Aga Khan Studs | Horse Racing Free Tips

Seven Days: Jubilation

With Britain en fete in the midst of the Platinum Jubilee festivities, the Oaks and Derby fell slap-bang in the middle of a four-day bank holiday and, despite the absence of Her Majesty the Queen at Epsom, the meeting still offered much cause for celebration.

Sir Michael Stoute is never one to blow his own horn, though he is often heard humming on Newmarket Heath while watching his horses work. And as one of British racing's senior trainers, on the royal roster to boot, he was a most fitting winning trainer for the Cazoo Derby with Desert Crown (GB) (Nathaniel {Ire}), even though, in typically modest fashion, he was quick to refer to the Derby he had 'lost' for The Queen when her Carlton House finished third in 2011.

Never mind that, in winning the Derby for the sixth time, he also became, at the age of 76, the oldest trainer to have done so, taking that particular record from former Newmarket trainer Mat Dawson, who landed the race in 1895, when he was 75, with Sir Visto.

In Richard Kingscote, Stoute appears to have found the perfect jockey for his stable, which previously had such a successful association with the similarly taciturn Ryan Moore. Saturday was a huge day for 35-year-old Kingscote, winning the Derby for the first time on only his second ride in the race, but he enjoyed the moment and accepted the plaudits with endearing humility and complete absence of hoopla.

Interviewed the following morning on Luck On Sunday he was asked how he and Stoute's relationship is developing, replying with a straight-bat delivery of which the trainer would have approved enormously.

“Well, neither of us like to talk much,” he said in deadpan fashion.

It would appear that neither trainer nor jockey will need to do much talking when they have a horse who does that for them. Certainly the stable whispers had grown ahead of the Dante, and Stoute's quiet confidence before and since York was fully vindicated on the most prestigious strip of turf of them all at Epsom.

Desert Crown, with just three impeccable runs to his name, is now as short as 3/1 favourite for the Prix de l'Arc de Triomphe in October. For a trainer so adept with progressive middle-distance horses it seems almost remiss that Stoute has won the Arc just once, in 2010. But when he did, it was with his most recent Derby winner before Saturday, Workforce (GB). That great horse's sire King's Best had also been resident at Stoute's Freemason Lodge stable, and won the 2,000 Guineas for Desert Crown's owner Saeed Suhail. Underlining the trainer's versatility is the fact that the most recent top-class performer he has had for Suhail was the sprinter Dream Of Dreams (Ire) (Dream Ahead), winner of the last year's G1 Diamond Jubilee S. at Royal Ascot.

Nathaniel the Elite

Nathaniel (Ire) entered elite company on Saturday in joining the group of stallions to have sired a Derby and an Oaks winner. Of course his own sire Galileo (Ire) is a fully paid-up member of this group, as are two of his other sons, fellow Derby winner New Approach (GB), sire of Masar (Ire) and Talent (GB), and Frankel (GB), with Adayar (Ire) and Anapurna (GB) to his credit. Galileo's half-brother Sea The Stars (Ire) is also part of this set, courtesy of Harzand (Ire) and Taghrooda (GB), and he enhanced his Epsom roll of honour when Hukum (GB) won Friday's G1 Coronation Cup.

But let's not forget some mighty mares. On Friday at Epsom, both Group 1 winners already had Group 1-winning full-siblings. Hukum, handing his trainer Owen Burrows a first top-level win, is the brother of Baaeed (GB), who is arguably the most exciting horse in training at the moment. Their Listed-winning dam Aghareed provides what appears to be a pretty magical cross for Sea The Stars with Kingmambo, and is herself a daughter of the dual Grade I winner Lahudood (GB) Singspiel {Ire}). Notably, her current 2-year-old, Naqeeb (GB), is by Nathaniel and he will be heading into training with William Haggas. And in Jubilee year it was fitting that the Coronation Cup winner emanated from a family initially developed by the Royal Studs.

Similarly brimming in talent is the family of Oaks winner Tuesday (Ire) (Galileo {Ire}). She became the third Classic winner for her dual Group 1-winning dam Lillie Langtry (Ire) (Danehill Dancer {Ire}) after Minding (Ire) and Empress Josephine (Ire).

Thinking of Josh

Amid all the jubilation on Friday, and a fourth win in the Oaks for Ballydoyle's number one jockey with Tuesday, thoughts also turned to Ryan Moore's brother Josh, who remains in hospital making a steady recovery from serious complications following a race fall on April 16.

“Every day we talk and always the first thing we speak about is Josh, and then everything else leads on from there,” said Aidan O'Brien in the post-race press conference. “We hope and pray that every day Josh makes another little bit of improvement.

