Tuesday 28 October 2008
Dalakhani continued his superb season when adding victory in America’s most prestigious turf contest to the pair of Classic victories already won by his first crop of three-year-olds. The Arc hero of 2003 now counts six individual winners of nine Group races including three at the highest level. His son CONDUIT has proved to be a model of consistency, progressing from handicap success at Epsom in the spring to a narrow defeat at Royal Ascot in the Gr 2 King Edward VII Stakes before opening his Group account in the Gr 3 Gordon Stakes at Glorious Goodwood. After his impressive St Leger victory CONDUIT was initially set to be retired for the season but he was training so well that Sir Michael Stoute decided to send his charge to Santa Anita for the world thoroughbred championships. The trainer’s decision paid off as CONDUIT was perfectly suited by the fast pace in the Breeders’ Cup Turf. He showed both stamina and speed in the final stages to take a third title in this race for Stoute after Pilsudski and HH Aga Khan’s Kalanisi.
CONDUIT’s winnings in the $3 million Breeders’Cup Turf, America’s richest race on the grass, send his sire back to the top of the table of second-season stallions. Dalakhani’s 74 produce to have competed in 2008 have won 52 races and a total of £2,412,295 in prize money, a figure which is well above that of his nearest rival Hawk Wing (£1,603,298) who has been represented by over twice as many runners.
The future looks assured for Dalakhani as he celebrated a triple with his juveniles during the same weekend as CONDUIT’s cross-Atlantic success. These were led by the very promising CHOCK A BLOCK who is out of Gr 1 EP Taylor Stakes heroine CHOC ICE (Kahyasi). The colt was an impressive four-length winner of the Prix des Feuillants maiden at Longchamp on Sunday. Dalakhani’s son Augusto also opened his account on the first time of asking in France over the weekend, while Headline Act won his maiden after being placed second and third on his previous two outings.
Updated on 28/10/2008
