HE may be one of the last foals born this year at the Aga Khan Studs, but few will have been more anticipated and welcomed than that of the colt by Harzand (Sea The Stars) out of Sichilla, the stakes-winning daughter of Danehill (Danzig).

It was the first foal born to the mare for five years, and just her seventh living offspring. Of the previous six, one was never named, while the five that were all ran, all won, and four of them are stakes winners. Sichilla is an ultra-successful matron and one whose influence will be felt for some time. Her first foal is her best to date and he is Siyouni (Pivotal). Winner of the Group 1 Prix Jean-Luc Lagardere, he is now a leading sire who commands a covering fee of €100,000 at His Highness’ Haras de Bonneval. His Group 1 winners are both fillies, Laurens and Ervedya, but this number will certainly increase and his group tally of 15 and blacktype winners tally of 29 is just the tip of the iceberg.

Siyouni was followed the next year by Siyouma (Medicean) and she was sold as a winning three-year-old for €220,000. It turned out to be a fortuitous investment by her purchaser, Francois Doumen, as she won the Group 1 Sun Chariot Stakes and Grade 1 E P Taylor Stakes at four and is now a broodmare in Japan where her second foal is the stakes-placed Breathtaking (Deep Impact).

Runner number three for Sichilla was Siyenica (Azamour) and this listed winner was third in the Group 1 Prix Daniel Wildenstein. Her first two foals are multiple winners, including the unbeaten three-year-old Siyarafina (Pivotal) who sadly missed her recent French 1000 Guineas appointment. Stakes winner number four is Sayana (Galileo) and she was group-placed, while the winners list is completed by the 2019 victor Sikandari (Sea The Stars).