Force Noir gives Persian Force early boost with dazzling Naas win

Force Noir did more than land a maiden at Naas. He delivered the kind of visual statement that can change a young sire’s story fast, streaking clear in the Irish EBF Median Sires Series Maiden to give Persian Force his first TDN Rising Star from a first crop already showing early promise.

Amo Racing’s colt was a 4-9 favourite for the €25,000 race over 5 furlongs and justified that confidence in emphatic style, stopping the clock in 58.35 seconds and beating Lady Patrona by 4 1/4 lengths. The performance mattered not just because Force Noir got off the mark, but because he had already hinted at ability when beaten a head on heavy ground at the Curragh on debut. At Naas, he looked a different proposition, travelling with purpose and putting the race to bed quickly enough to suggest he belongs in better company.

That is exactly the sort of profile the Rising Star label is meant to capture. It points beyond raw maiden ability toward the possibility of a horse developing into a graded or Group performer, and Robson Aguiar has already mapped out ambitious options. Force Noir could return for the Listed First Flier Stakes at the Curragh, or step into deeper company for the Group 2 Norfolk Stakes at Royal Ascot or the Group 3 Marble Hill Stakes. For a juvenile, those are not placeholder targets. They are the next test of whether the Naas win was a flash of talent or the start of a pattern.

For Persian Force, the timing is especially valuable. Standing at Tally-Ho Stud in County Westmeath for a 2026 fee of €10,000, he now has a second winner and his first TDN Rising Star after Dragon Force scored at La Teste on April 22. Before Force Noir’s breakthrough, his first crop had already produced six placings from his first nine runners, a steady return that now looks more meaningful in light of a colt winning in such commanding fashion.

The pedigree and sales record only add to the intrigue. Force Noir is out of Princess Rose and is a half-brother to Listed winner Andromaca, while his price tags climbed from €68,000 as a weanling to €130,000 as a yearling. Persian Force himself was a high-class juvenile, winning the Group 2 July Stakes and finishing placed in both the Group 1 Phoenix Stakes and Group 1 Prix Morny. That kind of race record already gave him credibility; Force Noir’s Naas win gives him something more important in the commercial market, a colt with a headline result, a striking visual finish, and immediate stakes attached.