Aga Khan

Blood, sweat and tears. That is what it took Michael Halford to turn Copper Beech Stables from a green field site into one of the most renowned racing yards in Ireland. One from which Group 1 and Royal Ascot winners were sent out and where the trainer managed the careers of over 100 steeds in his pomp.  Halford has trained more than 1,000 winners in his 41-year career, almost 500 of which were managed from Copper Beech during 16 full seasons there, but dwindling numbers during Covid and the separation...

Less than a week after it was announced that Jean-Claude Rouget was set to join forces with Jerome Reynier, the Aga Khan Studs revealed that it has relocated horses trained by Rouget to Francis-Henri Graffard. A statement released on Tuesday said, "The team at Aga Khan Studs extend their heartfelt thanks to Jean-Claude Rouget for his dedication over the past 19 years, during which time he has won seven Group 1 races for H.H. the Aga Khan, including Valyra (Prix de Diane), Ervedya (Poule d'Essai des Pouliches, Coronation Stakes and...

If Juddmonte keeps going like this, I might as well just copy and paste tributes already paid this summer to family trees it has cultivated through the past four decades. Before reprising that process, then, let's start with something of a detour. Daylami (Ire) was one of the most accomplished runners ever produced by another storied breed-to-race program. A Classic winner over a mile, in maturity he won the premier all-aged turf races in Britain (by five lengths), Ireland (by nine) and America. At stud, he was supported by both...

In this continuing series, we take a look ahead at US-bred and/or conceived runners entered for the upcoming weekend at the tracks on the Japan Racing Association circuit, with a focus on pedigree and/or performance in the sales ring. Here is one horse of interest for this Saturday running at Kyoto Racecourse: Saturday, May 18, 2024 1st-KYO, ¥10,480,000 ($67k), Maiden, 3yo, 1800m BEL DINAH PHAROAH (JPN) (f, 3, American Pharoah--Gianna Schicchi, by War Front) is out of a half-sister to His Highness The Aga Khan's Shareta (Ire) (Sinndar {Ire}), runner-up...

Leading trainer Johnny Murtagh has identified the leading juvenile prospects that he is looking forward to unleashing this season but spoke out about the increased levels of frustration that trainers are facing when it comes to hanging on to their big-name stars due to what he describes as stagnant levels of prize-money in Ireland.  The Group 1-winning handler has called on Horse Racing Ireland, who announced a €1.4 million increase to prize-money [to €69.4 million] for 2024 in the latest budget, not to rest on its laurels.  Murtagh, who runs...

Prix du Jockey Club winner and Arc runner-up Vadeni (Fr), who also landed the Eclipse S. at Sandown in a spellbinding 3-year-old campaign, has been retired.  The highest rated son of Churchill (Ire) won five times for Jean-Claude Rouget and carried the colours of the Aga Khan. He will join the stallion ranks at Haras de Bonneval, where he will stand alongside Siyouni (Fr), Zarak (Fr) and Dariyan (Fr). No fee has been decided on yet.  Georges Rimaud, manager for the Aga Khan Studs in France, commented, "We are delighted...

Tahiyra (Ire) (Siyouni {Fr}) has returned home to Gilltown Stud for a well-deserved break after her Royal Ascot heroics and, according to Pat Downes, the triple Group 1 winner could kick-start her autumn campaign in the G1 Matron S. at Leopardstown on Irish Champions Weekend.  Downes, the Aga Khan's manager of the Irish studs, has said that the most impressive aspect of Tahiyra's G1 Coronation S. success was the fact that Dermot Weld's charge was able to win despite the race not being run to suit. Downes said, "We were...

One day after the Aga Khan-bred and -consigned Shahnameh (Fr) (Churchill {Ire}) topped the proceedings at the Arqana Vente d'Elevage, another of the operation's 3-year-old filly was the star turn in Deauville, as the unraced Vazzana (GB) (Teofilo {Ire}) was knocked down for €120,000 to lead the way during the penultimate session of the auction. Catalogued at lot 716, the bay filly is a daughter of Vazira (Fr) (Sea The Stars {Ire}), winner of three of her six career starts, including the 2014 G1 Prix Saint-Alary at Longchamp one start...

Carini (Fr) (Siyouni {Fr}), a latest runner-up in the Oct. 19 Listed Prix Vulcain for the Aga Khan and Francis-Henri Graffard, was knocked down to Nicolas Lefevre's Equos Racing on the phone with Astute Bloodstock's Louis Le Metayer for €600,000 during Monday's horses-in-training session of the Arqana Autumn Sale in Deauville. The 3-year-old gelding is a winner of three of his six lifetime appearances. "I bought it with my former boss, Louis Le Metayer, for one of his Australian clients," commented Lefevre. "It's been four years since we bought together,...

The Aga Khan Studs is celebrating 100 years of success in 2022, making the emergence of Vadeni (Fr) (Churchill {Ire}) as one of the most talented colts in training and Zarak (Fr) being one of the hottest young stallion prospects in Europe all the more fitting.     Georges Rimaud has played an integral role in the success of the organisation. The manager of HH Aga Khan's studs in France, Rimaud reflected on the success of Vadeni in Saturday's G1 Coral-Eclipse at Sandown and shared his delight at the popularity of...

One of the most exciting horses in France, Vadeni (Fr) (Churchill {Ire}) is set to take his chance in the G1 Coral-Eclipse at Sandown on Saturday, and connections are expecting a massive performance.  Vadeni, trained by Jean-Claude Rouget, was supplemented at a cost of £50,000 for the race on Monday. A hugely impressive winner of the G1 Qatar Prix du Jockey Club at Chantilly when last seen, the French raider is a general 2-1 favourite to follow up on that success at Sandown.   Georges Rimaud, the Aga Khan's racing manager,...

One hundred years on from the late Aga Khan III's initial foray into European racing, the internationally-renowned and respected operation were celebrating a momentous Classic victory as the Jean-Claude Rouget-trained Vadeni (Fr) (Churchill {Ire}--Vaderana {Fr}, by Monsun {Ger}) dominated Chantilly's G1 Qatar Prix du Jockey Club. Always travelling easily in the slipstream of the leaders from his favourable inside draw, the May 10 G3 Prix de Guiche winner pounced on the G1 Poule d'Essai des Poulains hero Modern Games (Ire) (Dubawi {Ire}) with 300 metres remaining and a furlong later...