Friday 10 August 2012
Aga Khan bloodstock is widely recognised as among the best in the world, with families nurtured over generations resulting in homebred champions such as Zarkava, Dalakhani and this season, Valyra. These illustrious bloodlines also regularly shine for colours other than the green and red Aga Khan silks, both through the sale of horses in training and breeding stock. Aga Khan bred dams have gone on to produce a host of successful racehorses for other breeders, notably this year the exceptional multiple South African Gr 1 winner IGUGU (ex Zarinia). Other Stakes winners in 2012 include 2000 Guineas runner-up French Fifteen and American Gr 1 victix Belle Royale, both boasting an Aga Khan-bred granddam.
Understandably, the progeny of Aga Khan dams attract great interest in the sales ring, and last year’s sale topper at Arqana’s August sale was a 1.7 million Euro daughter of Galileo and SANJIDA. In total, the eleven Deauville yearlings out of Aga Khan broodmares raised an average price of 224,455 Euros, more than double the overall sale average. The 2012 Arqana catalogue features a dozen youngsters representing Aga Khan dams.
The first representative of an Aga Khan Studs maternal line to pass through the Arqana ring will be lot 84. This Danehill Dancer filly is out of Group 3-winning Street Shaana, by Darshaan and out of a Sadler’s Wells mare. Street Shaana was bred by the prestigious breeding operation of the late Jean-Luc Lagardère, which were integrated to that of the Aga Khan Studs in 2005. Already the dam of two winners including dual Listed hurdler Sourabad, she is a half-sister to a three-time Group scorer and to the dam of four black-type performers. The page of this yearling presented by Coulonces Consignment also features Group 1 winner and sire Grape Tree Road.
Lot 120 could be one of the most sought-after yearlings at Deauville and this colt is strongly connected to the Aga Khan Studs, being by Gilltown resident Sea The Stars and out of Gr 1 winner Alpine Rose. This daughter of Linamix hails from a top class Lagardère family, being a full sister to Fragrant Mix (Gr 1), Fracassant (Gr 3), Farfala (Listed) and Fascinating Mix (Listed). After a black-type campaign in 2008, Alpine Rose was sold for 550,000 Euros to Suprina Bloodstock at Arqana’s December sale and went on to Group 1 glory in the Prix Jean Romanet at Deauville as well as a Group 2 success and second place in the Gr 1 Grand Prix de Saint-Cloud. This grey yearling, consigned by the Ecurie des Monceaux, is her first offspring.
Lot 129 is an atypical example of a yearling from an Aga Khan Studs mare as this filly’s dam Ashaninka (Woodman) was bred in America by Keswick Stables. Out of a half-sister to Gr 1 winner and sire Quiet American, Ashaninka won one race in America before joining the Lagardère and then Aga Khan breeding operations. She has produced three winners of a total of eleven races to date, most notably dual Gr 2 victrix Ashalanda (Linamix). Her daughter by Danehill Dancer will be presented by the Haras de Grandcamp.
Updated on 10/08/2012.
