Alain de Royer-Dupre | Horse Racing Free Tips

Invincible Spirit Filly A New Rising Star

Parislongchamp's Prix de la Michodiere for unraced fillies was the last race on the card on Thursday and it could be that the mile contest staged in gloom unearthed a future luminary as The Aga Khan's Dolia (Fr) (Invincible Spirit {Ire}) earned TDN Rising Star status. Awkwardly away from the stalls, the second foal out of the G1 Dubai Sheema Classic heroine Dolniya (Fr) (Azamour {Ire}) was keen early tracking the tepid tempo set by the Niarchos Family's La Fiamma (War Front). Green throughout, the imposing bay was able to gain the lead from that granddaughter of Six Perfections (Fr) (Celtic Swing {GB}) with ease 300 metres from the line and only required hand riding to register a cosy length success as the 13-10 favourite. There was another two-length margin back to the modest purchase Romanosa (GB) (Holy Roman Emperor {Ire}) and the time was unimpressive even allowing for the very soft ground, but the manner of the winner's performance suggested she could go places with her regal pedigree. Still holding a June 20 G1 Prix de Diane entry, the Alain de Royer-Dupre-trained homebred from the family of Daylami (Ire) and Dalakhani (Ire) is already a step ahead of her dam who was beaten first time out but who had three starts later won the G2 Prix de Malleret and Listed Prix Melisande.

Dolniya, who beat Flintshire (GB) (Dansili {GB}) by 2 1/4 lengths in the 2015 Sheema Classic, was also placed third in the G1 Prix Vermeille and G1 Grand Prix de Saint-Cloud and was runner-up in the G1 Coronation Cup. Her first foal Dilawar (Ire), a gelding by Dubawi (Ire), made his belated debut a winning one at Strasbourg last week for the same stable while her 2-year-old colt is by Siyouni (Fr). She is a granddaughter of the operation's outstanding matriarch Daltawa (Ire) (Miswaki), who produced two brilliant Classic winners in the aforementioned Daylami and Dalakhani, with the former going on to excel on the international stage as European horse of the year and champion grass horse in the States courtesy of victories in the G1 King George VI and Queen Elizabeth Diamond S., G1 Eclipse S., G1 Coronation Cup, G1 Irish Champion S., GI Breeders' Cup Turf and GI Man o' War S. Dalakhani captured the G1 Prix du Jockey Club and G1 Prix de l'Arc de Triomphe before making a successful career at stud, while two other notables out of Daltawa were the G3 Prix du Palais-Royal winner Dalghar (Fr) (Anabaa) and the dual group 1-placed Daymarti (Ire) (Caerleon).

Daylami's full-sister Daltaiyma (Ire) produced the G3 Prix de la Grotte scorer Daltaya (Fr) (Anabaa), who was in turn responsible for the G1 Prix de l'Opera, G2 Prix de Royallieu and G2 Middleton S. winner Dalkala (Giant's Causeway). The latter's unraced half-sister Doulmera (Mr. Greeley) is the dam of this year's G2 Sweet Embrace S. winner Four Moves Ahead (Aus) (Snitzel {Aus}) and of Emeralds (Aus) (Sebring {Aus}) who captured last year's G3 Bentley Angst S.

7th-Parislongchamp, €27,000, Debutantes, 5-20, 3yo, f, 8fT, 1:50.82, vs.
DOLIA (FR), by Invincible Spirit (Ire)
1st Dam: Dolniya (Fr) (Hwt. Older Mare-UAE at 11-14f, G1SW-UAE, GSW & MGS1P-Fr, G1SP-Eng, $4,225,405), by Azamour (Ire)
2nd Dam: Daltama (Ire), by Indian Ridge (Ire)
3rd Dam: Daltawa (Ire), by Miswaki
O-H H Aga Khan; B-S A Aga Khan (FR); T-Alain de Royer-Dupre. Lifetime Record: 1-1-0-0, €13,500. Click for the Racing Post result or the free Equineline.com catalogue-style pedigree. Video, sponsored by TVG.

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Dalakhani Dies At 21

The Aga Khan’s Dalakhani (Ire) (Darshaan {GB}), the Champion Three-Year-Old and Horse of the Year in 2003, died on Friday in retirement at Haras d’Ouilly at the age of 21.

Expertly trained by Alain de Royer Dupre, the half-brother to Daylami (Ire) (Doyoun {GB}) sailed through his three starts at two, breaking his maiden at Deauville in August before graduating swiftly to group company and wins in the G3 Prix des Chenes and G1 Criterium International. But it was his 3-year-old season which would set him apart, and in nine career starts only one horse ever got the better of him: the fellow Aga Khan homebred Alamshar (Ire), in the Irish Derby on Dalakhani’s sole start outside France.

