Group 1 winner Zarak to join Siyouni in covering to southern hemisphere time

An encouraging start at stud and the growing global power of Australian breeders has led the Aga Khan Studs to make Group 1-winning stallion Zarak available for covers on southern hemisphere time this year. 

A son of champion sire Dubawi, Zarak will join dual French champion sire Siyouni in being available for southern hemisphere breeders, as Aga Khan seeks to cater for an Australasian market that is now globally at the forefront. 

Zarak, the winner of the Grand-Prix de Saint Cloud and who finished runner-up in the Prix du Jockey Club at three behind fledgling Cambridge Stud stud sire Almanzor, has sired 11 individual stakes winners from his first two crops, for a stakes-winners-to-runners strike-rate of 9.6 per cent. 

His leading European runners include Prix de Sandringham winner and Group 1 placegetter Purplepay, as well as, from his second crop, Crown Princesse, who has won at Group 3 level and placed third in last month’s Prix Saint-Alary. 

A name that could become familiar to Australian audiences in the months to come is last year’s French 1,000 Guineas placegetter Times Square, a daughter of Zarak who has had two runs for Ciaron Maher and David Eustace. 

Georges Rimaud, manager of French studs at Aga Khan, believes Zarak, who will be made available at a fee of €40,000 to southern hemisphere time, provides Australian breeders with a unique opportunity to access some of the very best genetics the stud has to offer. 

Haras de Bonneval's champion Siyouni is also available to Australasian breedersCredit: Zuzanna Lupa

The stallion is out of the unbeaten, five-time Group 1 winner Zarkava who, in addition to Zarak, is the dam of Listed winners Zaykava and Zarkamiya. 

“This sire is posting tremendous statistics in Europe,” Rimaud told ANZ Bloodstock News.

“We feel that, as a stallion station presenting quality stallions with great genetic potential, having Zarak available to southern hemisphere breeders represents an opportunity to perhaps diversify a little bit and possibly use this horse. 

“He is relatively young, with only two crops to race, and the stats are such that he’s definitely worth considering.

“If we have the right horse – pedigree, performance, physical – we will give it a shot to southern hemisphere time, and Australians know that. It would be silly to miss the use of this horse while he is still young and affordable. If he continues on the same trend, he’s going to become a very valuable stallion.”

In an Australian industry enveloped by a thirst for speed, Zarak’s race record, which saw him earn four wins from 13 starts and stakes races at between 2000 and 2400 metres, might not immediately appeal to breeders Down Under, however Rimaud noted the horse’s ‘great acceleration’ and potential to inject speed from Australian mares as a possible avenue for breeders to exploit, while also citing the success in Australia of stallions such as Sea The Stars – a stakes winner from a mile to a mile and a half – as reasons to utilise Zarak. 

The growth in global influence of the Australian breeder is also a key factor in Aga Khan’s decision to make Zarak available to southern hemisphere time. 

Australians have invested significantly in bloodstock in Europe in recent years, with one such example being the purchase of Bumbasina for 75,000gns by Western Australian breeder Peter Walsh at the 2018 Tattersalls July Sale. The mare was subsequently put in foal to Siyouni, producing Northerly Stakes winner Amelia’s Jewel. 

George Rimaud: "If we have the right horse, we'll give it a shot to southern hemisphere time"Credit: Edward Whitaker

“It’s only natural these days to think about Australia when you want to market a stallion. You can see it with other operators, be it Darley, Coolmore or others, when they have the opportunity to send their horses down there, they do so. We don’t have quite the same opportunities, but we certainly want to cater for that market where we can,” Rimaud said. 

“Australian breeders have made a significant impact investing in northern hemisphere bloodstock in recent years. 

“The Australians that have raised some interest in Zarak are those that are more focused on European breeding. They often have mares in Europe and based on that, we’re not looking to cover a huge book, but there are enough Australians who have breeding interests in Europe to satisfy our operation.”

Breeders will again have access to Siyouni this coming breeding season, with the stallion forging a formidable record with his progeny in Australia. 

Aside from WA star Amelia’s Jewel, Siyouni has sired stakes winners Aylmerton and See You In Spring from his progeny bred in the southern hemisphere, which boast a record of nine winners from 14 runners. 

The stallion, who has been made available to southern hemisphere breeders since 2018 and will this year command a fee of €60,000, covered to southern hemisphere time just three mares last year, which included Bumbasina, owing to an issue at the backend of his northern hemisphere season.

Siyouni recently sired the winner of both the Irish 2,000 and 1,000 Guineas, as the stoutly bred Tahiyra won the fillies’ edition, and Coolmore’s Paddington the male equivalent. 

“‘We’ve been delighted by the results Siyouni has produced in Australia,” Rimaud said. 

“There’s few of them at the moment, but his percentage of winners to runners is very good. He’s been very popular and there’s lots of demand to use him.”

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