“Everyone is very conscious and aware of what the important things are, but Ryan is obviously a very professional person and when he has to do his job he just goes into a different zone. That's his job and we are very grateful to him for doing it.”

London Calling for Derby Runner-up

The Goffs London Sale returns this year after a two-year hiatus and, rather unusually, the catalogue includes a Classic-placed colt.

Hoo Ya Mal (GB) (Territories {Ire}) upheld the faith shown in him by his owner Ahmad Al Shaikh when storming to a second-place finish in the Derby on Saturday at odds of 150/1, and he remains as lot 6 for next Monday's eve-of-Royal Ascot sale, now with a rather significant update to his page.

It was the third year that Al Shaikh had had a Derby runner, with Khalifa Sat (Ire) (Free Eagle {Ire}) also finishing second in 2020, and Youth Spirit (Ire) (Camelot {GB}) running eighth last year.

All three were trained by Andrew Balding, who said of Hoo Ya Mal, a 40,000gns yearling purchase by Federico Barberini, “I have Ahmad Al Shaikh to thank entirely, because I didn't want to run in the race but he insisted.”

Balding also trained the fourth home, Masekela (Ire) (El Kabeir) for Mick and Janice Mariscotti, whose good day at Epsom was augmented by the win of Swilcan Bridge (GB) (Helmet {Aus}) in the opening race. Both Swilcan Bridge and Hoo Ya Mal were bred by the Weinfeld family at Meon Valley Stud, who were also the owner/breeders of the 2019 Oaks winner Anapurna (GB) (Frankel {GB}).

Aga Khan Appreciation Day

There's little let-up in the Classic calendar in Europe at this time of year and no sooner had the smoke cleared from the ill-advised pre-Derby fireworks at Epsom than attention turned to Chantilly for the Prix du Jockey Club.

The British-trained duo of El Bodegon (Ire) (Kodiac {GB}) and Modern Games (Ire) (Dubawi {Ire}) dug deep but could offer no riposte to the streaking home run of the Aga Khan homebred Vadeni (Fr) (Churchill {Ire}).

“It's been quite a day, quite significant,” said the Aga Khan Studs manager in France, Georges Rimaud, as he assessed a magnificent afternoon which featured three stakes winners for the team.

The trio was led by Vadeni, whose victory was significant for a number of reasons, not least because he was the first Classic winner for Coolmore's young Guineas winner Churchill (Ire). For his owner/breeder he represented a ninth victory in the Prix du Jockey Club, and he was the fifth for trainer Jean-Claude Rouget, whose run started back in 2009 with Le Havre (Ire).

Adding to the spoils was Baiykara (Fr), a maiden from two starts prior to Sunday but now a new group winner for her sire Zarak (Fr), who made such a promising start with his first runners last season and was the toast of the autumn and winter sales. It is easy to imagine that the Aga Khan would be thrilled to see Zarak properly succeed at stud as he is of course a son of the mare he considered to be the greatest achievement of his lengthy spell as a breeder, the great Zarkava (Fr), a fifth-generation descendant of Prince Aly Khan's champion, Petite Etoile (GB). As the Aga Khan Studs operation celebrates its centenary this year, Vadeni's success was extremely apposite, but there was more to come for both Zarak and the runners in the green and red.

Francis Graffard is now overseeing the Aga Khan's private training centre at Aiglemont along with his own training operation and, after saddling Baiykara to triumph in the G3 Prix de Royaumont, he struck again with another smart 3-year-old later on the card when Rozgar (Fr) (Exceed And Excel {Aus}) won the Listed Prix Marchand d'Or, giving retained jockey Christophe Soumillon a memorable treble. Rozgar's victory was all the sweeter for his breeder as his dam, the listed-placed Roshanara (Fr), is a daughter of Sea The Stars (Ire), who stands on his Irish roster.

William Haggas, who has his string in sensational form, added to the party by having Zarak's daughter Purplepay (Fr) well primed on just her second start for him and her new owners Roy and Gretchen Jackson of Lael Stable, who paid €2 million for the Group 1-placed juvenile at Arqana in December. She can now have her name displayed in bold black type after a taking victory in the G2 Prix de Sandringham.

“It has been a very nice day: a Group 1, a Group 3 and a Listed race, and three victories with three very different horses,” Rimaud said.

“Vadeni did it very easily beating some very nice horses. He's a true champion and we're very pleased in this centennial year. His Highness and Princess Zahra are obviously very happy but sometimes it just happens like this–it's nice that it has happened this way though because it puts a little focus on what we do. There's a long road ahead but hopefully [Vadeni] will be able to make the stallion roster.”

