Monday 12 September 2011
Dalakhani notched a fifth individual Group 1 winner and a fourth Classic success at the Curragh on Saturday thanks to his son DUNCAN in the Irish St Leger. A day later in France, his Jockey-Club winning son RELIABLE MAN took an important step en route for the Arc with a stylish win in the Gr 2 Prix Niel.
The John Gosden-trained six-year-old DUNCAN rallied bravely in the Curragh straight and passed the post locked in battle with front-running Jukebox Jury, for a dead-heat to be declared some minutes later. DUNCAN was winning his fourth Pattern event after notable successes in the Gr 2 Prix Foy Arc Trial last year and the Gr 2 Yorkshire Cup in May when stepped up in distance. He has now proved himself to be a top-class stayer. Owned and bred by Philippa Cooper's Normandie Stud, DUNCAN is out of Danehill mare Dolores who took third place in the Gr 1 Coronation Stakes. After the race, his owner announced that the gelding will now be retired on this high note of his career.
RELIABLE MAN continued to follow in the footsteps of his sire on Sunday at Longchamp as like Dalakhani he has now lifted both the Gr 1 Prix du Jockey Club and Gr 2 Prix Niel. Although RELIABLE MAN’s Jockey Club was run over the new shorter distance of 2100 metres, Alain de Royer Dupré’s charge demonstrated in the Niel that the classic distance of a mile and a half is well within his range and he came home two lengths clear of favourite Meandre. This was a reversal of the Gr 1 Grand Prix de Paris result in which RELIABLE MAN was third on ground too firm for his aptitudes. In third place in the Prix Niel, which is the leading trial for the Prix de l’Arc de Triomphe, came H.H. the Aga Khan’s son of Dalakhani and Group 1 winner Vadawina, VADAMAR. VADAMAR was making his first start since finishing seventh in the Epsom Derby in June.
RELIABLE MAN, who is out of Sadler’s Wells mare On Fair Stage and is the grandson of Oaks heroine Fair Salinia, will now attempt to continue to imitate his sire Dalakhani who won the Prix de l’Arc de Triomphe in 2003.
Updated on 12/09/2011.
