The Prix Aga Khan IV (Prix d'Ispahan) is a Group 1 flat horse race in France open to thoroughbreds aged four years or older. It is run at Longchamp over a distance of 1,850 metres (about 1 mile and 1¼ furlongs), and it is scheduled to take place each year in May.

History The inaugural running of the Prix d'Ispahan was the showpiece event of a meeting held at Longchamp on 13 July 1873. The meeting had been hastily arranged to honour the Shah of Persia, Naser al-Din Shah Qajar, who was making an official visit to Paris. The race was named after Ispahan, the French name for Isfahan, a former capital city of Persia.

The Prix d'Ispahan was initially contested over 3,000 metres, and it was originally open to horses aged three or older. Its distance was cut to 2,400 metres in its second year, and it was further reduced to 2,200 metres in 1891, and to 2,100 metres in 1903.

The race was abandoned throughout World War I, with no running from 1915 to 1918. Its present length, 1,850 metres, was introduced in 1921. It was cancelled once during World War II, in 1940. It was run over 2,000 metres at Le Tremblay in 1943 and 1944.

The present system of race grading began in 1971, and the Prix d'Ispahan was classed at the highest level, Group 1. The minimum age of participating horses was raised to four in 1987. It was staged at Chantilly in 1991, and at this venue its distance was 1,800 metres. The race was opened to geldings in 2001.

In 2020, the Prix d'Ispahan was run in July and opened to three years old horses on a one time basis. French racing to restart with four Group races and Monday slot for the Guineas

In 2026 in honour of the Aga Khan IV, who died in February 2025, the France Galop board of directors renamed the Prix d'Ispahan to the Prix Aga Khan IV (Prix d'Ispahan) for three years, after which the race will be called the Prix Aga Khan IV. The Prix d'Ispahan was chosen to have its name changed to reflect the race's historical link between the Aga Khan dynasty and ancient Persia.

Records Most successful horse (2 wins): Champaubert – 1897, 1898 (dead-heat) La Camargo – 1903, 1904 Moulins la Marche – 1908, 1909 Renette – 1935, 1936 Hierocles – 1942, 1943 Coaraze – 1946, 1947 Fric – 1955, 1956 Crystal Glitters – 1983, 1984 Goldikova – 2010, 2011

Leading jockey (7 wins): Yves Saint-Martin – La Sega (1962), Jour et Nuit (1964), Silver Shark (1966), Zeddaan (1968), La Troublerie (1973), Allez France (1974), Crystal Glitters (1983)

Leading trainer (11 wins): André Fabre – Al Nasr (1982), Crystal Glitters (1984), Creator (1990), Arcangues (1993), Loup Sauvage (1998), Valixir (2005), Manduro (2007), Golden Lilac (2012), Persian King (2020), Sosie (2025)

Leading owner (8 wins): Marcel Boussac – Goyescas (1933), Hierocles (1942, 1943), Priam (1945), Coaraze (1946, 1947), Dynamiter (1951), Arbele (1952)