Aurora Australis

Mare Australis (Ire), the most beautiful deep liver chestnut, has been raced sparingly through his four seasons to date, and a fetlock injury kept him off the track between his G1 Prix Ganay victory in May 2021 and his placed return in the G2 Prix d'Harcourt two months ago.

It was therefore great to see the patience of his owner/breeder Gestut Schlenderhan repaid with a fourth win for the 5-year-old, this time in the G2 Grand Prix de Chantilly. The Arc had been the plan last year until injury intervened, and it remains on the cards this season.

“We breed stayers,” said Philipp von Ullmann, son of Schlenderhan's owner Baron Georg von Ullmann, before adding of winning the Arc, “It's been our dream for 153 years.”

Speaking to TDN for a feature last year, von Ullmann senior recalled his longstanding association with Mare Australis's trainer Andre Fabre.

“The first horse I had with Fabre was Shirocco and I told him at Belmont [at the Breeders' Cup] that it was the beginning of a new friendship,” he said.

“Fabre just really has this feeling. He was very happy when Mare Australis came to him as a 2-year-old, then he called me up and said 'you will be surprised but I will give him a rest and he will say thank you'.”

It was the culmination of a successful week for Mare Australis's sire Australia (GB), after

Ocean Road (Ire) became his fifth Group/Grade 1 winner in the Gamely S at Santa Anita for trainer Brendan Walsh.

Like her trainer, Ocean Road was born and raised in Ireland. She is the second top-flight winner for Kevin and Meta Cullen's broodmare Love And Laughter (Ire) (Theatrical {Ire}). The first came a decade ago when her son Wigmore Hall (Ire) (High Chaparral {Ire}) won the GI Northern Dancer Turf S. for Michael Bell.

Walsh, now in his twelfth season in the U.S., had a good week with European imports. On Sunday at Belmont Park, he sent out Steve Parkin's homebred Lady Rockstar (GB) (Frankel {GB}) for her second successive win in as many starts since moving to his stable from William Haggas over the winter.

The half-sister to Spanish star Noozhoh Canarias (Spa) (Caradak {Ire}) made her breakthrough in England last October when winning a Kempton maiden by 12 lengths. Now four, she looks set for a bright future in the United States.

C:C The Stars

In the first-season sires' championship Havana Grey (GB) is still knocking in the winners and now has 15 to his name at a strike-rate of almost 40%.

But remember Cracksman (GB), who ran once as a 2-year-old in October over a mile, then ran placed in the Derby and Irish Derby before winning four Group 1 races from 10 to 12 furlongs? A son of the reigning champion sire Frankel, Cracksman has had just six runners to date, and four of those have already won.

Darley recently publicised Cracksman's PlusVital Speed Gene rating of C:C, i.e. sprint-orientated, with the adverting streamline “It's all about to happen faster than you think”. So far, so good on that front, as Cracksman has been represented by four winners since May 21.

Speed gene tests are all well and good as an extra guide to a horse's potential but we don't need one to remind us that good, early juveniles can come from seemingly unexpected sources. Let's not forget that Cracksman's stable-mate at Dalham Hall Stud, New Approach (Ire), had three Royal Ascot stakes winners with his first crop of 2-year-olds. That should not have been surprising, however, because as well as winning the Derby he was also champion 2-year-old. Another Classic-winning son of Galileo, Sixties Icon (GB), also took some by surprise with a scorching start when his first 2-year-olds took to the track. And the old boy proved he's still got it by siring Friday's Woodcote S winner, Legend Of Xanadu (GB), trained by Mick Channon – who else?

The moral of the story? It is not just sharp, early 2-year-olds who can sire sharp, early 2-year-olds. But in sires like Cracksman, New Approach and Sixties Icon, there is also clearly the hope of their stock progressing as the seasons unfold. And that's when it gets really exciting.

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Churchill’s Vadeni Swoops In The Jockey Club

One hundred years on from the late Aga Khan III's initial foray into European racing, the internationally-renowned and respected operation were celebrating a momentous Classic victory as the Jean-Claude Rouget-trained Vadeni (Fr) (Churchill {Ire}–Vaderana {Fr}, by Monsun {Ger}) dominated Chantilly's G1 Qatar Prix du Jockey Club. Always travelling easily in the slipstream of the leaders from his favourable inside draw, the May 10 G3 Prix de Guiche winner pounced on the G1 Poule d'Essai des Poulains hero Modern Games (Ire) (Dubawi {Ire}) with 300 metres remaining and a furlong later Christophe Soumillon was already saluting the crowd with the race in safe keeping. At the line, there was a five-length margin back to El Bodegon (Ire) (Kodiac {GB}), the only runner with a lower stall than the winner in one, with the wide-drawn Modern Games an honourable third a short neck behind. The Aga Khan IV now has eight Prix du Jockey Club successes, with this being only the second since the distance was shortened in 2005.

