Cankoura

2022 grey. f. Persian King - Candarliya (Dalakhani)

Trained by Francis-Henri Graffard

Cankoura inherited her grey colouring from dam Candarliya, a Group 2 wining daughter of Dalakhani who was also runner-up in the Gr.1 Prix Vermeille.

From the first crop of Persian King, Cankoura is a half-sister to three other winners, including Group 3 winner Candala and Stakes-placed Carini.

Cankoura made her two-year-old debut towards the back end of 2024, winning on her second attempt at Chantilly.

She returned to the track with aplomb at three, winning her seasonal debut by nine lengths. On her first try at Stakes level, she finished an admirable fourth, not far behind the winner, but two weeks later achieved her first piece of black type when winning the Listed Prix Finlande at Chantilly by a length. She had earned her chance in the Gr.1 Prix de Diane, where she ran an excellent race to finish third.

Thereafter it was back to winning ways for the classy grey in the Gr.3 Prix de Psyche at Deauville. “She's a lovely filly in the sense that she's become more professional with her races. She breaks well and really settles now and she's just a very straightforward filly,” confirmed Racing Manager Nemone Routh after the success.

Cankoura was given a break after finishing down the field in the Gr.1 Prix Jean Romanet in August 2025. She made an encouraging return in May 2026, finishing fourth in the Gr.3 Prix Allez France. A voyage across the Atlantic followed as Cankoura made the trip to Saratoga with stablemate Mandanaba. Here, she ran a great race to finish second by a head to Portfolio Duration in the Gr.1 New York Stakes. 

She returned race fit and the following month got back to winning ways with a comfortable victory in the Listed Prix de la Pepinière at Chantilly.