A Century of Excellence, Part III

Our concluding part of the series reflecting on one hundred years of the Aga Khan Studs begins in the 1980s with the rise of the legendary Shergar and incorporates some of the most celebrated horses of the modern era, as well as a special anniversary for HH the Aga Khan IV. The text is reproduced by kind permission from the Aga Khan Studs' centenary brochure, written by Emma Berry and John Berry.

Shergar's birth came in the year that HH the Aga Khan IV decided to renew his family ties with racing horses in Britain, and the colt was among the second batch of yearlings sent by the breeder to Sir Michael Stoute in Newmarket.

His Highness continued his run of champion owner titles in France in 1980 and 1981, the latter being a particularly noteworthy year for him on the English turf, too. 

The 10-length winner of the Classic Trial at Sandown, Shergar was even more imperious when winning the Chester Vase by 12 lengths, foreshadowing the manner of his emphatic victory at Epsom.

“There's only one horse in it, you need a telescope to see the rest,” was the famous call as Shergar was sent clear in the Derby by the 19-year-old Walter Swinburn. 

He followed up with further dominant performances in the Irish Derby and King George VI and Queen Elizabeth Stakes but was retired ahead of the Prix de l'Arc de Triomphe following a mystifyingly lacklustre run when fourth in the St Leger.

Syndicated by his breeder to stand at Ballymany Stud in Ireland, Shergar's subsequent kidnapping after just one year at stud remains one of the sport's saddest episodes.

From Mathet To Royer Dupré

While the English racing wing was resurgent, it was a time of change in France. 

François Mathet sent over Vayrann to win the 1981 Champion Stakes at Newmarket, the same year that his fellow three-year-old Akarad, who had been part the group of horses purchased from Marcel Boussac, won the Grand Prix de Saint-Cloud and the Prix Niel. 

By Boussac's own stallion Labus, Akarad was the first foal of the breeder's Prix de Malleret winner Licata. The daughter of Abdos further highlighted her own value within the Aga Khan Studs' broodmare band while giving another ringing endorsement to HH the Aga Khan IV's decision to buy Boussac's bloodstock when her second foal and Akarad's full-sister, Akiyda, won the following year's Prix de l'Arc de Triomphe. This was to prove a poignant victory for it was the final major winner saddled by Mathet for his leading owner. A little over three months later, the great trainer died, in January 1983, at the age of 74.

His passing gave way to one of the most enduring partnerships within the Aga Khan Studs operation when Mathet's former assistant Alain de Royer Dupré succeeded him in training His Highness's horses in France, having previously trained some of the second string in the provinces. This arrangement has continued until Royer Dupré's retirement at the end of 2021.

The trainer's tenure was instantly successful. In 1983, Sharaya delivered the first of seven wins in the Prix Vermeille for her breeder, while Masarika won the Prix Robert Papin en route to landing the following year's Poule d'Essai des Pouliches. She provided the first half of a French Classic double for Royer Dupré and HH the Aga Khan IV which was completed by Darshaan, who led home perhaps the most breed-shaping trifecta in modern-day thoroughbred breeding in the Prix du Jockey Club, with Sadler's Wells second and Rainbow Quest third.

The champion three-year-old in France, Darshaan went on to stand at Gilltown Stud in Ireland, but he was again a champion in France when he became the leading sire there in 2003. Most significantly for his breeder, this was chiefly thanks to his son Dalakhani, the European Horse of the Year. Darshaan is perhaps more widely recognised as an influential broodmare sire, and was twice champion in this category in Britain and Ireland. 

HH the Aga Khan IV and Royer Dupré were also involved in a significant first for Europe in the inaugural Breeders' Cup meeting at Hollywood Park in 1984. Sent to California on the back of his victory in the Prix du Conseil du Paris, Lashkari lined up at odds of 53/1 for the Breeders' Cup Turf. The three-year-old had run just twice prior to this, but came with a late surge to defeat 1983 Horse of the Year All Along and become the first of many European raiders to secure victory at America's 'Thoroughbred World Championships'.