“I am delighted to win for His Highness, as it has been a few years since we made it at the highest level and these prestigious races are so important for his breeding operation,” Soumillon said after steering his fourth winner of the 10 1/2-furlong Classic. “I feel sorry that he and Princess Zahra could not make it to the races today and my first thoughts were for them–I owe them so much and they have been so important in my career. The key to the race this year was to have a good draw and we had the perfect trip. My horse was travelling so easily and when I asked him he was impressive. His preparation had been perfectly planned by Jean-Claude Rouget and today he was at the top of his game.”

Introduced over seven furlongs at La Teste de Buch in July, Vadeni dealt with the eventual Listed Prix Montenica winner Loubeisien (Fr) before heading to Deauville in August to capture the Listed Criterium du Fonds Europeen de l'Elevage over a mile in which the subsequent group 1 performer Times Square (Fr) (Zarak {Fr}) was third. Only third when over-racing as the 2-5 favourite behind El Bodegon in the nine-furlong G3 Prix de Conde on his final juvenile start, the bay returned with a staying-on fifth in the G3 Prix de Fontainebleau at a mile at ParisLongchamp Apr. 17 before it all slotted into place in the Prix de Guiche back here last time.

After the earlier G3 Prix de Royaumont win of the Stud's Baiykara (Fr) (Zarak {Fr}), there was a feeling in the air that this meeting would form some sort of crowning moment for the breeding operation which has its roots in Aga Khan III's 1922 Queen Mary S. success. Even the draw had been kind, twice, with Vadeni faring well the first time the balls were pulled out of the bowl and better at the second attempt. As is often the case in this race, it became a race of the haves and the have-nots in that respect with Soumillon able to cruise and draft with minimal effort and William Buick's hand forced by stall 13. He had to use up fuel on Modern Games to get the 21-10 favourite into the front line, but he made the right call as after the opening two furlongs, the eventual first, second and third were occupying three of the front five positions. TDN Rising Stars Onesto (Ire) (Frankel {GB}) and Lassaut (Fr) (Almanzor {Ire}) and the similarly well-fancied Al Hakeem (GB) (Siyouni {Fr}) were far adrift as the trailing trio at that stage and the die was already cast for them.

Soon into the straight it was clear that those in the rearguard had little chance of getting to the leaders and one glance at the emerald green was enough to predict the outcome. Hard as Modern Games tried, he was losing steam on the rain-softened ground and while his compatriot El Bodegon was wearing him down, by the time they had grafted to a furlong and a half out the race had already slipped out of their grip. It is rare that a jockey is able to begin celebrations so far from the line and only time will tell how Vadeni ranks alongside Desert Crown (GB) (Nathaniel {Ire}), but the fact is that France has a new star and that can only be a good thing where the diversity of the racing game is concerned.

For Rouget, the performance was a clear peak of his grand total of five.”He is the easiest of my Jockey Club winners–he's very good,” he said. I will probably give him a break now and I'll speak to the owner and see what he wants to do. If he wants to go for the Arc, I would suggest running him in the Irish Champion Stakes first and if not, he could still come back in the Irish Champion and head to the Champion Stakes at Ascot as Almanzor did.”

Charlie Appleby is looking to the States now for Modern Games. “I think in the end he didn't quite see out the trip,” he said. “The winner was quite impressive and you could spot him from a long way out. I think on faster ground Modern Games can stay nine or ten and the Belmont Derby or Saratoga Derby are options for him now in America.” James Ferguson said of El Bodegon, “It's so great to see him back on track and I've never been so happy to be second–the winner is a fantastic horse and all credit to him. My horse has beaten everyone else. He wears his heart on his sleeve and tried all the way to the line.”

Vadeni is from the first crop of Churchill {Ire}) and becomes his first Classic and group 1 winner, while he was also giving Monsun his 16th success at this level as a damsire. The dam Vaderana, whose previous five foals include the multiple listed-placed Vadsena (Fr) (Makfi {GB}) and the Australian listed-placed Vadiyann (Fr) (Footstepsinthesand {GB}), is a daughter of the G1 Prix Saint-Alary heroine Vadawina (Ire) (Unfuwain) who produced five black-type performers headed by the G2 Prix du Conseil de Paris scorer Vadamar (Fr) (Dalakhani {Ire}) and the G3 Tyros S. winner and G1 Racing Post Trophy third The Pentagon (Ire) (Galileo {Ire}).

