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The Savoy, London, UK: H.H. Aga Khan joined a select group of recipients when collecting the 10th annual Peter O'Sullevan award. The Aga Khan, who has dominated racing in France during his lifetime, said: 'I came into this great game by accident at the age of 23.'

The Aga Khan joined a select group of recipients when collecting the
10th annual Peter O’Sullevan award at The Savoy in London yesterday.

The owner-breeder, who has seen his colours carried to Derby success
four times at Epsom, was added to an illustrious list of racing names
who have been recognised for a lifetime’s contribution to the sport.

The Queen, the late Queen Mother, Vincent O’Brien, Dick Hern, Lester
Piggott, Pat Eddery, ‘Stoker’ Devonshire, Dick Francis, plus the
famous training brothers, Toby and Ian Balding, were all previous
winners of the coveted award.

The Aga Khan, who has dominated racing in France during his lifetime,
said: “I came into this great game by accident at the age of 23.” His
father, the great racing enthusiast and former amateur rider, Prince
Aly Khan, was killed in a car crash in 1959.

A youthful Aga Khan was thus thrust into a world which, by his own
admission, he knew little about. But with painstaking care and
application, he has developed the bloodstock empire he inherited and
taken it to a new level of excellence.

He now has two studs in France and another two in Ireland, where he
continues to breed horses of Classic standard. His Derby winners, all
home-bred, are Shergar, Shahrastani, Kahyasi and Sinndar.

As a video collection of the Aga Khan’s greatest wins were shown his
influence on the racing world was illustrated in graphic style. Aside
from his English Derby winners, there were Dalakhani, Daylami (before
he joined Godolphin), Alamshar, Ashkalani, and the highly-talented
Azamour.

There was no mention of the Aga Khan’s lengthy, self-imposed exile
from British racing following the disqualification of his 1989 Oaks
winner Aliysa, although Sir Michael Stoute, the filly’s trainer (who
was present yesterday), and the owner maintain the case was
appallingly handled by racing officialdom.

The Aga Khan’s vast racing empire appears to be in safe hands in
future years, as Princess Zahra Aga Khan, his daughter, the
owner-breder of Prix Vermeille winner Mandesha, is already heavily
involved.

Princess Zahra was one of four key members of the Aga Khan’s stud
management group that engineered a series of matings for the stud’s
top mares that resulted in more speed being injected into some of the
more traditional staying bloodlines.