Seven Days: The Artists’ Touch

[Wandering Eyes]

It's going to get a little confusing this year with all these painters coming to the fore. Even more confusingly, Henri Matisse (Ire) and Camille Pissarro (Ire) are both by Wootton Bassett (GB) out of mares by Pivotal (GB), and, unsuprisingly, they are no ordinary mares. 

Immortal Verse (Ire), the dual Group 1 winner bought for 4.7 million gns as a five-year-old, had already produced the Group 1 and Group 2 winners Tenebrism (Caravaggio) and Statuette (Justify) before Henri Matisse came along and, from a hard-working and high-scoring juvenile campaign which resulted in victory in the GI Breeders' Cup Juvenile Turf last November, he picked up well enough on his seasonal resumption in the G3 Ballylinch Stud 'Red Rocks' Stakes to continue his winning streak. 

Camille Pissarro, who had got the better of him in the G1 Prix Jean-Luc Lagardere, had to settle for second to Charles O'Brien's marvellous eight-year-old Big Gossey (Ire) (Gutaifan {Ire}) on his return in the Lester Piggott Gladness Stakes on Saturday but there was plenty to like about his performance as he scythed though all bar one of the field, with stable-mate Officer (Ire) (Dubawi {Ire}) not far behind in third on only his second appearance on a racecourse. 

So begins the wondering of which of these colts will be the Ballydoyle first string and in which Guineas. Camille Pissarro's half-brother Golden Horde (Ire), by July Cup winner Lethal Force (Ire), went straight to the G1 Commonwealth Cup, which he won on his three-year-old bow, and was never tried beyond 6.5f. Camille Pissarro is already a winner over 7f on soft ground – let's hope he can see out another furlong in a month or so.

The third of the art brigade out over the weekend was the good-looking Delacroix (Ire), who added further laurels to the record of his late dam Tepin (Bernstein) when giving his trainer Aidan O'Brien an eleventh victory in the G3 PW McGrath Ballysax Stakes. Could he be the one to give Dubawi (Ire) that elusive Derby winner, following the victory of his daughter Ezeliya (Fr) in last year's Oaks?

Paying Homage

The Aga Khan Studs announced some mating plans last week, which included news of two Classic-winning fillies of last season: Ezeliya is booked to Justify and Rouhiya (Fr) to Sea The Stars (Ire).

This coincided with a splendid week on track for the team, which had enjoyed six winners in France during that time as well as unveiling an impressive debutante at Leopardstown on Sunday in Tarima (Ire) (Lope De Vega {Ire}), the Dermot Weld-trained half-sister to the same stable's multiple Group 1 winners Tarnawa (Ire) (Shamardal) and Tahiyra (Ire) (Siyouni {Fr}). 

It has of course been a sorrowful time for all involved with the operation following the death of HH Aga Khan IV on February 4. Nemone Routh, racing manager for the Aga Khan Studs, said of the recent run of success, “It is important for us. This is a key year almost to pay homage to His Highness and the work that he has done over the years, so it is great to see the horses come out and start the season so well. 

“Obviously we have to step up now to stakes level but they are running well and we have had some wide-margin winners in France. It's been a very good week.”

The attention will turn to Meydan on Saturday where one of the star performers of last year, Calandagan (Ire) (Gleneagles {Ire}), is favourite for the Longines Dubai Sheema Classic, in which he will meet defending champion Rebel's Romance (Ire) and Shin Emperor (Fr).

“He did a racecourse gallop with one of the horses who won last week, Sibayan – that would have been the week before – so we were quite pleased when Sibayan won so well,” Routh said of the Francis Graffard-trained Calandagan, who was runner-up to City Of Troy in the Juddmonte International, the top-rated race globally in 2024. “He's had a pretty seamless prep. Francis goes out tomorrow so he will see him first thing Wednesday morning, but the signs are that he has travelled fine.”

 

Calandagan and Sibayan in a racecourse gallop on March 20 | Scoop Dyga

 

She added, “It's a big ask first time up this year against horses who will be race-fit, but he's naturally quite a light horse so he's not one we'd want to be too hard on in the mornings, and Mickael Barzalona has ridden him in all his work over the last month so he's got to know him.

“He was very consistent last year and didn't finish out of the first two all season. He ran with honour every time, and in varying conditions. We're obviously very keen to win a Group 1 with him this year and Francis was keen to start him off over a mile and a half, rather than a mile and a quarter, just because he likes to warm up a bit in his races and isn't the best at lying up with a fast early pace. But he's very adaptable; he copes with soft and heavy but we think he's better on good ground.”

Routh also provided TDN with an update on Classic hope Zarigana (Fr), the daughter of Siyouni (Fr) whose dam is a half-sister to Zarak (Fr) and granddam none other than the celebrated Zarkava (Fr), winner of both the Poule d'Essai des Pouliches and Prix de Diane before her Arc victory back in 2008. The great mare's granddaughter will follow the same route into the Classics some 17 years later. 

