Persian hagiography This material formed the basis for the surviving hagiographical material of Zarathustra, which is found in Middle Persian or Pahlavi texts including the "Dēnkard" and the "Wizidagiha", and in New Persian texts including the "Zaratosht-nama" and the "Shahnameh". Using and developing the historiographical methods of the "muḥaddithūn" (scholars of the sayings and history of the Prophet), Persian scholars drew on oral tradition and their own observations to write about holy figures. However, many hagiographies also drew on earlier written sources, often adapting those sources to reflect the writers' own view of sainthood. For example, in the twelfth century CE, Muḥammad
Zarathustra (horse) Michael Hurley. Unusually for a future champion stayer, Zarathustra demonstrated precocious speed, winning three times as a two-year-old over the minimum distance of five furlongs. The most important of these was the Blake Plate at Phoenix Park. In 1954 he was one of the best horses in Ireland, winning the Irish Derby and the Irish St. Leger as well as the Desmond Plate at the Curragh. Following his win in the Irish Derby, Gray reportedly turned down an offer of £20,000 for the horse. As a four-year-old Zarathustra won the Royal Whip Stakes. After one unsuccessful run in early 1956