Vadawina is kin to the fellow Saint-Alary heroine Vazira (Fr) (Sea the Stars {Ire}) and the stakes-producing, dual group 3 winner Vadapolina (Fr) (Trempolino), while their dam Vadaza (Fr) (Zafonic) is in turn a half-sister to the G1 Queen Anne S. and G1 Prix d'Ispahan hero Valixir (Ire) (Trempolino) and the listed-winning Celebre Vadala (Fr) (Peintre Celebre) who threw the G1 Prix du Moulin-winning sire Vadamos (Fr) from a mating with Monsun. Also connected to the GI Breeders' Cup Mile hero Val Royal (Fr) (Royal Academy), Vaderana has the unraced 2-year-old colt by Camelot (GB) named Vazirpour (GB).

Sunday, Chantilly, France
QATAR PRIX DU JOCKEY CLUB-G1, €1,500,000, Chantilly, 6-5, 3yo, c/f, 10 1/2fT, 2:06.65, sf.
1–VADENI (FR), 128, c, 3, by Churchill (Ire)
1st Dam: Vaderana (Fr), by Monsun (Ger)
2nd Dam: Vadawina (Ire), by Unfuwain
3rd Dam: Vadaza (Fr), by Zafonic
1ST GROUP 1 WIN. O-H H The Aga Khan; B-H H The Aga Khan's Studs SC (FR); T-Jean-Claude Rouget; J-Christophe Soumillon. €857,100. Lifetime Record: 6-4-0-1, €987,100. *1/2 to Vadsena (Fr) (Makfi {GB}), MSP-Fr; and Vadiyann (Fr) (Footstepsinthesand {GB}), SP-Aus, $140,637. Werk Nick Rating: A+++ *Triple Plus*. Click for the eNicks report & 5-cross pedigree.
2–El Bodegon (Ire), 128, c, 3, Kodiac (GB)–Al Andalyya, by Kingmambo. (70,000gns Ylg '20 TAOCT). O-Nas Syndicate & A F O'Callaghan; B-Cecil & Martin McCracken (IRE); T-James Ferguson. €342,900.
3–Modern Games (Ire), 128, c, 3, Dubawi (Ire)–Modern Ideals (GB), by New Approach (Ire). O/B-Godolphin (IRE); T-Charlie Appleby. €171,450.
Margins: 5, SNK, 1 1/4. Odds: 6.80, 14.00, 2.10.
Also Ran: Al Hakeem (GB), *Onesto (Ire), *Vagalame (Ire), Machete (Fr), Lassaut (Fr), Ancient Rome, Welwal (GB), Mister Saint Paul (Fr), Ivy League (Ire), Imperial Fighter (Ire), The Acropolis (Ire), Yoozuna (Ire). Click for the free Equineline.com catalogue-style pedigree. Video, sponsored by TVG.
*Dead-heated for fifth.

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A Man Of His Time

When the gates open for the G1 Hong Kong Vase on Sunday, Ebaiyra (Distorted Humor) will be bidding to round off her trainer Alain de Royer Dupré's 49-year career with a 94^th Group 1 win.

Now pause. And read that sentence again.

Forty-nine years. Ninety-three Group 1 victories. Almost two per season. And a mind-boggling total of 320 wins at Group level.

Royer Dupré's retirement from the training ranks brings the curtain down on a whole chapter of French and international racing history. It is quite fitting that his final significant runner sets off at Sha Tin's international race meeting, a fixture at which Royer Dupré has been a regular participant. And a successful one, having sent Pride (Fr) (Peintre Celebre) to win the Hong Kong Cup in 2006 and Daryakana (Fr) (Selkirk) to capture the Vase in 2009.

With the benefit of hindsight, it can be argued that Royer Dupré's career has mirrored, or perhaps preceded, the evolution of French racing. From his beginnings in show jumping and eventing to the winner's enclosure of Longchamp, Hollywood Park, Ascot, Woodbine, Flemington, Arlington, The Curragh or Meydan, he has ridden the crest of a wave that carried globalisation, emphasis on speed and the rise of hugely lucrative race meetings worldwide. Back in 1984, on only his second season of training for the Aga Khan, he sent out the G2 winner Lashkari (GB) (Mill Reef) to land the inaugural running of the Breeders' Cup Turf. The relative ease of modern-day overseas travel doesn't do justice to the level of boldness required for a young trainer to undertake such a trip with a 3-year-old back in the 1980s. Twenty-six years later, Royer Dupré again broke new ground by becoming the first French-based trainer, and only the second European, to win the Melbourne Cup.

