Siyouni

When Aga Khan homebred Zarak (Fr) retired to stud at Haras de Bonneval in 2018, he boasted exemplary credentials: by the sire-making Dubawi (Ire), Zarak was a Group 1 winner out of the Aga Khan's great champion mare Zarkava (Ire) (Zamindar). Zarak did his best running at four when he won the G1 Grand Prix de Saint-Cloud over 2400 metres for trainer Alain de Royer Dupre, and therefore his first 2-year-olds in 2021 could have been somewhat forgiven should they have required time. They, however, most certainly did not. Zarak...

Observations on the European Racing Scene turns the spotlight on the best European races of the day, highlighting well-pedigreed horses early in their careers, horses of note returning to action and young runners that achieved notable results in the sales ring. Today's Observations features a sister a Group 1-winning filly. 12.31 Fontainebleau, Mdn, €27,000, 2yo, f, 7fT Godolphin's Andre Fabre trainee AMIRAVATI (GB) (Siyouni {Fr}) is a homebred half-sister to G1 Prix Jean Prat hero Aesop's Fables (Distorted Humor). She encounters six opponents in this low-key unveiling, headed by Berend...

NEWMARKET, UK-the middle market has flourished at the yearling sales transatlantically thus far in 2021, and that trend proved out again on Monday during the first of three sessions of Book 2 of the Tattersalls October Yearling Sale, where figures were not only well up on the remarkably strong 2020 renewal staged in the midst of the pre-vaccine pandemic, but at this stage also trending ahead of 2019's record edition. The first day of Book 2 saw records for turnover, average and median for a session at Book 2. Of...

Newsells Park Stud has become one of the most steadfast sights of the Tattersalls October Yearling Sale-being, as it has, leading vendor at Book 1 for the past three years, and five of the past eight years--and while many of the familiar faces behind the stud remain the same, it has in fact undergone some significant changes this year, with entrepreneur Graham Smith-Bernal having purchased Newsells Park in June from the Jacobs family. Not that Newsells Park is new at all to Smith-Bernal-he had been a client of the stud...

There was barely time for the dust to settle on a successful renewal of the Goffs Orby Yearling Sale before the firm continued on Thursday with the first of two days of its Sportsman's Yearling Sale, which likewise returned strong results. The Sportsman's Sale, like the Orby, was relocated last year to the Goffs UK headquarters in Doncaster with the pandemic making it all but impossible for visitors to travel to Ireland, and back at its rightful home in Kildare on Thursday the first session returned positive figures. Whereas in...

Trainer Aidan O'Brien has "backed off" five-time Group 1 winner St Mark's Basilica (Fr) (Siyouni {Fr}) after the 3-year-old once again exhibited soreness in the area of a minor injury he sustained this summer. St Mark's Basilica missed the G1 Juddmonte International at York last month after a cut on a hind leg caused by a thrown shoe became infected, and although the dual French Classic and G1 Eclipse S. winner returned to win the G1 Irish Champion S. 10 days ago, he has since been sore in the area...

Just as the illustrious Pivotal (GB) was retiring from stud duties at the age of 28, Siyouni (Fr), who can certainly now be regarded as his most significant sire son, was reaching the peak of his powers with his first French championship. He finished last season by adding a Prix de l'Arc de Triomphe winner to his burgeoning CV, and this year Siyouni is currently responsible for the joint-top-rated horse in the world in the dual French Classic and Eclipse S. winner St Mark's Basilica (Fr). At the age of...

French champion sire Siyouni (Fr) provided the second millionaire of the Arqana August Yearling Sale when Ecurie des Monceaux's colt out of Cercle de la Vie (Ire) (Galileo {Ire}) (lot 152) fetched €1.5-million to the bid of Oliver St Lawrence on behalf of Fawzi Nass. Cercle de la Vie is a full-sister to Group 1 winners Highland Reel (Ire) and Cape Of Good Hope (Ire), and her current 2-year-old, who was a private purchase at €120,000 by Jamie McCalmont in Deauville last summer, is Angel Bleu (Ire) (Dark Angel {Ire}),...

In February, the inevitable announcement came that Pivotal (GB) was to be pensioned at Cheveley Park Stud at the age of 28. David and Patricia Thompson's homebred son of Polar Falcon has been one of the great British breeding stories of the last few decades and the sturdy chestnut has been a great friend to small and major breeders alike through his magnificent stud innings.  As he continues his retirement, so does his legacy gain momentum. A few months before Pivotal was retired, his son Siyouni (Fr) had been crowned...

In addition to its resident sires including lynchpins Siyouni (Fr) and Sea The Stars (Ire), the Aga Khan Studs will lend support to the likes of Lope De Vega (Ire) and Frankel (GB), as well as unproven sires Too Darn Hot (GB) and Ghaiyyath (Ire), with its European broodmare band in 2021. One of the stars of the Aga Khan Studs broodmare band is undoubtedly the unbeaten G1 Prix de l'Arc de Triomphe victress Zarkava (Ire) (Zamindar). She is currently in foal to Siyouni and will visit Lope De Vega....

Osarus has unveiled the catalogue for its Breeze Up Sale at La Teste Racecourse on Apr. 27. The breeze will take place the day prior from 2:30 p.m., and will be broadcast live on France Sire TV with individual videos available after on the Osarus website. There are 65 2-year-olds catalogued for the sale, including a Siyouni (Fr) colt out of the two-time winner Letthemusictakeus (Ire) (Holy Roman Emperor {Ire}) (lot 17), a half-sister to the G1 Prix Jacques le Marois and G1 Coronation S. winner Immortal Verse (Ire) (Pivotal...

Pivotal (GB) (Polar Falcon-Fearless Revival {GB}, by Cozzene), the Group 1-winning sprinter who has excelled as both a sire and broodmare sire, has been pensioned from stud duty at Cheveley Park Stud at the age of 28. The chestnut had remained in service at his birthplace up until last year, covering reduced numbers of mares in recent years, and will live out his remaining life at the Newmarket nursery. Bred by David and Patricia Thompson's Cheveley Park Stud, Pivotal was a member of the first crop of the G1 Sprint...