Analysis: Persian King's Arc bid not an unreasonable test given his dam's family

Persian King will take a belated step up to a mile and a half in next month's Prix de l'Arc de Triomphe, in which he will face proven middle-distance horses including Enable and Love. Does his pedigree give connections reasons for optimism?

The Andre Fabre-trained colt is a son of Kingman, the 2014 champion miler in Europe and a proven source of top-class milers; he has had too few runners over the Arc trip of a mile and a half to draw any firm conclusions as to how good a source, or otherwise, he will be over long distances.

The son of Invincible Spirit has had only 14 runners over the Arc trip and among those is Emissary, a Listed-placed half-brother to Derby winner Workforce, out of the Sadler's Wells mare Soviet Moon, herself a full-sister to St Leger hero Brian Boru and a three-parts sister to Sea Moon, winner of the Great Voltigeur and Hardwicke Stakes.

Kingman: has provided top-class milers in Palace Pier and Persian KingCredit: Juddmonte

Persian King's dam's side – as referenced by trainer Andre Fabre in revealing that Persian King would run in the Arc – also gives cause for hope.

He is out of the Dylan Thomas (himself an Arc winner of course) mare Pretty Please, a winner over an extended mile and a quarter, and a three-parts sister to Planteur, who struck at the top-level over a mile and a quarter and was a close second in the Grand Prix de Paris over a mile and a half.

Planteur himself has imparted plenty of stamina into his progeny, producing the Listed-winning Trueshan, who struck over a mile and three-quarters at Salisbury on his latest start.

Further back in the page, Persian King's third dam Palmeraie, the once-raced daughter of Lear Fan, produced the high-class Policy Maker, a Group 2 winner over a mile and a half and the sire of the Grade 1-winning chaser Chacun Pour Soi, plus Pushkin, a Group 2-winning stayer who was also a narrow second in the Prix du Cadran over the marathon trip of two and a half miles.

Among her seven winning offspring was the Irish Oaks heroine Wemyss, dam of Arlington Million scorer and Derby third Beat Hollow.

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