Without her, there would have been no Secretariat, no Seattle Slew, no Affirmed
and Alydar, no Spectacular Bid. In England and Ireland, there would have been no Mill
Reef, no Nijinsky, no Petite Etoile, no Alleged, and no The Minstrel. In Italy, there would
have been no Falbrav; in France, no All Along or Helissio; in South Africa, no Horse
Chestnut or Ipi Tombe; in Australia, no Sunline or Manikato. And without her, some of
the most influential sires of the 20th century would not have been---no Northern Dancer
nor any of his progeny, no Nasrullah, no Royal Charger, and no Mahmoud. Without her,
the racing world as we know it would be decidedly different.
So who was she, this mare who wields so much sway over the Thoroughbred
bloodstock of the world? She was known as “The Flying Filly” in her day, and as Richard
Buck so adeptly phrased it, “she was, and remains, the Goddess of Speed.” She is
Mumtaz Mahal, the fleet grey daughter of the “Spotted Wonder,” The Tetrarch and Lady
Josephine. This is the story of Mumtaz Mahal in particular, but it would not be complete
without the story of her family and her celebrated descendants.
Mumtaz’s sire was The Tetrarch, a remarkable grey horse
Royal Charger---influence?
Sea Bird---NO
Dubai Millennium--Peintre Celebre
Rock of Gibraltar
Mill Reef
Oh So Sharp
Zafonic
Dancing Brave
Generous
Nashwan---ND, 2 Nas
Dayjur---ND, 2 Nas
Dahlia---NO
Nashwan---tailmale Nas, Tet. Thru Ethnarch
Brigadier Gerard---Tet thru Salmon-Trout, x
Nijinsky---tm ND, x
Petite Etoile---4th dam is Mumty (tail female)
St Jovite---Nas, ND
Montjeu---tm ND and Nas on top, Nas, Mumty, and Tet thru Tetratema
Giant's Causeway---tm Nd and Nas on top, 3 Nas and Mahmoud
Daylami---TM to Nas and Tet thru Count Fleet, 2 Nas and Tet
Stravinsky---tm to ND with Nas, 2 Nas
Ribot---NO
Vaguely Noble---NO
Shergar---Roi Herode, 2 Tet thru Charlottesville and Tetratema
Sadler's Wells---tm ND, Nas
Northern Dancer---x, Mahmoud
Danehill---tm ND, also traces to Lady Josephine (dam of Mumty) thru Fair Trial,
Mahmoud
Mill Reef uk/fr---tm Nas, 2 Tet thru Count Fleet and Tetratema
Shirley Heights uk/fr---by Mill Reef, Tet thru King Salmon
Darshaan uk/fr---By Shir. Hei, Mumty thru Kelty
Sharpen Up uk/fr---NO
Phar Lap---NO
Bernborough---NO
Peter Pan---NO
Tulloch---tet thru Tetratema, x
Kingston Town--- traces to Lady Josephine (dam of Mumty) thru Fair Trial, x
Carbine---NO
Sunline---ND Mahmoud Migoli and Nas and traces to Lady Josephine (dam of Mumty)
thru Fair Trial, ND, Nas and Tet thru Eight-Thirty
Rising Fast---NO
Chatham---NO
Gunsynd---x, traces to Lady Josephine (dam of Mumty) thru Fair Trial
Flight---dam’s sire’s sire is Tet
Shannon---NO
Todman---NO
Vain--- traces to Lady Josephine (dam of Mumty) thru Fair Trial, Nas
Eurythmic---NO
Gloaming---NO
Manikato--- traces to Lady Josephine (dam of Mumty) thru Fair Trial, Nas
Dulcify---?
Comic Court---NO
NZ:
* Kindergarten
* Beau Vite
* Nightmarch
* Horlicks
* Balmerino
* Up And Coming
* Dalray
* Veandercross
* Rough Habit
* Surfers Paradise
* Bonecrusher
* Our Waverley Star
* Mr Tiz
In France, breeders: Lyphard and Nureyev, Riverman and Blushing Groom
Germany: Acatenango
ITALY - Ribot, Falbrav, Nearco
ENGLAND - Alycidon, Sagaro, Bayardo, Bahram, Meld, Crepello, Lammtarra, Hyperion, Troy, Tudor
Minstrel, Pebbles, Lochsong, Abernant
IRELAND - Ballymoss, Alleged, The Minstrel
FRANCE - Allez France, All Along, Helissio
SPAIN – Rheffissimo
SAF-Horse Chestnut
Denmark---Dano-Mast
“The Aga sold her in 1939, which would seem an odd thing for him to have done,
but then he was a bit 'different,' to say the least of it. In her last years
she was listed as the property of a Mme Duverger (of whom I know nothing). The
French Stud Book indicates that the mare died in 1945.”
I found a number of pictures of her, but only one reference to her death
(so
> far). This was in The Bloodstock Breeders' Review - The Family of Lady
> Josephine by E.E. Coussell, written in 1946:
> "Mumtaz Mahal had produced but four foals in this country (England) when
the
> Aga Khan sent the great mare to his Marly-la-Ville Stud Farm about twenty
> miles from Paris. There 'Mumty' was to end her days. She was at
> Marly-la-Ville when the property was overrun by hordes of invading
Germans.
> They had the decency to respect this wonderful mare and not take her, as
> they took all the others of the Aga Khan's bloodstock, to Germany. Two or
> three years ago Mumtaz Mahal died."
The book "Hoofprints of the Century" printed by the Thoroughbred Record
has a short obit for her, the article dated April 14, 1945, saying she
died in February at Haras de Marly la Ville, but does not say from what.
She would have been 26.
The following is all that is in Lange's book.
"From 75 Years The Aga Khan's Racing and
Breeding Studs 1922 - 1997" compiled &
published by Georg Lange Kaiserstrasse 193,
44143 Dortmund Germany, 1998 ISBN 3-00-002623-1
Copyright Grenfell Ltd & Georg Lange
Mumtaz Mahal (Gb) grey, bred by Lady Sykes
Dam of 9 foals, 8 starters, 7 winners, including
FURROKH SIYAR (Champion Sprinter in France, Sire),
BADRUDDIN (Sussex Stks, Sire), MIRZA (July Stks, 3rd
in 2000 Guinneas Stks, Sire)
(partial produce record)
1938 barren to Firdaussi
1939 barren to Windsor Lad
1940, 1941, 1942 barren to Taj Akbar
1943 - 1945 not covered
1939 sold
1945 died