The Blending Of Bloodlines

Having started with Top Ville in 1979, HH the Aga Khan IV's affinity with the Prix du Jockey Club continued, with Darshaan being followed the next year by victory for Mouktar, while Akarad's son Natroun again carried the famous green-and-red silks to glory in 1987.

Punctuating this run of success in the French Derby was Shahrastani, a second winner of the Derby at Epsom for Stoute and HH the Aga Khan IV who famously conquered Dancing Brave in 1986 before going on to an easy win in the Irish Derby.

In 1982, HH the Aga Khan IV had blended the Boussac and Dupré bloodlines by sending Darshaan's dam Delsy to Top Ville, with the resultant filly being named Darara. Sent into training with Royer Dupré, she was notably small but her lack of scope was no barrier to success. Darara went on to win the 1987 Prix Vermeille before finishing sixth in a strong field for the Arc. 

She has also made a notable impact at stud, though not solely for her breeder. As is the policy of all major breeding operations, some reduction of stock must take place each year, and Darara was offered for sale in 1994. She has since become the cornerstone of Lord and Lady Lloyd Webber's Watership Down Stud, with her most notable offspring being the Group 1 winners Darazari, Rewilding and Dar Re Mi.

By 1988, HH the Aga Khan IV had broadened his racing reach and decided to have some horses trained in Ireland, following the example of his father and grandfather. John Oxx received his first batch of yearlings from the breeder in 1988.

That same year saw more notable Classic success in Britain and Ireland. Aga Khan III had enjoyed the first of his three 2000 Guineas winners in 1924 with Diophon, while Prince Aly Khan triumphed in 1959 with Taboun. The success continued when HH the Aga Khan IV won the 1988 running with Doyen. 

Further success on the English turf was just around the corner as the following month Kahyasi became his breeder's third winner of the Derby, but this time for a new trainer, Luca Cumani. The Ile De Bourbon colt carried the second colours of green-and-chocolate hoops as Doyoun also ran in the race, finishing third.

From an Epsom high in 1988 came a low a year later when Darshaan's daughter Aliysa finished first past the post in the Oaks but was disqualified after testing positive for a camphor derivative. The race was awarded to Snow Bride, who gained further notoriety as the dam of Lammtarra, while Aliysa would go on to produce the Horris Hill and Craven Stakes winner Desert Story. She is also the grand-dam of the dual Group 1 winner Alamshar.

A Successful Selection Process

In Philip Jodidio's book chronicling 50 years of the breeding operation of HH the Aga Khan IV, Alain de Royer Dupré comments, “The broodmare band of the Aga Khan is magnificent, it is a jewel created since the time of his grandfather.”

As the recipient of so many of the offspring of this treasured group of mares, the trainer is in a better position than most to make an assessment of the breeder's endeavours.

He says, “The success of the racing and breeding activities of the Aga Khan is actually based on the excellence of each element of the process, from breeding decisions, to facilities, training, jockeys and the personal implication of His Highness the Aga Khan, and to an increasing degree Princess Zahra Aga Khan.”

Continuity has been the key to the development of the Aga Khan Studs, and its motto 'Success breeds success' can be applied to both the human and equine participants. 

From the Aga Khan III, to the all-too-brief tenure of Prince Aly Khan, through to the sustained support of his son, the baton has been passed with an assuredness which has guaranteed the longevity of a project born of passion. HH the Aga Khan IV has also been able to count on the great enthusiasm and deep knowledge of his eldest daughter, Princess Zahra, who celebrated a first winner in her own colours in 1996, when Daralbayda won in June at Saint-Cloud. Though the daughter of Doyoun will remain memorable for that reason alone, she went on to bring even greater joy to the Princess as the grand-dam of her first Classic winner, Darjina.

Throughout this period, HH the Aga Khan IV had temporarily withdrawn from British racing, but his runners continued to be in the ascendant, particularly in France where the Classic winners poured in.

