Zarak the latest star for the Aga Khan
The long list of notables includes three of the most influential sires of the 20th century, Nasrullah (Nearco), Royal Charger (Nearco) and Mahmoud (Blenheim), all tracing back to the famous “flying filly” Mumtaz Mahal (The Tetrarch) who was purchased as a yearling by the grandfather of the present Aga Khan in 1923.
As a breeding enthusiast it was pleasing, then, for me to learn of the first Group One success for the Aga Khan’s four-year-old entire Zarak (Dubawi) in last Sunday’s Grand Prix de Saint-Cloud (Gr 1, 2400m) and to be able to trace his female line ten generations back to Mumtaz Mahal.
Zarak is truly bred in the purple, being out of champion Zarkava (Zamindar), and has always promised to be special as a racehorse since winning on debut as a two-year-old in France, while last year it took a champion three-year-old Almanzor (Wootton Bassett) to beat him when second in the Prix du Jockey Club (Gr 1, 2100m) at Chantilly.
Earlier this year, Zarak scored impressively in a stakes race in Dubai before returning to France to place second in the Prix Ganay (Gr 1, 2100m). He was attempting 2400 metres for the first time last Sunday, gaining a slight lead 300 metres from home before showing courage to fight off the late challenge of last year’s Grand Prix de Saint-Cloud winner Silverwave (Silver Frost) to defeat him by three quarters of a length with another length and a quarter back to Armande (Sea The Stars) in third. Race time was 2:27.76.
For Zarak’s Darley-based sire Dubawi (Dubai Millennium), Sunday was something of a milestone as he had a second Group One winner a little later in the day when his daughter Nezwaah captured the Pretty Polly Stakes (Gr 1, 1m2f) at the Curragh to become his 30th winner at the highest level among an overall tally of 134 stakes winners.
Winner of the Irish 2,000 Guineas (Gr 1, 1m), Dubawi shuttled for three seasons (2006, 2008 and 2009) to Darley’s farm in NSW where he sired 21 stakes winners in his Southern Hemisphere-bred crops headed by Group One winners Secret Admirer, Shamal Wind, Srikandi, Happy Archer, Willow Magic and Tiger Tees plus the top class mare Catkins, Arabian Gold, Ball Of Muscle and Jungle Edge.
Internationally other Group One winners for Dubawi are South Australia-based sire Akeed Mofeed, Al Kazeem, Arabian Queen, Erupt, Left Hand, Lucky Nine, Makfi (successful sire), Monterosso, New Bay, Night Of Thunder (now shuttling to Darley, Victoria), former Australian shuttler Poet’s Voice, Postponed, Prince Bishop, Sobetsu, Waldpark and Wuheida.
Zarak is the fourth foal but first runner for his unbeaten dam Zarkava, Europe’s Horse of the Year in 2008 when, as a three-year-old filly, she swept all before her after being ranked as the champion of her sex in France as a juvenile. Timeform awarded Zarkava an annual rating of 133 in 2008 after a series of classic victories culminating in a spectacular success against all comers in the Prix de l’Arc de Triomphe (Gr 1, 2400m).
While it is disappointing that Zarkava’s first three foals, all by top sires, did not reach the track, Zarak is making up for this and this fertile mare has four more excitingly bred foals in the pipeline: Zarmitan (Redoute’s Choice), an unraced three-year-old colt, unraced two-year-old filly Zarkamiya (Frankel), a yearling colt by Invincible Spirit (Green Desert) and a filly foal by Siyouni (Pivotal). The mare has been served by Dubawi in 2017 to produce a full relation to Zarak.
Apart from Zarkava, Zarak’s unraced second dam Zarkasha (Kahyasi) also produced four other winners, best of which is Zarshana (Sea The Stars), winner of the Prix de Minerve (Gr 3, 2500m), while one of her unraced daughters, Zarakiysha (Kendor), has bred stakes-placed winner Zarzali (Hussonet) for the Aga Khan’s Australian co-venture with Arrowfield Stud.
Zarkasha is a half-sister to Prix de Sandringham (Gr 3, 1600m) winner Zarkiya (Catrail).
The family traces back through Zarak’s fifth dam Zahra (Habitat) to his sixth dam, champion Petite Etoile (Petition) whose breeding career was disappointing in the extreme.
Zarak is linebred to Mr. Prospector (Raise A Native) 4m x 4m, carries four remote strains of Northern Dancer (Nearctic) and is also linebred 5m x 5m to champion Mill Reef (Never Bend).