Winners since 1969 Year Winner Age Jockey Trainer Owner Time 1969 Grandier 5 Maurice Philipperon John Cunnington Jr. Mrs Pierre Ribes 1:55.8 1970 Caro 3 Bill Williamson Albert Klimscha Countess Batthyany 1:56.8 1971 Mister Sic Top 4 Alfred Gibert G. Pézeril Lucien Deshayes 2:02.4 1972 Riverman 3 Freddy Head Alec Head Germaine Wertheimer 1:54.2 1973 La Troublerie 4 Yves Saint-Martin Gérard Philippeau Mrs Marc Laloum 1:52.9 1974 Allez France 4 Yves Saint-Martin Angel Penna Sr. Daniel Wildenstein 1:55.7 1975 Ramirez 4 Philippe Paquet François Boutin María Félix Berger 1:51.3 1976 Full of Hope 6 Bill Pyers Gilles Delloye C. F. Delecroix 1:54.4 1977 Lightning 3 Gérard Dubroeucq François Mathet Guy de Rothschild 1:52.9 1978 Carwhite 4 Freddy Head Alec Head Jacques Wertheimer 1:53.9 1979 Irish River 3 Maurice Philipperon John Cunnington Jr. Mrs Raymond Adès 1:51.7 1980 Nadjar 4 Alain Lequeux Aage Paus Gunnar Schjelderup 1:57.4 1981 The Wonder 3 Alain Lequeux Jacques de Chevigny Mrs Alain du Breil 1:57.7 1982 Al Nasr 4 Alain Lequeux André Fabre Moufid F. Dabaghi 1:54.3 1983 Crystal Glitters 3 Yves Saint-Martin Mitri Saliba Mahmoud Fustok 1:53.0 1984 Crystal Glitters 4 Alfred Gibert André Fabre Mahmoud Fustok 1:50.6 1985 Sagace 5 Éric Legrix Patrick Biancone Daniel Wildenstein 1:51.1 1986 Baillamont 4 Freddy Head François Boutin Stavros Niarchos 1:50.8 1987 Highest Honor 4 Cash Asmussen Pascal Bary Ecurie I. M. Fares 1:55.3 1988 Miesque 4 Freddy Head François Boutin Stavros Niarchos 1:55.2 1989 Indian Skimmer 5 Steve Cauthen Henry Cecil Sheikh Mohammed 1:52.3 1990 Creator 4 Cash Asmussen André Fabre Sheikh Mohammed 1:51.5 1991 Sanglamore 4 Pat Eddery Roger Charlton Khalid Abdullah 1:49.9 1992 Zoman 5 Alan Munro Paul Cole Prince Fahd bin Salman 1:54.6 1993 Arcangues 5 Thierry Jarnet André Fabre Daniel Wildenstein 1:50.7 1994 Bigstone 4 Olivier Peslier Élie Lellouche Daniel Wildenstein 1:51.7 1995 Green Tune 4 Olivier Doleuze Criquette Head Jacques Wertheimer 1:53.7 1996 Halling 5 Frankie Dettori Saeed bin Suroor Godolphin 2:02.9 1997 Sasuru 4 Michael Hills Geoff Wragg Anthony Oppenheimer 1:54.6 1998 Loup Sauvage 4 Olivier Peslier André Fabre Daniel Wildenstein 1:52.7 1999 Croco Rouge 4 Thierry Jarnet Pascal Bary Wafic Saïd 1:53.7 2000 Sendawar 4 Gérald Mossé Alain de Royer-Dupré Aga Khan IV 1:59.3 2001 Observatory 4 Richard Hughes John Gosden Khalid Abdullah 1:51.0 2002 Best of the Bests 5 Frankie Dettori Saeed bin Suroor Godolphin 1:51.4 2003 Falbrav 5 Kieren Fallon Luca Cumani Rencati / Yoshida 1:51.0 2004 Prince Kirk 4 Marco Monteriso Emilio Borromeo Scuderia Pieffegi 1:52.0 2005 Valixir 4 Christophe Soumillon André Fabre Aga Khan IV 1:50.9 2006 Laverock 4 Davy Bonilla Carlos Laffon-Parias Gainsborough Stud 1:52.2 2007 Manduro 5 Stéphane Pasquier André Fabre Baron G. von Ullmann 1:58.0 2008 Sageburg 4 Olivier Peslier Alain de Royer-Dupré Aga Khan IV 1:53.7 2009 Never on Sunday 4 Christophe Lemaire Jean-Claude Rouget Daniel-Yves Trèves 1:57.2 2010 Goldikova 5 Olivier Peslier Freddy Head Wertheimer et Frère 1:49.4 2011 Goldikova 6 Olivier Peslier Freddy Head Wertheimer et Frère 1:51.0 2012 Golden Lilac 4 Maxime Guyon André Fabre Gestut Ammerland 1:51.85 2013 Maxios 5 Stéphane Pasquier Jonathan Pease Niarchos Family 1:56.55 2014 Cirrus des Aigles 8 Christophe Soumillon Corine Barande-Barbe Jean-Claude Dupouy 1:57.98 2015 Solow 5 Maxime Guyon Freddy Head Wertheimer et Frère 1:51.30 2016 A Shin Hikari 5 Yutaka Take Masanori Sakaguchi Eishindo Co Ltd 1:53.29 2017 Mekhtaal 4 Grégory Benoist Jean-Claude Rouget Al Shaqab Racing 1:49.92 2018 Recoletos 4 Olivier Peslier Carlos Laffon-Parias Sarl Darpat France 1:52.80 2019 Zabeel Prince 6 Andrea Atzeni Roger Varian Mohammed Obaid Al Maktoum 1:53.07 2020 Persian King 4 Pierre-Charles Boudot André Fabre Ballymore & Godolphin 1:47.21 2021 Skalleti 6 Gérald Mossé Jerome Reynier Jean-Claude Seroul 1:53.57 2022 Dreamloper 5 Kieran Shoemark Ed Walker J Fill 1:53.74 2023 Anmaat 5 Jim Crowley Owen Burrows Shadwell Estate 1:52.122024Mqse De Sevigne5Alexis PouchinAndré FabreBaron Édouard de Rothschild1:54.692025Sosie4Maxime GuyonAndré FabreWertheimer et Frère1:51.88 2026 Daryz 4 Mickael Barzalona Francis-Henri Graffard Aga Khan Studs Scea 1:54:43

