The Aga Khan and the Breeders' Cup

 

The Aga Khan and the Breeders’ Cup

Joseph Di Rienzi

(AKDN photo)

His Highness Prince Karim Al-Husseini, The Aga Khan IV passed away on February 4th, 2025 at the age of 88 in Lisbon, Portugal. To chronicle this extraordinary man’s full life is above the scope of this essay. This Harvard educated historian, Olympic skier, media magnate, developer, humanitarian and Iman (spiritual leader) of over 20 million Ismailia Muslims, nonetheless spent a good deal of his time nurturing the thoroughbred dynasty he inherited from his father Prince Aly who died in a car crash in 1960. The spectacular success of the fabled green and red stable colors in Europe has been detailed elsewhere. Winning milestone races such as the English Derby (five times), the Irish Derby (six times), the Prix du Jockey Club (French Derby, eight times) and the Prix de l’Arc de Triomphe (four times), the stable has etched an indelible mark on European thoroughbred racing history. However, the Aga Khan’s horses have also had an impact on U. S. racing as well.

It is the aim of this piece to summarize the success of the Aga Khan’s horses in the Breeders’ Cup. Overall horses owned by the stable have won three Breeders’ Cup Turf contests (a fourth was bred by the Aga Khan but was sold by the time of the horse’s victory). In total, 16 of The Aga Khan’s horses have raced in the Breeders’ Cup and 19 have been bred by him. Let’s exam in turn each of these Breeders’ Cup heroes.

Lashkari in the 1984 Breeders' Cup winner's circle
(breederscup.com)

H. H. Aga Khan was a supporter of the Breeders’ Cup World Championship Day from its onset. The inaugural edition on November 10^th, 1984, took place at Hollywood Park. The penultimate race on the card was the 1½ mile Breeders’ Cup Turf which attracted an international field including the previous year’s Horse of the Year, Daniel Wildensten’s All Along. However, the five-year-old mare had not shown the brilliant form she had exhibited the previous year having lost three of the races she had won on the way to an Eclipse Award. Adding scope to the entries was the Australian champion Strawberry Road who was on a world tour running previously in Germany and France.

The betting public settled on the dependable Northern American based Majesty’s Prince as the favorite with All Along the second choice. The French mare ran her best race of the year, sitting mid-pack off Strawberry Road’s pace until gaining a clear lead on the stretch turn. However, it was the Aga Khan’s Lashkari, a 53-1 shot, under jockey Yves Saint-Martin, racing in sixth place early, who caught All Along close to the finish to win by a neck. In third place, was Raami, a ½ length behind All Along, Strawberry Road finished a good fourth with Majesty’s Prince a non-threatening sixth.

The winner, a British born three-year-old dark bay son of the imperial Mill Reef produced by the mare Larannda (his name, an Aga Khan tradition giving horses a one word name with the first letter identical to the corresponding dam’s initial letter) was a late developer for trainer Alain de Royer-Dupré. He was not ready for the European classics but had tuned up for his American foray with a victory in a mid-level French stakes race. Kept in training as a four-year-old, Lashkari, tried for a repeat in the following year’s Breeders’ Cup Turf, but finished fourth at Aqueduct Racetrack to the filly Pebbles.

Kalanisi winning the 2000 Breeders' Cup Turf
(bloodhorse.com)

H. H. Aga Khan’s second Breeders’ Cup Turf winner was in the 2000 renewal staged at Churchill Downs. That year’s Turf had a stellar international field headed by Mrs. John Magnier and Michael Tabor’s famed Montjeu. The son of Sadler’s Wells would be a dual year champion racehorse winning in 1999, among other races the Prix du Jockey Club, Irish Derby, and Prix de l’Arc de Triomphe. He began 2000 with a flourish with four straight stakes victories until upset (in finishing fourth) in the Arc won by the Aga Khan’s Sinndar. Racing next in the Champion Stakes at Newmarket, Montjeu lost by a ½ length to another Aga Khan homebred, Kalanisi, whom he would be facing again in the Breeders’ Cup Turf. The latter, a dark bay hued four-year-old son of Doyoun (himself a son of Mill Reef) and dam Kalamba, trained by Sir Michael Stoute, had been sparingly races as three-year-old in 1999 but came to the fore in 2000. Kalanisi had achieved some notoriety through his battles with another Coolmore owned colt, Giant’s Causeway, who would run later in the day in the Breeders’ Cup Classic. In both the Eclipse and the Juddmonte International Stakes, Kalanisi fell short by a head to that rival.