Boldness is actually a quality that the master trainer half-heartedly concedes to himself, and without which we wouldn't even be having this conversation.

“I started in racing by working on Madame Couturié's Haras du Mesnil for eight years,” he recalls. “I was in an ideal situation to have a career in breeding, but I decided to start up training, which I knew nothing about, because I was missing the competitive aspect of racing. It was this decision that changed my life.”

Royer Dupré began in 1972 with a handful of jumpers in the west of France. He quickly proved successful and topped the regional leader board several times. Having trained some of His Highness's second string there, he made the move to Chantilly in 1981 upon the Aga Khan's invitation, before taking over at the helm of his private training centre of Aiglemont following François Mathet's death two years later. Asked to reflect on racing's changes throughout the half-century he has spent with a licence, he says, “There has certainly been a growing emphasis on shorter distances. The shorter trip of the Prix du Jockey-Club is just one example of this trend. There has also been a move towards using horses earlier, without necessarily giving them the amount of time they require. This is an ongoing trend, which I believe will meet its limits one day.”

Picking up on the first of these tendancies, I point out that the stock of the Aga Khan Studs historically performed over short distances. Those trained by Royer Dupré proved no exception, as the first Group 1 he won for His Highness was the 1100-metre Prix Robert Papin with the 2-year-old filly Masarika (GB) (Thatch), who went on to take the Poule d'Essai des Pouliches.

His reaction is typically insightful. “Indeed there was plenty of speed in the Aga Khan families, although Masarika was not a typical example as she was out of a mare who had been purchased individually,” he concedes. “More speed was brought into the pedigrees through the purchase of Jean-Luc Lagardère's stock, which was rich in American bloodlines. They resulted in Siyouni (Fr), for instance. But to go back to Masarika, her career was only made possible thanks to Yves Saint-Martin's exceptional riding skills. That a horse with so much speed was able to win over mile is a great testimony to his natural ride. He never fought with a horse.”

The acknowledgement of jockeys' contribution is a recurring theme in Royer Dupré's recollection of his accomplishments.

He continues, “Yves Saint-Martin played a major role in the early part of my tenure at Aiglemont. When I took over from François Mathet, I wasn't yet familiar with the training facilities at Chantilly. Galloping horses on the grass was new to me. He taught me an awful lot about these things. He was an outstanding rider and really helped me in producing the best out of every horse. To some extent, Yves's natural, fluid riding reminded me of my equestrian background and of my experience alongside one of the best eventing riders during my military service. Later on, Gérald Mosse would take on a similar role in the Aga Khan stable. He absolutely loved to fine-tune a horse and was brilliant at it.”

Christophe Soumillon is another jockey to have left his mark on Royer Dupré's career.

“When he took up the role as retained jockey for the Aga Khan, it was the first time His Highness was calling upon an apprentice for this position,” says the trainer. “I think his youthful ardour proved a huge benefit for the yard. He had a unique connection with certain horses, starting with Dalakhani (Ire). There was something special between those two.”

The same can arguably be said of the connection between Alain de Royer Dupré and His Highness the Aga Khan, for whom he will have trained a record 43 years.

“I was extremely lucky to meet His Highness”, he says. “The paramount component of his philosophy is that he is a breeder at heart. His horses are trained and raced with the single purpose of selecting the best specimen to breed from. It was always made very clear to me, and all decisions were taken according to this motto. One of the consequences was that I was never rushed to produce a horse, and it placed me in the best possible conditions to succeed. Rushing causes mistakes. A lot of owner nowadays struggle to come to terms with this, and I can understand that it requires a long education for someone without an equestrian background. I remember one of my riding instructors saying 'Perfection does not exist, but to get close to it, one must reach for excellence'. In hindsight, it is a good description of what drove my work over the years. Throughout my career, I have basically seen two ways of training racehorses: you either have a very large number and expect the horses to adapt to the system, or you adapt to every horse. I always trained according to the second method, which is why I never had huge numbers. We usually had between 80 and 90 horses at Aiglemont, and around 60 in my personal yard.”

Those numbers were even lower when Royer Dupré took up the Aga Khan job, as France was a smaller part of the operation back then.

“Things were quite different when I started up at Aiglemont,” he recalls. “Ninety-five per cent of the horses were bred in Ireland at the time, and I was the only French-based trainer. It is really as a consequence of the successive purchases of the operations of Marcel Boussac, François Dupré and then Jean-Luc Lagardère that the French studs developed and became more influential. But apart from that, there was a lot of continuity in the way things were done. In a recent video, His Highness said that I had been present to 'maintain the stable's level', and I am happy to be remembered for this accomplishment.”