Classic Roll Of Honour Expanded

Between 1993 and 1999, he was represented by four winners of the Prix de Diane in Shemaka, Vereva, Zainta, and Daryaba, with the first three being by the Aga Khan stallions Nishapour and Kahyasi. Zalaiyka brought up a fillies' Classic double in 1998 with Zainta, a great grand-daughter of Petite Etoile, when winning the Poule d'Essai des Pouliches, while through that time the Poule d'Essai des Poulains went to the Aga Khan runners Ashkalani (1996), Daylami (1997) and Sendawar (1999). The middle one of that trio, Daylami, went on to be one of the stand-out older horses of his generation following his sale to Godolphin over the winter between his three- and four-year-old seasons, adding another six Group/Grade 1 wins to his name, including the Champion Stakes, Coronation Cup and Breeders' Cup Turf.

Sendawar continued racing for his breeder and won four consecutive Group 1 races, taking the St James's Palace Stakes, Prix du Moulin and Prix d'Ispahan.

Classic success was not restricted to France. On just her fourth start for John Oxx, Ebadiyla won the 1997 Irish Oaks before landing the Prix Royal-Oak, with Tiraaz following up in the 'French St Leger' a year later.

Ebadiyla's family was rampant in the late 1990s. Her dam Ebaziya, by Darshaan, was mated successfully with Kahyasi, and that deep Aga Khan Studs breeding resulted in Enzeli, who landed the Gold Cup at Royal Ascot in 1999, the season after another of the mare's offspring, Edabiya (Rainbow Quest), had won the Moyglare Stud Stakes. With her final foal of 2009, Ebaziya would provide one of the most memorable Royal Ascot moments of the modern era, when her daughter Estimate, who had been presented as a gift to Her Majesty The Queen by HH the Aga Khan IV, became the family's second Gold Cup winner.

One Simple Purpose

In outlining the approach of the Aga Khan Studs, Princess Zahra Aga Khan told Philip Jodidio, “We don't breed for any purpose other than simply improving the families and the racing stock.”

This non-commercial outlook must nevertheless attempt to break even and towards the end of the last century the Bloodstock Management Team was formed to ensure the continuation, balance and development of these practices. Princess Zahra Aga Khan is a key member of this team, along with Pat Downes, who has run the Irish studs since 1999. Georges Rimaud has managed the French studs since 2000, and Nemone Routh is the equally important fourth member of the quartet, based at Aiglemont in Chantilly.

Just as this team was getting into its stride in order to take the operation into the 21st century, along came a two-year-old who would go on to dominate his Classic generation in Europe. Sinndar, whose forebears are rippled through the broodmare band, was viewed by his trainer John Oxx as “the perfect racing model”. For his breeder this would have been hugely satisfying for the neat colt was not only the result of five generations of careful selection on his dam's side, but features Lashkari, a son of one of his favourite influences, Mill Reef, as his damsire, while Top Ville appears as the sire of his grand-dam.

In just two juvenile starts in 1999, Sinndar, only ever ridden by stable jockey Johnny Murtagh, remained unbeaten, leaping from maiden winner to Group 1 winner in one fell swoop. His victory in the National Stakes on 19 September was particularly apposite as the race was sponsored by Aga Khan Studs at the Curragh, to which the owner/breeder has given so much support over the decades. 

As the new millennium approached, HH the Aga Khan IV, John Oxx and Johnny Murtagh had plenty to dream about over the winter, and the “perfect horse” would ensure that those dreams were not left unfulfilled.

Two Dominant Colts Of The New Millennium

Sinndar's three-year-old season is by now the stuff of legend. The only time he was beaten in his life was on his seasonal debut when second by a head in the Ballysax Stakes. Thereafter he maintained a perfect score, winning the Derrinstown Stud Derby Trial before conquering Epsom and going on to glory in the Irish Derby just metres from where he was trained. Sinndar then took the Prix Niel en route to becoming his breeder's second winner of the Prix de l'Arc de Triomphe. His stallion career began the following season at Gilltown Stud.

While he played the starring role in 2000, Sinndar was not the only top-level performer as two sons of Doyoun kept the international Group 1 victories rolling in. Kalanisi held off Montjeu to win the Champion Stakes at Newmarket and then followed up in the Breeders' Cup Turf, while Daliapour, out of Darshaan's half-sister Dalara, won both the Coronation Cup and Hong Kong Vase.

