Mahmoud (FR)

1933 – September 18, 1962

Blenheim II (GB) x Mah Mahal (GB), by Gainsborough (GB)

Family 9-c*


Picture

A scion of the family of the “Flying Filly,” Mumtaz Mahal, Mahmoud had plenty of speed. He used his natural brilliance to the fullest in winning the 1936 Derby Stakes, setting a stakes record over a hard turf course that favored his light action. Moderately successful as a sire in Europe, Mahmoud proved an excellent outcross to American lines after being imported to the Whitney stud in 1940 and became an important sire and broodmare sire.


Race record

11 starts, 4 wins, 2 seconds, 3 thirds, £15,026

1935:
  • Won Exeter Stakes (ENG, Newmarket)
  • Won Richmond Stakes (ENG, 6FT, Goodwood)
  • Won Champagne Stakes (ENG, 6FT, Doncaster)
  • 3rd New Stakes (ENG, 5FT, Ascot)
  • 3rd Middle Park Plate (ENG, 6FT, Newmarket)

1936:
  • Won Derby Stakes (ENG, 12FT, Epsom)
  • 2nd Two Thousand Guineas (ENG, 8FT, Newmarket)
  • 2nd St. James's Palace Stakes (ENG, 8FT, Ascot)
  • 3rd St. Leger Stakes (ENG, about 14.5FT, Doncaster)


Honors

English champion 3-year-old male (1936)


Assessments

Rated second among English juveniles of 1935 at 132 pounds on the Free Handicap, 1 pound below champion Bala Hissar.

Highweighted among English 3-year-old males of 1936 on the Free Handicap, 2 pounds above Two Thousand Guineas winner Pay Up.


As an individual

Mahmoud stood just under 15.3 hands at maturity. He was an elegant, refined gray horse often held to have borne a close resemblance to his Arabian ancestors. He was noted for his light, quick action at racing speed and possessed a very sharp turn of foot on his preferred firm going. He might have had a better record had he not been in the habit of breaking poorly. He also emerged from his defeat in the St. James's Palace Stakes with cracked heels, a condition that hampered his preparation for the St. Leger Stakes. Unlike many of Blenheim II's progeny, he possessed an excellent if slightly idiosyncratic temperament and enjoyed human attention.


As a stallion

According to records kept by The Jockey Club, Mahmoud sired 265 winners (68.7%) and 65 stakes winners (16.8%) from 386 named foals. Richard Ulbrich's Peerage of Racehorses credits him with 70 stakes winners from 408 foals, a strike rate of 17.2%. Mahmoud is an Intermediate/Classic chef-de-race in the Roman-Miller dosage system. His progeny tended to be rather lightly made but had the rare combination of being both precocious and durable, although they sometimes inherited a measure of Blenheim II's temperament as well.


Sire rankings

​Per the American Racing Manual (Daily Racing Form) series:
  • Led the American general sire list in 1946; 2nd in 1948; 3rd in 1949; 4th in 1952; 5th in 1945; 6th in 1947, 1950, and 1951.
  • Led the American broodmare sire list in 1957; 2nd in 1959; 3rd in 1960; 4th in 1961, 1962, and 1967; 5th in 1963 and 1968; 6th in 1965 and 1966; 7th in 1964.
  • Led the American juvenile sire list in 1946.

Per The Blood-Horse:
  • Led the American general sire list in 1946; 2nd in 1948; 3rd in 1949; 4th in 1952; 5th in 1945 and 1950; 6th in 1947 and 1951.
  • Led the American broodmare sire list in 1957; 2nd in 1959; 3rd in 1958 and 1960; 4th in 1961 and 1962; 5th in 1955 and 1963; 6th in 1954 and 1965; 7th in 1964; 10th in 1956.
  • Led the American juvenile sire list in 1946.

Per The Great Stallion Book (1986, Richard Ulbrich):
  • Led the American general sire list in 1946; 2nd in 1948; 3rd in 1949; 5th in 1950 and 1952; 6th in 1947; 8th in 1945; 10th in 1951.
  • 2nd on the American broodmare sire list in 1959; 3rd in 1957 and 1958; 4th in 1961 and 1967; 5th in 1955, 1960, 1963, and 1968; 6th in 1954, 1955, and 1966; 7th in 1964; 10th in 1956 and 1962.
  • Led the American juvenile sire list in 1946.

​Per Great Thoroughbred Sires of the World (2006, Churchill, Reichard, and Rogers):
  • Led the American general sire list in 1946; 2nd in 1948; 3rd in 1949; 4th in 1952; 5th in 1945 and 1950; 6th in 1947 and 1951.
  • Led the American broodmare sire list in 1957; 2nd in 1959; 3rd in 1958 and 1960; 4th in 1961 and 1962; 5th in 1955, 1963, 1965, and 1968; 6th in 1954 and 1966; 7th in 1964; 10th in 1956.
  • 3rd on the combined English/Irish general sire list in 1942.
  • 4th on the combined English/Irish broodmare sire list in 1948.

