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A homebred for Aga Khan Studs, four year-old Wootton Bassett stallion colt Zabiari missed virtually his entire three year-old season in which he had just one start, but is now making up for lost time and won the Group III Prix Betrand du Breuil (1600m) at Chantilly overnight.

A Group winner at two, Zabiari has had three runs this year for Francis-Henri Graffard and won all of them showing an impressive turn of foot for Michael Barzalona to charge home and win by a neck.

Zabiari has five wins and two seconds from nine starts with the promise of more to come.

In a special tribute to the spiritual leader of the world’s Ismaili Muslims and one of the greatest philanthropists, who passed away on February 4th this year in Lisbon at the age of 88, the 246th running of the historic race will be named ‘The Betfred Derby (in honour of His Highness Aga Khan IV)’.

Jim Allen, General Manager of Epsom, commented: “I would like to thank the Aga Khan’s family for supporting us in our decision to rename this year’s race and look forward to welcoming Princess Zahra Aga Khan on Saturday 7th June as our guest.

There was incredible drama at the finish of the Emirates Poule d’Essai des Pouliches (Group 1) on Sunday at ParisLongchamp. For several long minutes, it seemed that the British filly Shes Perfect (by Sioux Nation) had pulled off an impressive gate-to-wire victory, showing true grit… but unfortunately for her, the filly owned by the Basher Watts Racing 2 syndicate drifted significantly in the home straight, severely hampering Zarigana (by Siyouni).

"The greatest gift a breeder could have." That was how the late HH Aga Khan IV described his unbeaten masterpiece Zarkava. How fitting then, that months after the retirement of the 20-year-old daughter of Zamindar and the sad passing of her owner-breeder, Zarkava's granddaughter Zarigana, herself out of the

Francis-Henri Graffard and owners Aga Khan look to have a very exciting prospect on their hands after Vadinska (Kodiac) strolled to an effortless ten-length debut success in the Prix Fourire (Newcomers) at Saint-Cloud on Thursday. The 1 600 meters contest for three-year-old fillies who hadn’t had a run looked like a solid contest on paper, with top stables represented and interesting pedigrees on display. However, it was turned into an absolute procession by Vadinska, who put up a massive performance under Mickael Barzalona.

Francis Graffard trainee Vadinska (Ire) (Kodiac {GB}) delivered an impressive debut performance in Thursday's Prix Fourire at Saint-Cloud and earned a TDN Rising Star badge after registering a 10-length success in the one-mile debutantes' heat.

If the most exciting sight in Flat racing is to watch a horse with a real turn of foot played daringly late, then it is possible that Zarigana might produce more than her share of thrills as the season progresses.

Mickael Barzalona has learned the Aga Khan Studs' regally bred daughter of Siyouni needs to be the last to attack and, with energy pent up in the 189 days since her fractional defeat in the Prix Marcel Boussac, he left Zarigana with barely a furlong and a half of the Prix de la Grotte to work with before he let her at the front-running Shes Perfect.

Keeping it simple on the 6-5 favourite Mandanaba (Fr) (Ghaiyyath (Ire), Mickael Barzalona allowed the exciting Francis-Henri Graffard-trained homebred to roll from the front and capture Sunday's G3 Al Shira'aa Racing Prix Vanteaux at ParisLongchamp. Sufficiently impressive on her debut at Chantilly in November to earn TDN Rising Star status, Princess Zahra Aga Khan's daughter of her triple Group 1 winner Mandesha (Fr) (Desert Style {Ire}) was in dominant mood throughout.

The Group 1 action at Deauville came to an end on Sunday with the twin highlights of the Morny and the Jean Romanet, but French racing's summer by the sea has at least one more gift to deliver in the shape of Saturday's Racehorse Retraining day.

It is fair to say France was a little late to the party when it came to a unified approach to aftercare, retirement planning and linking up with what is a voracious appetite in the wider equestrian population for sourcing horses once their first career is over.

Hazar Imam at Chantilly today for the 2021 Prix de Diane Longines Sunday June 20, 2021

Hazar Imam at Chantilly today for the 2021 Qatar Prix du Jockey. His horse Saiyadabad & Makaloun participated in the races. Saiydabad’s regular partner Christophe Soumillon has chosen to take the ride on fellow Aga Khan owned/bred Makaloun.

Before becoming part of folklore, or reduced to a shabby punchline, Shergar was one of the finest racehorses of the last half-century.

A tragic mystery due to his kidnapping by the IRA in 1983, it can get overlooked how revulsion surrounding such a grotesque act was bound up in the impact the colt made on the wider public consciousness doing what he was bred to do.

Saturday’s (June 5, 2021) 242nd Epsom Derby is the 40th anniversary of Shergar turning racing’s Blue Riband into an unparalleled rout.

Hazar Imam with Shergar after the historic win on this day at the Epsom Derby

Karim Aga Khan et La Bégum Salimah Aga Khan à l'occasion du Prix du Jockey Club, le 4 juin 1973 à l'hippodrome de Chantilly, France. (Photo by Jean Claude FRANCOLON/Gamma-Rapho via Getty Images)

14th June, 2005: H.H. The Aga Khan and Princess Zahra were in York where
The Aga Khan's Horse Valixir won the Queen Anne Stakes. The Aga Khan gave
a short interview to BBC TV and confirmed he will come back for the second
day of Royal Ascot.

The Aga Khan said he was delighted to have had a Royal Ascot winner with
master trainer Andre Fabre. “I never had horses with him until I bought
the Lagardere horses this year,” he said, referring to his purchase of the
late Jean-Luc Lagardere racehorses and breeding stock. “He is a horse that has

The Aga Khan Studs are saddened to announce that homebred champion Dalakhani has passed away on Jan. 15 at the age of 21.

Bred in Ireland, Dalakhani was a pure product of the Aga Khan Studs operation, being a son of the Aga Khan's Prix du Jockey Club winner Darshaan out of the Miswaki, blue hen mare, Daltawa.

Zanahiyr cemented his position as Ireland's premier three-year-old hurdler with a stylish success in the Grade 2 Knight Frank Juvenile Hurdle, earning glowing praise from winning rider Jack Kennedy after a display that showcased his versatility and slick jumping.

The Aga Khan-bred Zanahiyr (1/2f) completed a hat-trick of wins when taking the Grade Two Knight Frank Juvenile Hurdle. The three-year-old quickened away from the opposition in the closing straight under Jack Kennedy.

The Alain de Royer Dupre-trained Valia lit up an otherwise humdrum card at Longchamp this afternoon with a commanding victory in the Listed Prix de Thiberville for three-year-old fillies and could develop into a legitimate contender for the Prix de l'Arc de Triomphe.

De Royer Dupre and owner the Aga Khan presciently entered the daughter of Sea The Stars and 2014 Poule d'Essai des Pouliches runner-up Veda in Europe's most prestigious race last month, despite her being unraced.

Johnny Murtagh celebrates clinching his second Irish Derby victory aboard Alamshar amid memorable scenes at the Curragh in 2003

On February 1, 1983, TV-am launched on British TV screens. It was a fortnight behind the BBC’s ground-breaking Breakfast Time and the public had already shown themselves to be unsure about watching a news programme whilst eating their Cornflakes.

During those early days it looked like there was not enough interest to justify one televised breakfast show, let alone two.