From such a strong start to the millennium with a particularly outstanding colt, it wasn't long before another, this time in France, would closely follow Sinndar's extraordinary success. Dalakhani, a son of Darshaan and the listed-winning Miswaki mare Daltawa, broke his maiden at Deauville in August 2002 and picked up the Prix des Chenes before finishing his two-year-old season with a Group 1 win in the Critérium International.

Maintaining his faultless run towards Prix du Jockey Club glory, he added the Prix Greffulhe and Prix Lupin to his repertoire. With such a record behind him, it was no surprise to see Dalakhani sent off as the odds-on favourite for the Irish Derby, but was undone only by HH the Aga Khan IV's other runner, Alamshar, who had finished third in the Derby to Kris Kin. Providing a rare moment in modern times that the green-and-chocolate hooped colours were seen in the winner's enclosure, the Irish-trained Alamshar won his home Classic with Dalakhani half a length behind him in second. Normal order was restored for the latter when he emulated Sinndar by taking the Longchamp autumn double of the Prix Niel followed by the Prix de l'Arc de Triomphe before joining the Aga Khan Studs stallion roster.

Alamshar added further lustre to a magnificent season for the Aga Khan Studs team when beating the previous year's Prix du Jockey Club winner Sulamani in the King George VI and Queen Elizabeth Stakes.

Each passing year of the new century brought fresh success. Azamour, third in the 2000 Guineas and then second in the Irish 2000 Guineas, gained his Group 1 laurels in the St James's Palace Stakes followed by the Irish Champion Stakes. He remained in training at four to win the Prince of Wales's Stakes in 2005, the year Royal Ascot was transferred to York, and he took the similarly relocated King George VI and Queen Elizabeth Stakes at Newbury.

That same year, Shawanda, from the first crop of Sinndar, won the Irish Oaks and the Prix Vermeille, while a trio of Group 1 winners was reaped by another shrewd purchase of the entire operation of a successful owner/breeder. The man in question was the visionary Jean-Luc Lagardère. HH the Aga Khan IV's acquisition of his land and 222 horses included the breeder's prized stallion Linamix and Haras d'Ouilly, which had previously been owned by Francois Dupré but was not bought at the time his horses were purchased some 30 years earlier. 

The Lagardère-bred Group 1 winners Vadawina, Valixir and Carlotamix carried the Aga Khan colours that first year after the deal was made. Montmartre and Sageburg would reinforce this successful purchase, as would the Lagardère broodmares as they were assimilated down the years with the stock of the Aga Khan Studs.

Princess Zahra Makes Her Mark 

At this time, too, Princess Zahra Aga Khan's own successful breeding operation was coming to the fore within the wider fold of the Aga Khan Studs. From the minor winner Mandalara she bred Mandesha, the victrix of three Group 1 races in 2006. 

Then from one of the two original fillies given to the Princess by her father descends her 2007 Poule d'Essai des Pouliches winner Darjina, who later that season also took the Prix d'Astarté and Prix du Moulin.

For HH the Aga Khan IV, another Zahra, the mare who was foaled just four years after his daughter was born, would play a significant role in arguably his greatest achievement to date as a thoroughbred breeder. The equine Zahra, born in 1974, was the only living filly foal of Petite Etoile and thus an extremely precious gem. Four decades and four generations on from her birth, a filly by Zamindar and Zahra's great grand-daughter Zarkasha (by Kahyasi) was born in Ireland. Bestowed with the name Zarkava and sent into training with Alain de Royer Dupré, she made just seven starts in her two spotless seasons of racing, showing all the verve of a filly of the very highest calibre. Five of her seven victories came at Group 1 level, with her two Classic wins in France being followed by the Prix Vermeille and Prix de l'Arc de Triomphe, a sequence that saw her named Horse of the Year in 2008.

His Highness said simply of Zarkava at the time, “She is the greatest reward a breeder could have.”

That is undoubtedly true, but he was also to be rewarded significantly the following year by an extraordinary haul of seven Group races across the Arc weekend in Paris. 

The juveniles Siyouni, whose name would go on to have deeper resonance on the European breeding scene, and Rosanara, by Sinndar, won the Group 1 contests named in honour of the great breeders whose efforts now enhanced the Aga Khan Studs – the Prix Jean-Luc Lagardère and Prix Marcel Boussac. 