In the 2000 Turf, run on a firm course, Montjeu was the betting favorite over Kalanisi, despite fears that he was “over the top” in his best form. The most fancied U. S. raced competitors were nine-year-old John’s Call, and imports Ciro, and Manndar (initially owned by the Aga Khan).

Johnny Murtagh aboard Kalanisi had his mount “covered up” among horses, running in ninth place in the first half of the race, while Mick Kinane had Montjeu dead last in thirteenth place. As the tempo of the race increased, Murtagh steered his mount toward the outside on the far turn. Coming into the stretch there was a battle for the lead among several horses, but Kalanisi’s closing charge was inexorable as he passed all to win by a ½ length. Finishing second in a giant effort was the Canadian raced 42-1 shot Quiet Resolve who had a nose on John’s Call. Montjeu, obviously not at his best, closed some ground in the stretch, but could do no better than eighth place.

As a result of this victory in the Breeders’ Cup Turf, and the lack of any consistent U. S. turf performer, Kalanisi was voted the Eclipse Award for Male Turf Horse. He stayed in training as a five-year-old but was not able to defend his Breeders’ Cup victor in 2001 having suffered a career ending injury finishing second in the Prince of Wales Stakes during the Royal Ascot meeting.

Tarnawa winning the 2020 Breeders' Cup Turf
(bloodhorse.com)

It was 20 years later that another Aga Khan owned runner won the Breeders’ Cup Turf, and this time it was a filly.

Among the ten entries of the 2020 Breeders’ Cup Turf run that year at Keeneland Racetrack was the celebrated Magical a seven time major stakes winner in Europe who was a gallant second to the incomparable Enable in the 2018 Turf. She was part of the Coolmore group owned, Aidan O’Brien trained entry with Mogul, both progeny of the super stallion Galileo. Both Irish based runners were well fancied with the five-year-old mare favored with the three-year-old accorded the second choice. Also entered was H. H. Aga Khan’s Tarnawa, a four-year-old chestnut daughter of Shamardal and Tarana, who though always held in high esteem by trainer Dermot Weld, really had come into her own in the fall. Winner of three consecutive races: the Give Thanks Stakes, Prix Vermeille and Prix de l’Opera, she was a strong third choice at 9-2 odds. The only other single digit odds runners were the leading North American campaigners Channel Maker and United.

Ridden by a late substitute rider as Colin Keane was deputized in place of Christophe Soumillon who failed a Covid-19 test, Tarnawa turned in, in my opinion, the most scintillating performance of all the Aga Khan’s Breeders’ Cup winners. Channel Maker and United went to the front early with the former setting glacial early fractions. Magical was tucked in fifth place under jockey Ryan Moore while Tarnawa, after losing her footing at the start, raced three from last. The slow pace continued around the second turn, making the case for the U. S. trained leaders stronger. Mogul made a premature move from last place to reach contention on the third turn but would falter in the drive. At the top of the stretch, Channel Maker kicked clear as United fell back. Magical was grinding away inching closer, but the eye was caught by Tarnawa, who once swung to the outside by Keane seemed propelled. The Aga Khan color bearer powered past everyone to gain the lead inside the last ½ furlong and was a length ahead at the finish. Magical nosed out Channel Maker for second, while British based Lord North was 1¾ lengths back in fourth place.

Representing the winning connections was Dermot Weld’s son Mark who likened Tarnawa’s closing kick to a rocket ship.

