Monday 19 March 2012
Aga Khan-breds have been active around the globe in recent days, with MANIGHAR and Majestic Falcon heading the team for important Group victories. In France, LIDARI picked up one of the first Parisian Stakes races of the season while over jumps, Sourabad lifted an Auteuil Listed and Edeymi and Darlan were placed at the Cheltenham Festival.
Six-year-old MANIGHAR is now based in Australia, where he deservingly opened his Group 1 account on 10th March with success in the Australia Cup over ten furlongs at Flemington. The son of Linamix is a true globetrotter, having begun his career in France where he won the Gr 2 Prix Chaudenay for Alain de Royer Dupré and the Aga Khan silks. Sold after his three-year-old season as a Melbourne Cup hope, he has been placed in numerous Group events in England, France and Australia, notably fourth in the Gr 1 Ascot Gold Cup and Caulfield Cup, and fifth in the 2011 Melbourne Cup. The versatile sort appears better than ever in 2012 and won the Gr 3 Carlyon Cup over a mile in February before taking the Australia Cup with Melbourne Cup winner Americain back in third. He will now be aimed at the Gr 1 BMW Stakes over a mile and a half at the end of March. The grey gelding is a full brother to Minatlya, winner of the Gr 3 Prix de Royaumont and whose first offspring Mandistana (Azamour) won her only outing as a juvenile last season.
In Hong Kong, the five-year-old Majestic Falcon (Oasis Dream) is making his presence felt after a period of adaptation. He scored his first Group win on 10th March when finishing strongly in the Gr 3 Hong Kong Macau Trophy, a match race between the best of Hong Kong and Macau-trained horses. Trainer John Moore is now targeting the return leg in Macau in April with his charge. Majestic Falcon raced as Keredari in Ireland for John Oxx as a three-year-old, winning the Listed Loughbrown Stakes, finishing second and third in Group 3 company, and taking sixth place in the Gr 1 Irish 2000 Guineas.
The flat campaign is just getting under way in France and the Aga Khan stable has made a pleasing start thanks to LIDARI who won the Listed Prix Maurice Caillault at Saint-Cloud on his seasonal debut. This son of Acclamation and Linamix Listed-winner Laxlova was placed third in the Gr 3 Prix de Condé on his final start as a juvenile and looks a useful prospect. LIDARI’s half-brother Laristan (Sinndar) is also a Listed winner.
Aga Khan-breds have also enjoyed success over jumps, with four-year-old Sourabad (Halling) winning a competitive Listed at Auteuil. Out of Aga Khan Studs mare Darbela, Darlan finished second in the Gr 1 Supreme Novices’ Hurdle at Cheltenham and Edeymi (Barathea) filled the same position in the Gr 3 Fred Winter Novices’ Hurdle.
Updated on 19/03/2012.
