IT was natural that after Harzand’s gutsy and dominant success in the Epsom Derby, the spotlight shone brightest on master trainer Dermot Weld, and the jockey who seems to make fewer mistakes than most, Pat Smullen.
The duo have been have been high achievers in Ireland for so long, have contributed so much to the country in real and symbolic terms, and to see them finally scaling the mountain peak was heartwarming.
In contrast, the Aga Khan was claiming the coveted prize for a fifth time as an owner, emulating the feat of his grandfather (Aga Khan III) but going further, setting a new record as a breeder, having produced each and every one of the heroes himself.
The brilliant Shergar got the ball rolling in 1981. Shahrastani, Kahyasi and Sinndar followed suit and Harzand is just the latest product of a well-established and conceived programme.
He has contributed an incalculable amount to this country. For more than 90 years, since the purchase of Sheshoon Stud in 1923, his family have run some of the most renowned breeding farms in the world in Ireland, providing economic and reputational dividend with world class bloodstock that succeed in his colours as well as others.
The agreement between Sunderland Holding and the Aga Khan to stand Sea the Stars in Gilltown is being rewarded now as well, with the one-time racing superstar now setting remarkable statistics in his new career, having joined the elite crew of producing a Derby winner after being been victorious in the race himself, thanks to Harzand.
It doesn’t stop there. He has supported the sport horse industry too, and the Aga Khan Cup at the RDS transcends the sport of show jumping.
Meanwhile, he is a key investor in plans to redevelop the Curragh Racecourse and the wider facility, having been the key driving force in the initial bid to upgrade the home of the classics that was scuppered by the recession.
So success for the Aga Khan is very much a success for Ireland.
According to the manager of Aga Khan Studs in Ireland, Pat Downes, the Aga Khan and his daughter Princess Zahra, who plays a key role in the overall operation, were deeply moved by the win.
“It was 16 years since Sinndar had won,” says Downes of the lean spell endured in the blue riband event. “It meant an awful lot to His Highness and to Princess Zahra. They were thrilled to match the number of winners that his grandfather had, and the fact that all five were homebred gives him added pleasure and needless to say, it gives everyone in the studs great pleasure as well because that’s what we do it for.”
From his early years visiting the farms as a child and since taking over, Epsom was always spoken of reverentially. It was always the dream.
Now he bids for the double, pursuing the Dubai Duty Free Irish Derby and while Epsom runner-up US Army Ranger has been ruled out, Ballydoyle’s third-placed finisher Idaho reopposes. Harzand is clearly the one to beat however.
“I suppose you could look at it that way but it’s a new day, it’s a different track. I think all horses will be happier at the Curragh. It’s a more straightforward track than Epsom and all the various challenges that Epsom gives you but I suppose that’s why Epsom is what it is. It tests so many different aspects of horses’ aptitudes.”
The Aga Khan and Princess Zahra will hopefully be in attendance. They have enjoyed many wonderful Irish Derby days and certainly no-one who was ever at the flat HQ would ever forget the dual in the sun between the Aga Khan’s two stars Alamshar and Dalakhani all the way up the home straight 13 years ago, the former prevailing at the death.
PASSION FOR THE INDUSTRY
The pair share a real passion for racing and have their fingers on the pulse in terms of the bloodstock operation.
“Both His Highness and Princess Zahra are incredibly busy, so on a day-to-day level they would leave it to their managers, but that being said, they would be very involved in any key decisions that need to be taken and we’re in regular contact.”
The model of the breeding concern is well defined. There is a clear emphasis on maintaining long-standing bloodlines. Even when some have appeared dormant, enduring lean spells, it will always be a focus to revive them.
Such was the case with the line of foundation mare Mumtaz Mahal, the spotted grey daughter of The Tetrarch bought at an auction in 1922 for 9,100 guineas by Aga Khan III. If it weren’t, racing would never have had the gift of an unbeaten Arc heroine.
“That’s something that we’re always trying to do. Families will go quiet and we might find that we need to change direction sometimes and try different matings with certain families. As an example, I suppose we only need to go back a short few years when we had the outstanding Zarkava running.
“She came from a family that was very dear to His Highness, as it was the family of Petite Etoile, who herself had a daughter Zahra, who did not produce many foals but by persisting with that family – it might have taken a while and there were several good horses in the family (Zainta among the most prominent, having been the the first Group 1 winning filly from that family since Petite Etoile 37 years earlier when winning the Prix Saint-Alary in 1998) – but the most recent and the best since Petite Etoile was Zarkava.”
The Aga Khan has occasionally introduced new blood to considerably good effect. In 2005, he bought 222 horses in the Lagardère dispersal, comprising mares, horses in training, yearlings, foals and one stallion – Linamix. Three decades earlier, he had swooped for the Dupré and Boussac stock. Epsom was a result of another such well-judged purchase.
“It’s well documented that His Highness has not been active in the public market over the years but he has, on occasion, when the opportunity has arisen, bought entire bloodstock operations and it has been very successful for him.
“Of course Harzand comes from a family that His Highness purchased some years ago. It was the entire Brook Holliday bloodstock operation. It’s been promising for a while to produce a top horse and we are delighted now that it has.
If ever a horse provided affirmation of a strategy, it is Harzand. His dam Hazariya is a granddaughter of Hazy Idea, a listed winner that was part of the Brook Holliday acquisition. His sire stands at Gilltown Stud and his progeny are delivering the goods throughout Europe.
“We couldn’t be happier with the way it’s going for him and as things stand at the moment, we see him sitting just below his brother (Galileo) in the leading sires’ table for Europe, which is great to see, and hopefully he can continue to feature prominently on the leading sires’ lists for years to come.
