PEDIGREE INSIGHTS - DARJINA
By Andrew Caulfield
POULE D’ESSAI DES POULICHES-G1,
€400,000,Longchamp, 5-13, 3yo, f, 1mT, 1:37.20, gd.
1--sDARJINA (FR), 126, f, 3, by ZAMINDAR
1st Dam: Darinska (Ire) (GSP-Fr), by Zilzal
2nd Dam: Daralbayda (Ire), by Doyoun (Ire)
3rd Dam: Daralinsha, by Empery
O/B-Princess Zahra Aga Khan;
T-Alain deRoyer-Dupre;
J-Christophe Soumillon; €228,560.
Lifetime Record: 3 starts, 3 wins, €285,060.
The Poule d'Essai des Pouliches, added another chapter to the
interesting life story of Gone West's son ZAMINDAR . ZAMINDAR
first sired a winner of this Classic in 2002, when Zenda, a filly
from his first crop, triumphed for Juddmonte.
Unfortunately, ZAMINDAR 's stallion career had
been badly interrupted by a health issue which meant
that ZAMINDAR had to miss most of
his third season in 2000. Only one foal was born in 2001, by
which time ZAMINDAR had
been switched to Florida, where he spent the 2001 and 2002
seasons at a fee of only $5,000.
His first crop wasted little time in highlightingZAMINDAR
's potential in 2001. His
first stakes winner Lipstick was unlucky not to collect the
very valuable first prize in the Watership Down Stud Sales
race. She was followed by such as Zenda, Jubilation (Listed
Prix de Pontarme and later to become a Group 3 winner),
Victorian Order (Listed Prix Pelleas), Minds Locked (a
creditable fourth in the G1 Prix Jean Prat), Pertuisane
(third in the GI Garden City Breeders' Cup H.) and Zargus
(Balmoral H. at Royal Ascot).
These achievements were good enough to earn ZAMINDAR a
return ticket to Banstead Manor Stud, and his return became all the
more urgent when his exceptional brother, Zafonic, died in a
paddock accident in the summer of 2002 in his first year as a
shuttle stallion to Australia. Zafonic had been represented in 2002
by group winners in Britain, Italy, Germany, France and the USA,
and, with a first-crop classic winner to his
credit, ZAMINDAR was widely
viewed as a suitable replacement. He received support from numerous
top breeders in 2003, including, the Aga Khan, Cheveley Park Stud,
Darley, Gainsborough Stud Management and Shadwell, as well as from
several of France's top breeders.
The Aga Khan sent three mares and he and his daughter Princess
Zahra have been rewarded with Darjina, who thrust her nose ahead at
Longchamp to deny Finsceal Beo a second Classic success.
Incidentally, Darjina, Finsceal Beo and Zenda were all sired by
sons of Gone West from Northern Dancer line mares which create 4x4
inbreeding to the legendary Windfields stallion.
The chances are that there are more stakes winners to come from
ZAMINDAR 's 2004 crop, which also
includes the Italian stakes winner Sweet Wind Music. His highly
regarded daughter Coquerelle is among the entries for next Sunday's
G1 Prix Saint-Alary, the main trial for the Prix de Diane, having
won her last three races in fine style.
One of her wins was gained at the expense of Cinnamon Bay, who
is also expected to step up to stakes company, and San Domenico,
Fan Club, Lost Ark and Everlasting Fame are others with
above-average ability.
A horse like ZAMINDAR , with a fluctuating
record, is bound to fall prey to the whims of commercial breeders,
but Juddmonte has continued to support him and I note that the Aga
Khan has a pair of juveniles by ZAMINDAR . One is a colt out
of half-sister to Zalaiyka, one of his previous winners of
the French 1000 Guineas.
The female line which produced Darjina is proving one of the
most successful in the Aga Khan's stud book. Her fifth dam
Djebellina was acquired in the late 1970s as part of a large parcel
of Marcel Boussac bloodstock, which also included her 1979 Labus
filly Darazina.
The Pouliches winner is the third Classic winner to emerge from
this family, her predecessors being Daryaba and Darsi. Daryaba, the
1999 Prix de Diane winner, is out of Darazina's very useful
daughter Darata. Darsi, last year's Prix du Jockey-Club winner, is
out of Darashandeh, a mare very closely related to Darjina's second
dam, the group-placed Daralbayda (both mares were by Mill Reef line
stallions out of the Group 3-winning Empery mare Daralinsha).
There is plenty of stamina in this female line and Darjina's
dam, Darinska, was suited by a mile and a half, even though she is
by Zilzal, a brilliant miler. No wonder the Prix de Diane is now
under consideration for ZAMINDAR 's
unbeaten daughter.
Date:
15 May 2007