful Spanish broodmare.
• Thor II (French Derby, French Gold Cup, second in the Ascot Gold Cup defeating Hyperion).
• Tourbillon (1928), who won the French Derby and contributed to many modern pedigrees
• Ukrania, won Prix de Diane and the
• Ut Majeur (Cesare-witch, etc., sent to Hungary in 1936 after three or four seasons at stud in England);
• Yema (dam of the 2000 Guineas winner Kingsway)

Among Ksar's grandsons are Prix de l'Arc de Triomphe winners Djebel (1942) and Caracalla (1946). Ksar was also the damsire of the 1941 Arc winner and Three-Year-Old Champion Le Pacha.^[5]

In 1935, Ksar was sold to American^[6] breeding interests and stood at stud at Montana Hall Stud in Virginia, where he produced a number of international show jumping horses until his death in 1937 at age nineteen.^[7]

Tabulated pedigree

References

External links

• Ksar at Thoroughbred Heritage