Per Thoroughbred Heritage (www.tbheritage.com):
  • Led the American general sire list in 1946.
  • Led the American broodmare sire list in 1957.

Per Thoroughbred Times (previously Thoroughbred Record):
  • Led the American general sire list in 1946.
  • Led the American general sire list in 1957.


Notable progeny

Afghan II (GB), Ahina (GB), Almahmoud (USA), Boudoir II (GB), Cohoes (USA), Donatella (ITY), First Flight (USA), Fort Marcy (USA), Grey Flight (USA), Mahmoudess (USA), Majideh (GB), Oil Capitol (USA), Polamia (USA), Recce (USA), Silver Fog (USA), The Axe II (USA), Vulcan's Forge (USA)

Ahina was renamed "Romney" after being exported to Brazil and was a champion sire there under that name.


Notable progeny of daughters

Bold Princess (USA), Claro (IRE), Cosmah (USA), Determine (USA), Gallant Man (GB), Grey Dawn II (FR), Misty Morn (USA), Natalma (USA), Recess (USA), Right Away (FR), Silver Spoon (USA), Silver True (USA), What a Pleasure (USA), Your Host (USA)


Connections

Mahmoud was bred and owned by the His Highness the Aga Khan III. He was trained by Frank Butters. After four seasons at the Aga Khan's Egerton Stud in England, he was sold to C. V. Whitney for £20,000 (then equivalent to US$85,000) and exported to the United States. He stood at C. V. Whitney Farm in Kentucky beginning with the 1941 breeding season. Mahmoud was pensioned in September 1959 and died three years later. He was buried on land that is now part of Gainesway Farm.


Pedigree notes

Mahmoud is inbred 5x5 to nine-time English leading sire St. Simon, an unbeaten champion on the race course, and to the important matron Black Duchess. He is a half brother to the English stakes winner Pherozshah (by Pharos), a sire of some influence in England and New Zealand. He is also a half brother to Mah Iran, whose sire Bahram, like Blenheim II, was a son of Blandford. The winner of several minor stakes events, Mah Iran produced Migoli (by Bois Roussel), winner of races now recognized as Group 1 events at 2, 3 and 4, and the good stakes winner Moondust II (by Stardust). Mah Iran is also the second dam of the Aga Khan's brilliant filly Petite Etoile, the good French stakes winners Darannour and White Fire, and the American stakes winner Star of Paducah.

Mah Mahal, the dam of Mahmoud, is a half sister to stakes winners Badruddin (by Blandford) and Mirza II (by Blenheim II). She is also a half sister to Mumtaz Begum (by Blandford), dam of the great sire Nasrullah and his stakes-winning full siblings Rivaz, Nizami II, and Malindi and second dam of the important sire Royal Charger. Another half sister to Mah Mahal, Rustom Mahal (by Rustom Pasha), produced the brilliant Abernant (by Owen Tudor), the English champion 2-year-old male of 1948 and a good sire. The second dam of Mahmoud is Mumtaz Mahal (by The Tetrarch), the champion English 2-year-old filly of 1923 and still considered one of the fastest fillies ever seen on the English turf.


Books and media
  • Mahmoud is profiled in Chapter 13 of Abram Hewitt's Sire Lines (1977, The Thoroughbred Owners and Breeders Association; updated and reprinted by Eclipse Press in 2006).
  • Mahmoud is profiled in Chapter 18 of Sir Charles Leicester's Bloodstock Breeding (1957, J. A. Allen and Co. Ltd.; updated by Howard Wright and re-released by the same firm in 1983).
  • Mahmoud is one of 205 stallions whose accomplishments at stud are profiled in Great Thoroughbred Sires of the World (2006, The Australian Bloodhorse Review), a massive reference work written by Jennifer Churchill, Andrew Reichard and Byron Rogers.


Fun facts
  • The Aga Khan actually tried to sell Mahmoud as a yearling, but the colt failed to make his reserve of 5,000 guineas at the 1934 Deauville yearling sale and so was retained for the Aga Khan's racing stable.
  • Mahmoud was only the third gray to win the Derby Stakes. His predecessors were Gustavus (1821) and the filly Tagalie (1912).
  • Sir Alfred James Munnings' painting of Mahmoud being saddled for the Derby was later used as the design of a British postage stamp following the colt's victory.
  • Mahmoud's export to the United States was delayed by a mixup in his papers, forcing the stallion to miss the ship on which he had originally been booked. The delay proved most fortunate as the ship in question was torpedoed by German U-boats and sunk.
​

Photo credits

Photographer unknown. From the collection of Quarter Horse Record (Susan Larkin); used by permission.



Last updated: January 27, 2022