“For a stallion with only four crops of racing age, his figures are outstanding. He’s just short of 50% winners-to-runners and just below 8% blacktype winners-to runners, which are very impressive figures.”
Harzand’s success cross-channel reminded us once more that The Aga Khan has not had horses in training in England since Aliysa’s controversial disqualification as winner of the 1989 English Oaks on a technicality, and his resultant concerns about the drug testing regime. One wonders if we are ever likely to see a softening of that stance.
“When the occasion arises that we have a horse that is good enough to travel for an important race in England, we are delighted. But at the moment it suits us to have the horses based in Ireland and in France and supported by the farms in both countries also.”
“It suits us to race in the same country where the studs are located. We would love to see our colours race more in England for important races. But we don’t travel without feeling that we have the right horse. When we have, we certainly will.”
TOUGH DECISIONS
The Aga Khan and his advisers have never been afraid to make tough decisions, based on business principles. Nowhere was this illustrated more clearly than when John Oxx was removed from the training roster after a poor run, despite a long-standing and fruitful partnership over the years. The same applied to jockey Johnny Murtagh, and Christophe Soumillon.
But Soumillon is back in harness, which is significant too. Just as there is a refusal to say that he will never have a horse trained in Britain again, it shows an understanding that circumstances change and decisions can be reversed.
“This is a family activity but it has to be run with certain business constraints because it can’t be run as a hobby. We’re all driven by results and at times, while there would never be a kneejerk reaction to a sudden dip in results, once there is a pattern, then, as an operation, we have to look at what we need to do to halt a decline. So whatever decision is taken, it will be to produce or to get back to stability.
“We all appreciate that there are peaks and troughs in this business and that’s the nature of it but over a period of time, what we are looking for is stability.”
It is a trait of Aga Khan horses that they tend to develop with age and are durable. Harzand was a typical back-end two-year-old who has progressed with every run this term. It is the type of characteristic that has inevitably led to numerous graduates prospering in the National Hunt sphere.
Zarkandar is perhaps the best known, the younger brother of Zarkava who won eight times over hurdles, including three Grade 1s. The son of Azamour was the fifth horse from an Aga Khan stallion to win the Triumph Hurdle at Cheltenham, following in the footsteps of Shawiya, Paddy’s Return, Katchit and Zaynar.
Others that have enjoyed good careers over the obstacles include Chirkpar, Mourad, Afsoun, Balapour, Alaivan and there are many more. Yet it is unlikely that the Aga Khan is likely to branch into the jumping world directly.
“It’s just not something that he’s had any exposure to. We’ve got to understand that his business life away from bloodstock takes up the vast majority of his time and he even finds it difficult to spend as much time as he would like going racing and visiting the farms as it is, so I’m not sure that it would ever have felt that it was realistic that he might add another string to that particular bow.”
IRISH CONNECTION
If he does not dabble in National Hunt racing, the Aga Khan has long illustrated his love of the country in which it was invented. Gilltown, with its standout bronze statues of Shergar and Sinndar, houses Sea The Stars and his brother Born To Sea and as well as the being the base for their duties, it is also where the yearlings are pre-trained. The adjoining Sallymount farm houses the Aga Khan’s broodmares after they have foaled.
Around six miles across the Curragh, Sheshoon is home to the foaling unit for both Aga Khan and visiting mares and where the yearlings are prepped. The majority of Aga Khan mares and their stock reside next door at Ballyfair.
“His grandfather originally purchased the farms in Ireland and so to a certain degree, he would have spent some parts of his youth when he was growing up on the farms and I suppose he developed an affinity to Ireland and those particular farms whenever he had the chance to visit them.
“We’re fortunate to have some very beautiful properties here, great land and we have wonderful staff. I think that’s something His Highness recognises.
“As we know, his involvement in the Curragh goes back 13 years now, when he originally gifted The Stand House Hotel to the Curragh project. It has been frustrating that it’s taking a long time to get going but that being said, I think we’re at a stage now where we will have a development that will be appropriate for its time and once we can get finally through the planning process and actually start the construction, it’s something that will give him tremendous pleasure. I would say he’s very much looking forward to having a day’s racing at the new racecourse, as we all are.”
Will it have the desired impact on Irish flat racing in terms of attracting international visitors and the general public?
“There’s a couple of objectives there. Flat racing has become an incredibly international business and sport. We have had the opportunity to travel around the world and see what other racecourses have to offer both their clients and racegoers. We know the Curragh has fallen well behind in its facilities. So in that respect, we have to move. We are one of the leading flat racing nations of the world and we have to have facilities at our flagship racecourse to match what other countries have to offer.
“That being said, we also need to have modern facilities for racegoers. Apart from being a business and a sport, it is a leisure industry as well and we’re competing with other leisure activities for people’s leisure time and their leisure euro. So it’s very important that from the moment they arrive at the new Curragh racecourse that it’s an experience they will want to have time and time again.”
There are other plans for the wider Curragh facility, including the Curragh Camp.
“There are ongoing discussions between Curragh Racecourse Limited and the various personnel that form the Defence Forces and at the moment, a vision for the future is being worked through. This is something that has been encouraged very definitely by His Highness because when he’s not directly involved with bloodstock, he’s a real enthusiast of architecture as well, and he finds certain parts of the Curragh Camp to be very, very attractive. It’s a place that he really enjoys having the opportunity to see occasionally.
“But it also has to be said that maybe some of those little gems have been hidden behind more modern day, less aesthetically pleasing buildings and I think he sees that the Curragh Camp has a future in the wider area of the Curragh, in attracting both a national and an international audience… as an amenity that people might want to visit, just as he would want them to come to the Curragh racecourse.”
A Harzand win today then, would be fitting indeed.