Wednesday 5 May 2010
The ultra-consistent SHEMIYLA continued a family tradition when scoring in the Group 3 Prix Allez France at Chantilly on Monday as the four-year-old filly is the niece of last year’s winner Shemima, also by Dalakhani. SHEMIYLA was extending her black-type record after lifting the Listed Prix Charles Laffitte at the same track last season and finishing a close second in the Group 3 Prix de Flore. Never out of the first two in seven lifetime outings, she showed a pleasing turn of foot to secure first place in the final strides of this ten furlong event on her seasonal debut.
SHEMIYLA and Shemima both descend from Prix de Diane heroine Shemaka (Nishapour), the granddam of the former and dam of the latter who retired to stud last autumn after an irreproachable career which saw her finish in the frame in a quartet of Group 2 contests after her Prix Allez France success. Shemima was scanned in foal to Dansili last month.
Prolific black-type performer CHINESE WHITE set the ball rolling for Dalakhani’s Stakes hat-trick with victory in the Listed Victor McAlmont Memorial Stakes at Gowran Park on Sunday. Five-year-old CHINESE WHITE is from the first crop of Gilltown Stud-based Dalakhani and she had earlier won this contest in 2008 and finished second in 2009, in addition to three further Stakes successes including the Group 2 Blandford Stakes and a fourth place in the Irish Oaks. Winner of half of her twelve starts, Lady O’Reilly’s homebred mare is already in foal to Cape Cross but may well take in the Group 1 Tattersalls Gold Cup before retiring to the paddocks.
The Wertheimer brothers’ Dalakhani colt GOLDWAKI looks certain to go on to better things as he outclassed the field in the Listed Coupe des Trois Ans at Lyon-Parilly on Tuesday. A nephew of dual Breeders’ Cup heroine Goldikova, GOLDWAKI was maintaining an unbeaten record at this track in three appearances in 2010.
In addition to these successes for the Aga Khan’s Dalakhani, the stable’s Shamanova, Sarafina and Keratiya all put in promising performances to open their accounts on the racetrack. Shamanova (Danehilll Dancer), a daughter of Irish Oaks runner-up Shamadara, lost her maiden tag on the second time of asking in the Prix de l’Allée aux Cygnes at Longchamp on Sunday. Monday saw Sarafina and Keratiya both make winning debuts at Chantilly and Bordeaux-le-Bouscat respectively. A half-sister to multiple Listed and Group performers Sanaya and Sanjida, Sarafina won unchallenged by 6 lengths, leading her trainer Alain de Royer Dupré to comment, “She reminds me physically of (maternal grandsire) Darshaan.”
Updated on 05/05/2010.