His own, uncontested highlight remains the faultless campaigning of Zarkava (Fr) (Zamindar), a filly “who didn't stand out physically but was incredibly talented”.

“To me, Zarkava was the culmination of the Aga Khan's endeavour,” he says. “She traces back to the greatest mares in Mumtaz Mahal and Petite Etoile, but when Zarkava arrived in the yard, this family had gone quiet, it was almost extinct. It took the Aga Khan a lot of patience to sustain this family, and for Zarkava to achieve what she did was the perfect outcome. It really is what breeding is about.”

The evocation of breeding's purpose brings us to the evolution of the breed, another oft-debated topic, and I am keen to find out what kind of changes Royer Dupré observed in his extended career.

“The growing emphasis on speed has shaped the breed differently, that is for sure”, he notes. “The result hasn't always been positive though, and we are seeing more and more horses with a heavy back end and a tendency to be upright, which doesn't suit our turf tracks. Talking about tracks, I believe that the growing number of fixtures is proving detrimental to the horses. I hear some people argue that today's horses are more fragile and there might some truth in this assertion, but my view is that overused tracks are responsible for a lot of injuries. We start our morning routine very early in order to gallop our horses on fresh turf. On the racecourse, you don't have that opportunity.”

Another fitting testimony of Royer Dupré's capacity to evolve in harmony with his time comes in the fact that he took over at Aiglemont from François Mathet, then very much the incarnation of the racehorse trainer, and will be succeeded by his former assistant Francis-Henri Graffard, who arguably embodies the figure of the modern horse trainer.

I ask him what his final words to his successor will be, and he replies with a smile, “I still have a few days on my hands to think about them, but I will basically share with him the guidelines I have followed for 49 years: all methods are interesting, as long as you don't diverge from the fundamentals, that is to say the rules of nature.”

What will Alain de Royer Dupré be up to after these words have been spoken and the baton handed over?

“I will tack up my hack and go for a ride around Les Aigles”, he says happily. “After so many years of being head down into my job, I am excited to be able to take a step back and watch all aspects of racing, including breeding and training, from a different perspective. I will also try to make up for the time I didn't spend with my family. A trainer's family does suffer. One of my daughters is in show jumping at a high level and I am looking forward to getting more involved with her.”

Whether in his work or in retirement, excellence remains the objective for Alain de Royer Dupré.

The post A Man Of His Time appeared first on TDN | Thoroughbred Daily News | Horse Racing News, Results and Video | Thoroughbred Breeding and Auctions.

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Vibrant Goffs November Sale Concludes

The level of trade during Saturday's second and final session of the Goffs November Breeding Stock Sale was meant to take a step down following Friday's electric marquee session, but Baroda Stud's 3-year-old Galileo (Ire) filly Loyal (Ire) (lot 1406) ensured there was still a six-figure bidding battle, with the dust eventually settling in favour of Ballylinch Stud–who bred the filly and raced her in partnership with Susan Magnier and Michael Tabor–for €280,000, the highest price achieved on the second day of the Breeding Stock sale for 15 years.

Loyal ran four times this season for trainer Aidan O'Brien. She is the first foal out of Chartreuse (Ire) (Lawman {Fr}), the listed-winning and multiple group-placed mare purchased by Ballylinch from Highclere Stud for 825,000gns at Tattersalls December in 2016. Chartreuse is a granddaughter of Mahalia (Ire) (Danehill), whose descendants include the Group 1-winning brothers Ectot (GB) and Most Improved (Ire); G3 Nell Gwyn S. and G1 1000 Guineas third Daban (Ire), and Purplepay (Fr) (Zarak {Fr}), who doesn't appear on the page but was third in the G1 Criterium International after the publication of the catalogue. Chartreuse's 2-year-old filly Expand The Map (Ire) (Dark Angel {Ire}) is in America, having been bought by Mike Ryan for 230,000gns as a yearling last year, and she finished second in the Klaravich silks in her lone start at Saratoga in July to none other than the GI Breeders' Cup Juvenile Fillies Turf winner Pizza Bianca (Fastnet Rock {Aus}). Chartreuse has a yearling filly by Dubawi (Ire) that was a 370,000gns buyback at Tattersalls October this year and a filly foal by Lope De Vega (Ire).

“Her dam is a lovely young mare and everybody knows how good Galileo is as a broodmare sire and some of his daughters who didn't perform on the track have gone on to be good broodmares,” said John O'Connor, managing director of Ballylinch Stud. “It could all still happen for her in the next few years and we will observe with interest what happens around the family.”

