Wednesday 2 May 2012
Aga Khan-bred horses have been busy across the globe and under both codes in recent days, demonstrating once again the versatility of the breeding operation.
SOURABAD has been something of a revelation in French jumping circles in 2012, and the four-year-old son of Halling has now won two valuable Listed contests. A winner on the flat on his debut for Alain de Royer Dupré at three, SOURABAD was sold privately last summer to join trainer Patricia Butel and pursue a career over jumps. After a pair of seconds over hurdles at Cagnes-sur-Mer in January, he won his second Listed handicap at Auteuil on Saturday and has earned over 100,000 Euros in prize money. SOURABAD is out of high-class stayer Street Shaana (Darshaan) who lifted the Gr 3 Prix de Lutèce.
ZAIDPOUR and Mourad are already multiple Group winners over hurdles in Ireland for Willie Mullins and the pair were both placed in championship contests during the Punchestown Festival. Group 1 and three-time Group 2 scorer ZAIDPOUR put up an excellent performance to take second place behind stablemate Hurricane Fly in the Gr 1 Punchestown Champion Hurdle. A son of Red Ransom and Prix de Diane heroine Zainta (Kahyasi), ZAIDPOUR was bought by Pierre Boulard on behalf of Susannah Ricci for 80,000 Euros at Arqana’s Arc sale in 2009. Mourad cost 80,000 Guineas at Doncaster in 2008 and he has gone on to win a hat-trick of Group 2 events and one Group 3 for Teahon Consulting Ltd. The son of Sinndar finished a solid third in the Gr 1 World Series Hurdle at Punchestown and could now be aimed for Auteuil where he finished fourth in the Grande Course de Haies last season.
On the flat, MANIGHAR has made a name for himself as a leading middle distance performer in Australia this season with an historic Group 1 treble. He added a Group 1 second to his roll of honour on Saturday when filling the runner-up spot in the Queen Elizabeth Stakes at Randwick. The son of Linamix is now likely to be campaigned towards the Cox Plate in October.
Updated on 02/05/2012.