Earlier winners

1873: Campeche 1874: Franc Tireur 1875: Paradoxe 1876: Saxifrage 1877: Gavarni 1878: Jongleur 1879: Courtois 1880: Castillon 1881: Alphonsine 1882: Poulet 1883: Veston 1884: Farfadet 1885: Despote 1886: Viennois 1887: Cambyse 1888: Embellie 1889: Le Sancy 1890: Yellow 1891: Amazone 1892: Gil Peres 1893: Saint Ferjeux 1894: Algarade 1895: Honneur 1896: Le Sagittaire 1897: Champaubert 1898: Champaubert / Cambridge 1899: Fourire 1900: Cravan 1901: Dido 1902: Exema 1903: La Camargo 1904: La Camargo 1905: Caius 1906: Phoenix 1907: Ouadi Halfa 1908: Moulins la Marche 1909: Moulins la Marche 1910: Goloss 1911: Ossian 1912: Rouble 1913: Foxling 1914: Amilcar 1915–18: no race 1919: Radames 1920: Le Rapin 1921: La Finette 1922: Kircubbin 1923: Épinard 1924: Premontre 1925: Condover 1926: Coram 1927: Kitty 1928: Rialto 1929: Kantar 1930: Alcyon 1931: Four in Hand 1932: Lovelace 1933: Goyescas 1934: Rodosto 1935: Renette 1936: Renette 1937: Sanguinetto 1938: Bistolfi 1939: Turbulent 1940: no race 1941: Panipat 1942: Hierocles 1943: Hierocles 1944: Un Gaillard 1945: Priam 1946: Coaraze 1947: Coaraze 1948: Bel Amour 1949: Menetrier 1950: Fort Napoleon 1951: Dynamiter 1952: Arbele 1953: Sadi 1954: Florin 1955: Fric 1956: Fric 1957: Chief 1958: Blockhaus 1959: Hamanet 1960: Tobago 1961: Javelot 1962: La Sega 1963: Manderley 1964: Jour et Nuit 1965: Esso 1966: Silver Shark 1967: Caldarello 1968: Zeddaan

See also List of French flat horse races

References

France Galop / Racing Post: , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , galop.courses-france.com: 1873–1889, 1890–1919, 1920–1949, 1950–1979, 1980–present

france-galop.com – A Brief History: Prix d'Ispahan. galopp-sieger.de – Prix d'Ispahan. ifhaonline.org – International Federation of Horseracing Authorities – Prix d'Ispahan (2019). pedigreequery.com – Prix d'Ispahan – Longchamp.