The 2021 renewal of the Goffs November Breeding Stock Sale produced results not seen at the auction since the heady days of the Wildenstein Dispersal in 2016 and the Paulyn Dispersal in 2013. The sale was back up to two days this year from one in 2020, making direct comparisons inexact, but there is no denying nonetheless the strength of the past two days. A total of 371 fillies and mares were sold (81%) for €16,219,300, up from the €5,490,600 accrued from 174 sales last year. The average jumped 38% to €43,718, while the median was up 26% to €17,000. Though Alcohol Free's dam Plying (Hard Spun) was the star of the show at €825,000, there was incredible demand for the offerings from Derrinstown Stud, Godolphin and the Aga Khan Studs.

Combining last week's four-day foal sale with the Breeding Stock Sale, 1,106 horses changed hands (82%) for €41,827,300. Last year, 656 were sold for €23,069,200. The average across the two sales climbed 7.4% to €37,819, and the median was up 11% to €20,000.

“Thank you,” said Goffs Group Chief Executive Henry Beeby upon conclusion of trade. “It's no secret that Ireland, Irish bloodstock and, by association, Goffs have endured a torrid time over the last while, and so it has been most uplifting to host a sale of such vibrancy, strength, depth and consistency over the last six days. For that we firstly have our vendors to thank and, as ever, we are indebted to each one of them for their support of our sale.

“We commented on a superb Foal Sale on Thursday, but even that amazing trade almost paled into insignificance when compared to the electric atmosphere of our Breeding Stock Sale, most especially yesterday although today's top price is the highest for the session in 15 years. We knew that we had assembled the best catalogue for many years as so many major breeding entities had drafts of note but the tempo, enthusiasm and hunger to buy was just breathtaking as a huge cast of international buyers, both in person and online, battled for mare after mare to highlight the enduring attraction of the best Irish bloodlines. The class of 2021 will disperse around the globe as international breeders tap into the class and quality that was offered, whilst it was also heartening to see so many local stud farms investing in the future.

“Goffs November has long held a significant place in the calendar and the last week has only underlined its importance to Irish breeders, who sell with us safe in the knowledge that they will always get that little bit more, as well as international buyers who are attracted to Ireland by the quality on offer, together with the unique welcome they receive from the Goffs team and our colleagues at Irish Thoroughbred Marketing. Indeed, a trip to Goffs is of course for business but our teams always go out of their way to make it enjoyable at the same time. So our thanks to everyone who has walked through our famous gates this week. Nothing is possible without their patronage and we truly value every lot and each bid.”

Aga Khan, Derrinstown Demand Endures

Offerings from the Aga Khan Studs were popular during Friday's session, and that trend continued on Saturday, with that draft accounting for the second and third highest prices, both 3-year-old fillies. Richie Fitzsimons of BBA Ireland signed at €80,000 for the unraced Rayagara (Ire) (Dark Angel {Ire}) (lot 1349), a daughter of the G2 Debutante S. winner Raydara (Ire) (Rock Of Gibraltar {Ire}) and half-sister to G3 Derrinstown Stud 1000 Guineas Trial third Ridenza (Ire) (Sea The Stars {Ire}).

“Mystery Angel, who was second in the Oaks this year, is out of a Dark Angel mare so the cross is an exciting one. She is a nice filly and the mare has already produced a Group 3-placed filly rated 96 with her first runner,” Fitzsimons said.

Tally-Ho Stud, meanwhile, scooped up the twice-placed Sunniyra (Ire) (Zoffany {Ire}) (lot 1351) for €68,000. She is out of the G3 Derrinstown Stud Derby Trial second Summaya (Ire) (Azamour {Ire}), from the extended family of her breeder's Derby winner Sinndar (Ire).

The late Sheikh Hamdan's Derrinstown Stud was the clear leading vendor at the Goffs November Breeding Stock Sale, culling 40 for €4,508,000. Derrinstown had accounted for five of the top seven lots on Friday and its top seller on Saturday was the winning Shaaqaaf (Ire) (Sepoy {Aus}) (lot 1338), who was sold in foal to first-season covering sire Mohaather (GB) for €60,000 to Tipper House. The 7-year-old Shaaqaaf is out of the listed-winning Burke's Rock (GB) (Cape Cross {Ire}). Also hitting the €60,000 mark was Marlhill House Stud's 6-year-old Clifftop Dancer (Ire) (Canford Cliffs {Ire}) (lot 1356), who was scooped up by Holloway Thoroughbreds. The half-sister to group winners Bankable (Ire) and Cheshire (GB) is carrying her second foal, by Fastnet Rock (Aus), after producing a Highland Reel (Ire) filly this year.

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