Tuesday 30 July 2013
Prolific Group scorer Dank headed a trio of recent Stakes winners to highlight the quality of their Aga Khan Studs maternal lines. Dank, a four-year-old daughter of Dansili, is from a top-class Aga Khan family, as her dam MASSKANA (Darshaan) is herself out of Poule D’Essai des Pouliches and Prix Robert Papin winner Masarika. MASSKANA was successful on three occasions during her racing career before being sold at Tattersalls back in 1994 for 48,000 Guineas. The half-sister to Group 2 scorer Massyar (Kahyasi) has gone on to produce a host of top class performers including Gr 1 Hong Kong Cup winner Eagle Mountain and Gr 1 Prix Marcel Boussac victrix Sulk.
When picking up the Gr 2 Kilboy Estate Stakes, the Sir Michael Stoute-trained Dank was registering a third Group victory for her owner and breeder James Wigan. She is now likely to attempt to emulate her siblings with a Group 1 success.
The easy winner of Deauville’s Gr 3 Prix de Psyché, Tasaday (Nayef) is the first offspring of dual Gr 3 victrix TASHELKA (Mujahid) who was bred by the Aga Khan Studs but raced for Sheikh Mohammed Al Maktoum after having been sold for €17,000 at the Arqana 2007 February Sale. TASHELKA is a half-sister to Listed winner and Group 1 third Tashkandi, out of the Group-placed Tashiriya (Kenmare). Her talented daughter Tasaday won the Gr 3 Prix des Réservoirs as a juvenile and finished third and fourth respectively in the Gr 1 Poule d’Essai des Pouliches and Prix de Diane during this campaign for trainer André Fabre.
Successful in the Listed Winkfield Stakes at Ascot, two-year-old Washaar hails from the family of Darshaan. The son of Kodiac is out of placed mare DABTIYRA (Dr Devious) who was sold for just 25,000 Euros at Goffs. Trained by Richard Hannon for Sheikh Hamdan Al Maktoum, Washaar has not put a foot wrong to date, winning two of his three races and finishing third in the Gr 2 Superlative Stakes. He now holds entries in the Gr 2 Royal Lodge Stakes and Champagne Stakes.
Updated on 30/07/2013.
