Zarak

Zarak, who has quickly established himself as one of the leading Flat stallions in France, has been temporarily sidelined from covering duties due to injury, with the Aga Khan Studs reporting that the son of Dubawi "will require several weeks to recuperate". "Leading sire Zarak will unfortunately miss the start of the 2026 covering season following an accident in his stable," read a statement issued by the Aga Khan Studs. "He will require several weeks to recuperate, and his condition will be reassessed in two months' time." Based at Haras...

French Guineas hero Metropolitan sired his first reported foals over the past several days. A bay filly out of Couleur Café (Rock Of Gibraltar) and a bay colt out of Sand Rose (Aussie Rules) were both foaled at Haras de Montaigu. Haras d'Ombreville welcomed a chestnut filly out of Kiss Love (Kendargent), while a bay filly out of Marmelet (Kingman) arrived at Haras des Marais. In Ireland, a bay filly out of Vadsariya (Exceed And Excel) was born at Manister House Stud, pleasing Luke Barry. Nicolas de Chambure, director of...

A 1/50th share in Zarak (lot 1) topped Monday's Arqana Online January Sale when bought by Ghislain Bozo of Meridian International for €505,000. Of the 13 lots offered, eight sold for a total of €866,500, with the full results available to view on the Arqana Online website. The sire of 11% stakes winners/runners, Zarak is notably the sire of last year's Poule d'Essai des Poulains winner Metropolitan, along with fellow Group 1 scorers Haya Zark and Zagrey. A son of Dubawi and the unbeaten Prix de l'Arc de Triomphe heroine...

A share in Zarak (lot 1) anchors the Arqana Online January Sale catalogue. The sale is set for Monday, January 19 from 3-5 p.m. local time. One of the best stallions in France, the son of Dubawi has sired 11% stakes winners per runners and 72% winners to runners from all his crops. Among his best progeny is the French 2000 Guineas winner Metropolitan, as well as fellow Group 1 winners Haya Zark and Zagrey. Zarak's yearlings sold for up to €1.1 million last term. Another highlight of the sale...

A 1/50th share in Zarak headlined Tuesday's Arqana Online December Sale when knocked down to an unnamed British-based buyer for €740,000. Of the 20 lots offered, 14 sold (70% clearance rate) for total turnover of €1,287,000, with the full results available to view on the Arqana Online website. Based at Haras de Bonneval, Zarak has enjoyed notable success with his first four crops and will stand for an unchanged fee of €80,000 next season. The Aga Khan Studs homebred is the sire of last year's Poule d'Essai des Poulains winner...

For this first of four parts of our annual Value Sires series in Europe, we will be dealing with the elite tier of stallions standing for a fee in excess of £50,000, which is approximately €57,000. The names in this bracket don't change that much, except for when a grandee retires or a young upstart bounces his way in. In 2025, we lost an increasingly prolific member of this cohort when Wootton Bassett died in Australia from pneumonia at the age of 17. The consequences of his passing will doubtless...

A selection of stallion shares and breeding rights feature among the first 15 lots catalogued for the Arqana December Online Sale, which takes place between the hours of 3pm and 5pm (local time) on Tuesday, December 16. Headline lots include a 1/50th share in the Haras de Bonneval resident Zarak, who has enjoyed notable success with his first four crops and will stand for an unchanged fee of €80,000 next season. The Aga Khan Studs homebred is the sire of last year's Poule d'Essai des Poulains winner Metropolitan, along with...

Four additional wildcards, including G1 Preis der Diana second Spanish Eyes (Zarak), have been added to the Arqana Vente d'Elevage on December 6-9. Consigned as lot 248f, the mare was also placed in the GIII Robert G. Dick Memorial Stakes and the GII Beverly D. Stakes. She is a sister to group winner Sirjan (Zarak) and is also from the family of three-time Group 1 winner Sosie (Sea The Stars). Lot 248g is G3 Prix Fille de l'Air second Salmarak (Zarak). The five-year-old is from the family of Arc hero...

Group 1 winner Big Rock will stand his second season at Haras de Grandcamp at an unchanged fee of €12,000, Jour de Galop reported on Wednesday. The Queen Elizabeth II Stakes victor is expecting his first foals in 2026. He covered 159 mares in 2025, including the dam of Group 1 winner Woodshauna (Wooded); group winner Gregarina (De Treville); a sister of Different League (Dabirsim); and Frasque (Iffraaj), dam of two group horses; as well as Baine (Country Reel), runner-up in the G1 Poule d'Essai des Pouliches. His compatriot and...

Sea The Stars, who has headed the Aga Khan Studs roster for 16 years and is the sire of this year's Prix de l'Arc de Triomphe winner Daryz, has had his fee for 2026 raised to a career high of €300,000, from €250,000. Top of the list of the remaining four Aga Khan Studs stallions, all standing at Haras de Bonneval in Normandy, is Siyouni, whose runners in 2025 included Zarigana, winner of the Poule d'Essai des Pouliches. Having stood at €200,000 in 2025, Siyouni's fee has been reduced to...

Bleary-eyed buyers might well have thought the ever-expanding sale season had finally gotten the better of them when they saw a spotted pony racing star by Zarak being offered under the hammer at Osarus on Friday. However, fear not, had you contemplated checking yourself into the nearest clinic, because you haven't gone completely cuckoo. The filly in question goes by the name of Judith Leyster and, according to Georges Rimaud, who spent 25 years at the helm of the French division of the Aga Khan Studs, the six-year-old resembled something...

Group 2 winner Zarakem will stand at Haras d'Etreham's jumps division, Haras de la Tuilerie, in 2026. His fee will be €4,000. By Zarak and out of the Mastercraftsman mare Harem Mistress, the five-year-old was bred by Jean-Paul Cayrouze. Racing for Nicolas de Chambure and Sofiane Benaroussi, he won twice at listed level at three and would go on to star in the 2024 G2 Prix d'Harcourt at four. He was also second in the G1 Prince Of Wales's Stakes at Ascot and is currently rated 122. The €85,000 Arqana...