Prior to that he had started his season in the G2 Prix Greffulhe and went on to win the now-defunct G1 Prix Lupin at Longchamp in May before his dazzling turn of foot was seen to full effect in the Prix du Jockey Club.

Sent off favourite at the Curragh on his next start in the Irish Derby, with Alamshar sporting the old brown-and-green hooped colours of the Aga Khan, Dalakhani raced in isolation in the early stages, stranded between two Ballydoyle pacemakers setting a fierce tempo up front as the rest of the field remained adrift. As the front-runners weakened, Dalakhani cruised to the lead with Alamshar travelling ominously well at his shoulder. The two Aga Khan colts soon pulled well clear of the field to engage in an epic battle for the spoils, with Dalakhani half a length down at the post.

Freshened up through the summer with the Arc in mind, the grey colt returned triumphant, beating Doyen (GB) in the G2 Prix Niel, before becoming his breeder’s third of four winners of the Prix de l’Arc de Triomphe, with High Chaparral (Ire) back in third.

Following this final race of his career, the Aga Khan said of Dalakhani, “He’s outstanding on the basis of what we’ve seen as a 2-year-old, 3-year-old, over all distances and on all going. It’s very difficult to make comparisons, but this horse has a concentration of unusual talents, and that’s what gives him the ability to accelerate when he needs to accelerate, to follow a pace when he needs to follow a pace, and to handle all goings.”

Dalakhani was out of the listed-winning Miswaki mare Daltawa (Ire), whose three sons to stand at stud include Dalghar (Ire) (Anabaa) along with the aforementioned top-class campaigner Daylami. One of the few remaining conduits of the Mill Reef line during his time at Gilltown Stud, Dalakhani’s tenure there reaped 10 Group 1 winners, including his fellow Prix du Jockey Club victor Reliable Man (GB), who now stands at Germany’s Gestut Rottgen, and the Irish Oaks winner Moonstone (Ire). His son Conduit (Ire) was a top-class performer for Ballymacoll Stud, winning the St Leger before heading to Santa Anita to win the GI Breeders’ Cup Turf, a race he claimed two years in succession. Dalakhani’s most recent Group 1 winner was Defoe (Ire), who landed the Coronation Cup for his breeder Sheikh Mohammed Obaid Al Maktoum.

Dalakhani was retired from covering duties in 2016 and, in recent years, he has enjoyed a decent level of success as a broodmare sire, most notably through champion 2-year-old Pinatubo (Ire) (Shamardal). His Classic-winning daughter Moonstone is the dam of G3 Chester Vase winner and Derby runner-up US Army Ranger (Ire) (Galileo {Ire}), while last season’s G2 Dante S. winner Thunderous (Ire) (Night of Thunder {Ire}) and seven-time Grade 1-winning hurdler Nichols Canyon (Ire) (Authorized {Ire}) are also out of Dalakhani mares.

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Daughter of Zarkava Prevails in Compiegne Debut

His Highness The Aga Khan’s hitherto unraced Zaykava (Fr) (Siyouni {Fr}), a daughter of unbeaten MG1SW European Zarkava (Ire) (Zamindar), was the main focus of attention for Wednesday’s Prix du Cochet, a 10-furlong heat for newcomers, on a low-key card at Compiegne and duly obliged as the well-backed 7-5 favourite.

5th-Compiegne, €20,000, Mdn, 7-1, unraced 3yo, 10fT, 2:11.10, sf.
ZAYKAVA (FR) (f, 3, Siyouni {Fr}–Zarkava {Ire} {Horse of the Year-Eur, Ch. 3yo Filly-Eur, Hwt. 2yo Filly-Fr & MG1SW-Fr, $4,793,989}, by Zamindar) was the main focus of attention for this low-key encounter and duly obliged as the well-backed 7-5 choice. The March-foaled bay was swiftly into stride and headed a group of three on the wide outside before rejoining the main body of the field in second at the end of the backstraight. Sent wide underneath the stands’ side fence to launch her challenge off the home turn, she locked horns with Animal Fever (Animal Kingdom) passing the quarter-mile pole and kept on well under whipless cajoling to deny that rival by an ultimately comfortable 2 1/2 lengths. She becomes the fourth winner from as many runners out of unbeaten MG1SW European Horse of the Year Zarkava (Ire) (Zamindar) and the homebred bay is kin to G1 Grand Prix de Saint-Cloud hero Zarak (Fr) (Dubawi {Ire}), stakes-winning G1 Prix Vermeille third Zarkamiya (Fr) (Frankel {GB}), the hitherto unraced 2-year-old colt Zaskar (Fr) (Sea the Stars {Ire}) and a yearling filly by Dubawi (Ire). Lifetime Record: 1-1-0-0, €10,000. Video, sponsored by Fasig-Tipton.
1ST-TIME STARTER. O-H H The Aga Khan; B-H H The Aga Khan’s Studs SC (FR); T-Alain de Royer-Dupre.

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