The Aga Khan Studs has five high achievers at Royal Ascot, and it’s the high-rolling Candelari who is the new staying sensation for the historic Ascot Gold Cup.
Run over 2m4f on the Thursday of this Royal Meeting at Ascot, it’s the stepping-down of Gold Cup immortals Kyprios and Stradivarius that has invited two 4yo budding champions.
Priced as the $4.20 pick with Australia wide agencies, Candelari certainly stamped his class with a 3½ length victory when stepping-up to Group 1 class in the Prix Vicomtesse Vigier of 3100m.
“This was a proper Group 1 test and I think he’s a champion at this trip,” said trainer Francis Graffard “as he’s in the Ascot Gold Cup, and you know I like to challenge when it presents itself.”
The winner of three from four starts this season as a 4yo, he won his only start last year by 8½ lengths over 2700m at Chantilly, and being a gelding is home-bred by the Aga Khan Studs.
Sired by the great racehorse and sire Frankel, he’s half-brother to Group 1 placed and dual Group 2 winner Candartiya, the dam of Group 3 winner Candala and SW and Prix de Diane third Cankoura.
Being from the Barathea mare Candara, she now has a yearling colt by Grand Prix de Saint-Cloud winner Zarak, a colt foal by Vadeni, the Prix du Jockey Club winner, and mated to Erevann this year.
In drawing Barrier 4 of 8 runners, and with Mickael Barzalona again in the saddle, it’s fellow 4yo Illinois as the $2.60 race favourite with Ryan Moore coming off victory in the Ormonde Stakes.
Already a Classic ‘high achiever’, the Poule d’Essai des Pouliches heroine Zarigana is $3.25 favourite for the Coronation Stakes of 1 mile on Day 4, Friday, and ridden by Mickael Barzalona.
Being awarded the Pouliches on protest, when a nose behind British visitor Shes Perfect on the line, she emulated her granddam Zarkava winning both the Prix de la Grotte and the Pouliches.
With Zarigana being the 100th individual Group 1 winner since the Aga Khan IV took over the operation in 1960, it was Princess Zahra Aga Khan saying “I’m so, so happy for my father.”
In being home-bred by the Aga Khan Studs’ Haras de Bonneval’s based French champion sire Siyouni, her stakes winning Frankel dam Zarkamiya is half-sister to their popular young sire Zarak.
As winner of the Grand Prix de Saint-Cloud and second in the Prix du Jockey Club, it’s Zarak’s pedigree crossing of his sire Dubawi that’s highly respected, and shares selling for €800,000 at auction.
Also on Friday, Francis Graffard has the 3yo Blue Point filly Rayevka at $19 for the Commonwealth Cup of 6f, with Mickael Barzalona to jump from 10 of 22 runners, and is a listed winner.
Four races later, it’s Irish trainer John Murtagh who has the Night of Thunder 3yo Zahraan in the ‘green’ at $6.50 for the King Edward VII Stakes, the Ascot Derby, of 1m4f, and ridden by Ben Coen.
However, there was no joy for the 3yo colt Asmardni who finished down the track as the $5 joint favourite in the Queen’s Vase, with the winner Carmers trained in Ireland by Paddy Twomey.
Previously second in the Hocquart Stakes, a disappointed Mickael Barzalona stated, “He was slowly away from a wide draw in stall 13, and was therefore unable to obtain a prominent position.”
In being from the family of top-line sires Azamour, The Autumn Sun and Arazan, he’s the best of his Arc de Triomphe and Prix du Jockey Club sire Sottsass, now standing at the Shizunai Stallion Station in Japan.
As half-brother to the Aga Khan’s own 2005 European Champion Older Male Azamour and Arazan, his half-sister is the dam of highly popular five-time Group 1 sire The Autumn Sun in Australia.
And with Day 1 of Royal Ascot being run and won, it was victory for Melbourne Cup-winning jockey Mark Zahra in scoring a half-head victory in the opening event, the Queen Anne Stakes.
Slowly away at the start, and racing behind the field in this 1 mile event, Mark had last year’s race second Docklands going for home at the 3 furlongs and defeat the race favourite Rosallion.
Owned by Australian-based syndicators OTI Racing and trained by Harry Eustace at Newmarket, it was ‘Aussie’ Mark Zahra who admitted, “Everyone kept scaring me about the whip rules, so I thought it was easier just to throw it away at the 200!”
Punters following the Aga Khan runners in the Ascot Gold Cup, Coronation Stakes, and other features at Royal Ascot can find the sharpest markets at the best betting sites Australia.
