Monday 11 May 2015
Haras de Bonneval second-season sires Siyouni and Makfi shared the Classic honours at Longchamp on Sunday, during a weekend rich in success on all fronts for the Aga Khan Studs.
ERVEDYA provided the highlight of the weekend for H.H. the Aga Khan, when storming home up the centre of the track in the Gr.1 Poule d’Essai des Pouliches and then staying on strongly to lift this French 1,000 Guineas prize. Runner up in the Gr.1 Prix Marcel Boussac and third in the Gr.1 Prix Morny, the Jean-Claude Rouget-trained ERVEDYA fulfilled all the potential she showed as a juvenile and when winning the Gr.3 Prix Imprudence on her seasonal debut.
Present at Longchamp, H.H. the Aga Khan was delighted with the performance of ERVEDYA, who became the 11th Poule d’Essai winner of her owner. « She is an excellent filly and I am especially pleased for Siyouni. » She is likely to be kept to the mile distance with the Gr.1 Coronation Stakes at Royal Ascot as her next target.
The success is a first Classic win for Siyouni, a leading first crop sire in 2014, with his first generation of two-year-olds. The sire had shone a day earlier at Arqana’s breeze-up sale, heading the statistics for sires represented by more than two progeny, with seven lots sold for a total of 1.02 million Euros and an average of €145,700.
Makfi had earlier achieved the same feat as his fellow Bonneval resident Siyouni, with a Classic victory from his first crop. His son MAKE BELIEVE ran out the impressive winner of the Gr.1 Poule d’Essai des Poulains to give his sire, himself the winner of the 2,000 Guineas at Newmarket, a second Group 1 after that of Marky Mark in New Zealand recently. Owned by Prince Faisal and trained by André Fabre, MAKE BELIEVE could also head for Royal Ascot and the Gr.1 St James’s Palace Stakes.
The afternoon at Longchamp had begun well for the Aga Khan Studs thanks to the victory of Kataniya (Raven’s Pass) in the Listed Prix de la Seine. This half-sister to Gr.2 Blandford Stakes victrix and Gr.1 Prix de l’Opéra third Katiyra will now be aimed towards the Prix de Royaumont Gr.3 at Chantilly.
Gilltown Stud sire Dalakhani was also on the scoresheet, this time in Germany, as his son GUARDINI was the easy winner of the Gr.2 Gerling Preis, the second Group success of the colt’s career.
Updated on 11/05/2015.