Tarnawa stayed in training as a five-year-old and came close to winning both the Irish Champion Stakes and the Prix de l’Arc de Triomphe. Seeking a repeat in the Breeders’ Cup Turf of 2021, she was accorded favoritism, but her European efforts had evidently gotten the best of her, and she finished eleventh in her final career start.

 

Daylami winning the Breeders' Cup Turf
(bloodhorse.com)

The last Breeders’ Cup Turf winner associated with H. H. Aga Khan was the gray giant Daylami. Much was expected from the son of Doyoun. His dam Daltawa had produced for the Aga Khan an Arc victor in Dalakhani. Racing in the stable colors, he won as a three-year-old in 1997 the Poule D’Essai des Poulains (the French 2000 Guineas). Raced that year exclusively at the one mile distance, he won another major race and finished in the money in three others in England and France. Bought over the winter of 1997/1998 by Sheik Mohammed’s Godolphin Racing Stable, Daylami turned into an international long distance star. Winning major races in England in 1998, he ventured to the U. S. and won the 11 furlong Man o’ War Stakes at Belmont Park but had to miss the 1998 Breeders’ Cup Turf due to a fever.

A year later Daylami would enter the Breeders’ Cup records book. The field for the 1999 Turf seemed particularly strong and included last year’s victor, Buck’s Boy. The horse Buck’s Boy finished ahead of, Yagli, was also in the Turf as was international traveler Royal Anthem who had finished behind Daylami twice in Europe but had won the Juddmonte International Stakes in England by 7 lengths, two starts back. However, the consensus pick and clear post time favorite was Daylami. In England and Ireland this year, he had demonstrated a superiority over his rivals winning three straight major contests. However, in his last race the Prix de l’Arc de Triomphe, he had finished ninth, reportedly not handling the heavy Longchamp Racecourse turf conditions. The fact, that he had won the 1998 Man o’ War Stakes gave confidence to his connections that he was adaptable to American grass racing, and the tight turns of the Gulfstream Park track would pose no impediment.

Under fan favorite Frankie Dettori, Daylami sat in mid-pack in the fourteen horse field saving ground as Buck’s Boy set a fast pace for a 1½ mile race. Around the far turn, Royal Anthem took flight after Buck’s Boy as Dettori steered Daylami to the outside for a clear run. Down the stretch Buck’s Boy, Royal Anthem, and Daylami were three across the track, but it was clear, that the last named was going the strongest. The gray son of Doyoun quickly drew clear for an authoritative 2½ length victory over Royal Anthem who had a 2 length margin over the game Buck’s Boy.

Spectators in the winner’s circle were treated to the now familiar Frankie Dettori flying dismount. For Sheik Mohammed’s Godolphin Racing stable and trainer Saeed bin Suroor, this was their first Breeders’ Cup victory, but Dettori was celebrating his second. So impressive was Daylami’s Breeders’ Cup Turf victory that the five-year-old was voted the Eclipse Award for Male Turf Horse. Under the terms of the purchase agreement, Daylami was retired to stand at stud at the Aga Khan’s farm in Ireland.

With the His Highness’ passing, it is hoped that his daughter, Princess Zahra, who has recently assumed a leading role in directing the stable, will continue its great tradition of producing equines which carry the “Wind of Heaven”.

“The Wind Of Heaven Is That Which Blows Between A Horse’s Ears”

The waves roll in, the power of the waves are disturbed by the raw power of the horse.
Magnificent in its flight of fancy churning up the wet grains of sand with its hooves that glimmer like
blue steel tossing its black silky mane back and forth like the sail of a boat on the horizon as the wind ripples through it.
Thundering across the water as if to show its dominance of power over the elements.
Confident and harmonious in its tranquil fluidity of movement almost subduing the incoming waves.
Mighty mother nature in all her magnificence versus the agility and speed of the most beautiful of beasts.

                                                                                                                by Suna Ahmed