Siyouni, Sea The Stars and Zarak all well represented. The first major yearling sale of 2022 gets underway later this week with the Arqana August Sale, and as usual the Aga Khan Studs sires are represented by a choice of well-bred individuals.

It is just seven years since Siyouni’s first three-year-olds, conceived at a fee of €7,000, began to make waves, thanks not least to his triple Group 1-winning daughter Ervedya, whose victories included the Poule d'Essai des Pouliches. She was followed by Laurens, who counts the 2018 Prix de Diane among her six top-level wins. Every year since, Siyouni has come up with a new Classic winner, a feat unique to just him and the late Galileo. In 2022 Txope became the latest when taking the German 1000 Guineas under a hands and heels ride. She later topped the Arqana Summer Sale, selling for €1.2 million.

Two of Siyouni’s Classic winners – Sottsass and Dream And Do - went through the Arqana August sales ring, and this year sees another exciting group representing France’s leading sire. These yearlings, conceived at a fee of €100,000, include brothers to the aforementioned Sottsass and Txope, as well as relations to African Rose, Alexandrova, Hermosa, Hydrangea, Lope De Vega, Giofra, Magical Romance, Midday, Native Trail, Nebraska Tornado, Prudenzia, Seventh Heaven, Westover and Yibir.

Sea The Stars is in the midst of another fantastic year, not least thanks to his unbeaten superstar son Baaeed, currently the world’s highest-rated racehorse thanks to his trio of Group 1 victories over a mile. His daughters meanwhile have been responsible for producing, among others, the Group 1 winner Onesto and Group 2 winner and Group 1 placed My Prospero.

Of all the European stallions, only two have had more Stakes winners than Sea The Stars this season to date. He reliably produces top class horses over a range of distances year after year, and in 2022 his list of yearlings at Arqana are another quality draft, featuring relations to the likes of Alexandrova, Channel, Chicquita, Cloth Of Stars, Invincible Spirit, Just The Judge, Lope De Vega, Magna Grecia, Mishriff, Shamardal, Soviet Song, St Mark’s Basilica and Ulysses.

This time last year, Zarak’s first crop of two-year-olds were starting to hit the radar. By the end of 2021, Zarak, a son of Dubawi and Zarkava, was the leading first season sire in France across all measures, and the leading first season sire in Europe by percentage of juvenile winners to runners.

Zarak has continued that momentum into 2022, heading the European second-crop sires list with his percentage of blacktype horses to runners and second on that list by European prize money. Among his stars this year are Gr.2 Prix de Sandringham winner Purplepay (also Group 1 placed as a two-year-old), La Parisienne, second by a short neck to Nashwa in the Gr.1 Prix de Diane, and Listed winner and Group 2 runner-up Zagrey – all of whom went through the ring as yearlings at the Arqana Select Sale, as it was in 2020.

He has also sired another Classic performer in Times Square, as well as Group 3 winners Baiykara and Lavello and Listed winner Haya Zark this season.