Aga Khan

Ace Stud put in a dominant performance, spending over 2.5 million gns, with that spend headed by the daughter of Le Havre By Brian Sheerin and Adam Houghton Less than 48 hours on from Calandagan's record-breaking victory in the G1 Japan Cup at Tokyo, it was his year-older half-sister, Caliyza, who enjoyed her turn in the spotlight when knocked down to Ace Stud for 850,000gns during the first of the two Sceptre Sessions at the Tattersalls December Mares Sale. At the close of play on Monday, Ace Stud had signed...

Bloodstock agent Tina Rau has joined the Aga Khan Studs as international nominations representative; a newly created role aimed at strengthening the team's presence at the major European sales. Rau will work alongside Julie White and Fanny Cyprès, who oversee nominations and client relations for the Irish and French stallion rosters respectively.  A graduate of both the Irish National Stud and the Godolphin Flying Start programmes, Rau founded her own agency in 2009 and has since been involved in the purchase of multiple Group 1 and Classic winners and their...

Bleary-eyed buyers might well have thought the ever-expanding sale season had finally gotten the better of them when they saw a spotted pony racing star by Zarak being offered under the hammer at Osarus on Friday. However, fear not, had you contemplated checking yourself into the nearest clinic, because you haven't gone completely cuckoo. The filly in question goes by the name of Judith Leyster and, according to Georges Rimaud, who spent 25 years at the helm of the French division of the Aga Khan Studs, the six-year-old resembled something...

Moyglare Stud provided the jewels in the crown of the Goffs February Sale when two well-bred colts by hot stallions Blue Point (Ire) and Study Of Man (Ire) sold for a combined €415,000, which accounted for just over 10 per cent of the entire turnover at Kildare Paddocks this week.  It was the Blue Point colt out of Dansili (GB) mare Tina Angelina (Ire) who commanded a sale-topping €250,000 when selling to Tally-Ho Stud while Matt Coleman--signing under The Investors--landed the Study Of Man for €165,000.  All told, the turnover...

The Aga Khan Studs is pleased to welcome Charlotte Tessier, who has recently joined the nominations team at Haras de Bonneval to provide cover for Fanny Cyprès. A graduate of ESSCA in Angers and a sports aficionado, Charlotte previously spent six years working for the Paris 2024 Olympic and Paralympic Games Organising Committee. Coming from a family of trotting breeders, she is no stranger to thoroughbred racing and is notably the co-breeder of recent Grade 3 winning hurdler Olympic Story. Contact Charlotte for all requests concerning the Aga Khan stallions...

After a quarter century at the helm of the French division of the Aga Khan Studs, Georges Rimaud will step down from that role at the end of December, making this Deauville December Sale his last. Rimaud leaves the stud stronger than ever, with four homebred sons standing at the farm, including the best sire in France, Siyouni (Fr), the best young sire in France in Zarak (Fr), and two promising newcomers, Vadeni (Fr) and Erevann (Fr). We surprised Rimaud as he was having lunch in the stud's traditional marquee...

On the back of a victory aboard Pour Moi (Ire) (Montjeu {Ire}) for Coolmore and trainer Andre Fabre in the G1 Investec Epsom Derby in 2011, a then 20-year-old Mickael Barzalona took up a short-term contract to ride in Hong Kong, bringing up a single winner from 42 rides. Now all of 33 years of age, the Frenchman experienced the other end of the spectrum to take out the valuable Longines International Jockeys' Championship (IJC) before a packed house at Happy Valley Racecourse, book-ending the four-race competition with victories en...

Blood, sweat and tears. That is what it took Michael Halford to turn Copper Beech Stables from a green field site into one of the most renowned racing yards in Ireland. One from which Group 1 and Royal Ascot winners were sent out and where the trainer managed the careers of over 100 steeds in his pomp.  Halford has trained more than 1,000 winners in his 41-year career, almost 500 of which were managed from Copper Beech during 16 full seasons there, but dwindling numbers during Covid and the separation...

Less than a week after it was announced that Jean-Claude Rouget was set to join forces with Jerome Reynier, the Aga Khan Studs revealed that it has relocated horses trained by Rouget to Francis-Henri Graffard. A statement released on Tuesday said, "The team at Aga Khan Studs extend their heartfelt thanks to Jean-Claude Rouget for his dedication over the past 19 years, during which time he has won seven Group 1 races for H.H. the Aga Khan, including Valyra (Prix de Diane), Ervedya (Poule d'Essai des Pouliches, Coronation Stakes and...

If Juddmonte keeps going like this, I might as well just copy and paste tributes already paid this summer to family trees it has cultivated through the past four decades. Before reprising that process, then, let's start with something of a detour. Daylami (Ire) was one of the most accomplished runners ever produced by another storied breed-to-race program. A Classic winner over a mile, in maturity he won the premier all-aged turf races in Britain (by five lengths), Ireland (by nine) and America. At stud, he was supported by both...

In this continuing series, we take a look ahead at US-bred and/or conceived runners entered for the upcoming weekend at the tracks on the Japan Racing Association circuit, with a focus on pedigree and/or performance in the sales ring. Here is one horse of interest for this Saturday running at Kyoto Racecourse: Saturday, May 18, 2024 1st-KYO, ¥10,480,000 ($67k), Maiden, 3yo, 1800m BEL DINAH PHAROAH (JPN) (f, 3, American Pharoah--Gianna Schicchi, by War Front) is out of a half-sister to His Highness The Aga Khan's Shareta (Ire) (Sinndar {Ire}), runner-up...

Leading trainer Johnny Murtagh has identified the leading juvenile prospects that he is looking forward to unleashing this season but spoke out about the increased levels of frustration that trainers are facing when it comes to hanging on to their big-name stars due to what he describes as stagnant levels of prize-money in Ireland.  The Group 1-winning handler has called on Horse Racing Ireland, who announced a €1.4 million increase to prize-money [to €69.4 million] for 2024 in the latest budget, not to rest on its laurels.  Murtagh, who runs...