Zarak (Fr) (Dubawi {Ire}), a son of the great unbeaten G1 Prix de l'Arc de Triomphe winner Zarkava (Ire) (Zamindar), had all the ingredients in his pedigree to make a top-class runner, and the bay at last fulfilled the potential he showed last year when earning a first stakes win in Thursday's G3 Dubai Millennium S. at Meydan. Biding his time under cover and on the heels of the pacesetting mare Promising Run (Hard Spun) down the backstretch of the 2000 metre turf contest, the Aga Khan homebred moved into the three path rounding the bend and, with daylight in front of him at the top of the lane, burst to the lead. The result was never in doubt thereafter, with the 4-year-old winning by two lengths geared down by an all-the-while motionless Christophe Soumillon. Earnshaw (Medaglia d'Oro) checked in second, while Promising Run faded to third.
Thursday, Meydan, Dubai
DUBAI MILLENNIUM S. SPONSORED BY WHEELS-G3, $175,000, MEY, 2-16, NH4yo/up & SH3yo/up, 10fT, 2:03.73, gd.
1–@#ZARAK (FR), 125, c, 4, by Dubawi (Ire)
1st Dam: Zarkava (Ire) (Horse of the Year, Ch. 3yo Filly-Eur, Hwt. 2yo Filly-Fr, Hwt at 11-14f & 9.5-11f-Fr, MG1SW-Fr, $4,793,989), by Zamindar
2nd Dam: Zarkasha (Ire), by Kahyasi (Ire)
3rd Dam: Zarkana (Ire), by Doyoun (Ire)
O-H H The Aga Khan; B-H H The Aga Khan's Studs SC (FR);
T-Alain de Royer-Dupre; J-Christophe Soumillon. $120,000.
Lifetime Record: G1SP-Fr, 8-3-2-1, $711,576. Werk Nick
Rating: B. Click for the eNicks report & 5-cross pedigree.
2–Earnshaw, 126, h, 6, Medaglia d'Oro">Medaglia d'Oro–Emily Bronte (GB), by
Machiavellian. O-Sheikh Hamdan bin Mohammed Al
Maktoum; B-Darley (KY); T-Salem bin Ghadayer. $40,000.[bullet ad=”us-bred-ky-bred”]3–Promising Run, 123, f, 4, Hard Spun">Hard Spun–Aviacion (Brz), by Know
Heights (Ire). O-Godolphin; B-Darley (KY); T-Saeed bin Suroor.
$20,000.[bullet ad=”us-bred-ky-bred”]Margins: 1 3/4, 1HF, 1.
Also Ran: Sanshaawes (SAf), Master the World (Ire), Elite Excalibur (Aus), Manson (GB), Fauvism, Khusoosy, Elliptique (Ire).
Click for the Racing Post result. VIDEO.
Zarak earned 'TDN Rising Star' status with a 1 1/4-length first-out win at Deauville in his lone juvenile outing, and he picked up where he left off with a conditions win at Maisons-Laffitte last April. His trajectory wasn't quite as straightforward thereafter, however. Zarak suffered a first defeat when fifth as the favourite in the G1 Poule d'Essai des Poulains. He then suffered the misfortune of running into subsequent 3-year-old champion Almanzor (Fr) (Wootton Bassett {GB}) in both the G1 Prix du Jockey Club and G2 Prix Guillaume d'Ornano, finishing second on both occasions. He settled for fourth when testing elders for the first time when dropped back to a mile in the G1 Qatar Prix du Moulin on Sept. 11, and was third back up two furlongs to this trip in Chantilly's G2 Prix Dollar on Arc eve.
Trainer Alain de Royer Dupre, who also handled Zarkava, had said before the race that Zarak was not fully fit, and he reiterated after the race, “To be fit for a Group 3 and to be fit for a Group 1 are not the same thing. He didn't blow after the race. He has a turn of foot, and he has learned a lot here. It was good for him. We have many options, we will have to decide with the management, the owners and the jockey.”
Pedigree Notes…
Zarak is the fourth foal, and first winner, for the brilliant racemare Zarkava, who won the G1 Prix Marcel Boussac at two before going on to take both French fillies' Classics; the G1 Prix Vermeille and the G1 Prix de l'Arc de Triomphe during a 3-year-old campaign that ended with trophies as Europe's Horse of the Year and champion 3-year-old filly. Zarkava's 3-year-old son of Redoute's Choice (Aus), Zarmitan (Fr), is as-yet unraced, and he is followed by a 2-year-old Frankel (GB) filly and a yearling colt by Invincible Spirit (Ire). Zarak is a son of Darley's leading sire Dubawi (Ire), who is himself by the race's namesake, Dubai Millennium. Click for the Zarak-Fr.pdf">free Equineline.com catalogue-style pedigree.
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