Palestine

About Palestine

Palestine (1947–1974) was a British Thoroughbred racehorse and Stallion. He was owned and bred by Aga Khan III.

Born: 1947

Family

Article

Palestine (1947–1974) was a British Thoroughbred racehorse and Stallion. He was owned and bred by Aga Khan III.

He was sired by Fair Trial out of the mare Una.

During his racing career, he competed in 13 races and won 11, including the 2,000 Guineas. After retirement, he became a stallion and was named Ireland's leading sire in 1964.

Contents

Career

Palestine was trained by Marcus Marsh and ridden by Charlie Smirke. As a 2-year-old in 1949, he won the Coventry Stakes, Richmond Stakes, Gimcrack Stakes, and Champagne Stakes.

In 1950, at age three, he won the 2000 Guineas Stakes, becoming a classic winner; it was known that Palestine and Prince Simon were the strongest horses competing that day. They both ran toward the front of the pack, rushing for first place with all their strength upon entering the final spurt. They momentarily ran unchallenged, approximately 3 lengths ahead of the rest of the competitors. This resulted in a photo finish: in the end, Palestine was declared the victor.

He subsequently won the St James's Palace Stakes and the Sussex Stakes.

Stud Record and Death

Palestine retired to stud in 1951. In 1964, he was the leading sire of two-year-olds in Ireland.

His son Pakistan II, (1958-1972), was the champion stallion sire in New Zealand in the 1969-70, 1971-72, 1972-73 and 1974-75 seasons.

Some of his other notable progeny includes:

c = colt, f = filly, g = gelding

Palestine was put down due to old age on July 10, 1974.

Pedigree

Phalaris, as a descendant of Polymelus, was related to both Northern Dancer and Secretariat.

Article from Wikipedia (CC BY-SA 4.0), where it is maintained by volunteer editors.

Notable quotes

“From the river to the sea, Palestine will be free.”
— Pro-Palestinian slogan, reported in Al Jazeera English, "From the river to the sea': What does the Palestinian slogan really mean?", 2 November 2023.
“We must and we will pursue a comprehensive peace between Israel and all her neighbors in the Middle East.”
— William Jefferson Clinton, Bill Clinton’s Third State of the Union Address (1995)
“By what moral or political standard are we expected to lay aside our claims to our national existence, our land, our human rights? In what world is there no argument when an entire people is told that it is juridically absent, even as armies are led against it, campaigns conducted against even its name, history changed so as to “prove” its nonexistence?”
— Edward Said, The Question of Palestine (1979), p. xvii, 2nd edition (1992), p. xliii
“Palestinians are, today, among the most victimized, scapegoated, and attacked people in the world. I watch as their suffering and mass murder is propagandized through pervasive dehumanized representations that falsely position them as "dangerous" when, in fact, they are the ones endangered and in desperate need of outside intervention.”
— Sarah Schulman, Conflict Is Not Abuse: Overstating Harm, Community Responsibility, and the Duty of Repair (, 2016)
“Israel’s occupation of Palestinian territory is unlawful under international law due to its permanence and the Israeli government’s de facto annexation policies.”
— Three-member Commission of Inquiry appointed by the UN, recommending the issue to legality of the occupation be referred to the International Court of Justice (ICJ); "Israeli occupation of Palestinian territory illegal: UN rights commission", United Nations News (October 20, 2022)

Quotes via Wikiquote (CC BY-SA), each with its original source.