Shalanaya, trained by one of the Aga Khan's younger French trainers, Mikel Delzangles, took the Prix de l'Opera; Varenar triumphed in the Prix de la Foret, while Alandi won the Prix du Cadran. Adding to that haul were the Group 2 wins of Daryakana and Manighar.

That year's Arc may have eluded the Aga Khan Studs but the team would soon become well acquainted with the winner, Sea The Stars, whose owner/breeders Ling and Christopher Tsui agreed to stand their champion in Ireland at Gilltown Stud. 

A Major Milestone

In 2010, HH the Aga Khan IV celebrated 50 years at the helm of his family's world-renowned operation. From a beginning filled with doubt as he grappled with the intricacies of the singular pursuit that is thoroughbred breeding, he could look back from that notable landmark with the foundations of the racing and breeding empire fully revitalised and operating at the peak of its powers. 

In the ensuing decade many more highlights have been forthcoming. Harzand presented his breeder with a fifth win in the Derby at Epsom and a first for his trainer and jockey Dermot Weld and Pat Smullen. It is a moment made more poignant in hindsight by the death in 2020 of the much-loved multiple Irish champion jockey at the age of just 43.

Top-class fillies are of course the bedrock of any stud farm, and the Group 1 tally has been enhanced through the last ten years by Prix de Diane victrix Valyra, and Yorkshire Oaks and Prix Vermeille winner Shareta, as well as Sarafina, Sagawara, Siyarafina, Ridasiyna, Dalkala, Dolniya and Vazira. 

The Classic victory of Ervedya in the Poule d'Essai des Pouliches opened an important new chapter as she became the first Group 1 winner from the first crop of her young sire Siyouni, who retired to Haras de Bonneval in 2011.

Ervedya went on to win the Coronation Stakes and Prix du Moulin, and she represents a potent blend of the Aga Khan and Lagardère bloodlines for Siyouni is a grandson of the latter's Slipstream Queen, and his dam Sichilla is also the grand-dam of Siyarafina, who became the latest Group 1 winner for HH the Aga Khan and Royer Dupré in France. 

The hugely popular Vazirabad was an unusual runner for the breeder in that he was gelded early in his time with Royer Dupré. His longevity, harnessed to his talent, only enhanced his appeal with racing fans, and they had plenty of opportunities to support him during his 23 starts over four seasons, which yielded 15 victories, including the Prix Royal-Oak (twice) and the Prix du Cadran.

The most recent top-class colour-bearer is the Dermot Weld-trained Tarnawa, the first foal of the dual listed winner Tarana, whose four-year-old season in 2020 saw her clinch three consecutive Group/Grade 1 races, including a third success for His Highness in the Breeders' Cup Turf, as well as a second-placed finish in the 2021 Arc.

A Thriving Stallion Roster

In recent years, the stallion division of the Aga Khan Studs has been bolstered by the retirement of the Derby and Irish Derby winner Harzand to stand alongside his sire Sea The Stars at Gilltown. Meanwhile Siyouni has been joined at Haras de Bonneval by the Prix Ganay winner Dariyan, the son of Shamardal and Hong Kong Vase heroine Daryakana. 

Even more special was the arrival of another Group 1 winner,  Zarkava's son Zarak, by Dubawi. He has already hinted at his prowess in his second career as the leading freshman sire in France this year.

Siyouni, like his illustrious sire Pivotal, started his stud career at a relatively lowly level, and he was syndicated by the Aga Khan Studs. Now one of the most sought-after sires in Europe, he was crowned the champion sire of France for the second time in 2021. His son Sottsass won the Prix de l'Arc de Triomphe in 2020. In 2021, Siyouni was responsible for Horse of the Year and dual Classic winner St Mark's Basilica.

Few major stallion studs in the world can boast a roster of largely homebred sires, but then few can depend upon the quality of stock that is regularly supplied by such a well-credentialed band of broodmares. 

That this has remained the case for so long is to the credit of the painstaking management by the same family and their skilled team of advisors over the course of a century. A labour of love, if ever there was one.

In case you missed them, click the links to read part one and part two in the TDN, or the entire 100-year history of the Aga Khan Studs can be viewed via the online brochure.