“Zarigana has come through the winter well and if all goes to plan she will come out for the first time in the Prix de la Grotte [April 13],” Routh said. “She had a first gallop last week  and she hadn't put on much weight over the winter but I was talking with her rider the other day and he says she has grown and strengthened a bit.

“While she did everything quite impressively last year she was still a little bit immature, but we are happy with her.”

Following a scintillating start to the season, both for the Aga Khan Studs and other owners, Zarigana's trainer Francis Graffard is currently leading the French trainers' table. 

Heating Up

Dermot Weld's stable has also been making good early impressions in 2025 and on Sunday, along with Tarima, the trainer was represented by the smart Juddmonte homebred Swelter (GB), who remained unbeaten when winning the G3 Ballylinch Stud 'Priory Belle' Stakes. The daughter of Kingman (GB) is out of the Group 3 winner Hot Snap (GB) and provided yet another reminder of the worth of Pivotal as a broodmare sire. Hot Snap is herself a half-sister to the six-time Group 1 winner Midday (GB) (Oasis Dream {GB}).

Swelter was the second group winner in as many days for Kingman after Tajlina (GB) underlined the form of the Graffard stable with victory in the G3 Prix Penelope. 

With Kingman's first Classic winner Persian King (Ire) now represented by a first-crop Classic hope of his own in Darius Cen (Fr), and the emergence in the coming months of the first runners for Palace Pier (GB), it could be an interesting year for the development of Kingman's own branch of the Invincible Spirit sire-line.

The Lincoln King 

It may have been a frustrating start to Saturday for William Haggas when Rosehill was controversially abandoned through bad weather, but his day brightened considerably as his stable made history by being the first to have sent out five winners of the Lincoln. 

The five-year-old Godwinson (GB) (Saxon Warrior {Jpn}) continued what was started 33 years ago by High Low, who won the race in the colours of the trainer's late father, Brian.

For Godwinson's owner-breeders Jon and Julia Aisbitt, it was a second Lincoln victory. Johan (GB) (Zoffany {Ire}), also a homebred, won in 2022 on his first start for Mick Channon after leaving Haggas's stable. 

Channon was also the trainer of Godwinson's Group 3-winning dam Malabar (GB) (Raven's Pass), a half-sister to the dual Group 1 winner Poet's Word (GB) (Poet's Voice {GB}) whose first foal Tiber Flow (Ire) (Caravaggio) has been a stalwart of Haggas's Somerville Lodge. He triumphed in last year's G2 Hungerford Stakes and G3 John Of Gaunt Stakes – two victories that were particularly pleasing to see after Tiber Flow's shocking mid-race tumble in the G2 Duke of York Stakes in May.

Haggas's good run could continue when Dubai Honour (Ire) (Pride Of Dubai {Aus}) lines up early on Tuesday morning for the rescheduled G1 Tancred Stakes at Rosehill. 

Saturday's Listed Doncaster Mile also went the way of owner-breeders when Dancing Gemini (Ire) (Camelot {GB}) galloped home to win by almost four lengths for David and Linda Fish of Fishdance Limited. The four-year-old colt is by a Derby winner and out of a mare by Derby winner Australia (GB), and he was himself sixth in the Epsom Classic, but trainer Roger Teal appears to be opting to keep him to a mile for now, with the G2 Mile at Sandown and G1 Lockinge Stakes both potential targets. 

Last year's Doncaster Mile winner Charyn (Ire) set the bar pretty high when he went on to run in both, winning at Sandown and finishing second at Newbury before landing three Group 1 wins later in the year. 

O'Callaghan's Star Performer 

These days it's rare for a big meeting to go by without Tally-Ho Stud having bred one of the winners and the O'Callaghan family's operation was represented on the opening day of the British turf season by Spycatcher (Ire) (Vadamos {Fr}), who became the fourth stakes winner in Britain for Karl Burke's stable so far this year in the Listed Cammidge Trophy. 

Tony O'Callaghan was probably still busy fielding phone calls about his smart two-year-old debutante Lady Iman (Ire), who at Dundalk the night before had streaked home to become the first winner for her Tally-Ho sire Starman (GB). 

Further cheer could be to come for the team in Mullingar as Lady Iman's year-older half-brother West Acre (Ire) (Mehmas {Ire}) lines up for Saturday's G1 Al Quoz Sprint at Meydan. Their dam Lady Aria (GB), bred by Llety Farms, is by the Tally-Ho stalwart Kodiac (GB).

 

West Acre warming up for the Al Quoz | Dubai Racing Club

Haras du Long Champ in Lights Again

Despite Rosehill's defection, there was Group 1 racing at Flemington on Saturday, where Light Infantry Man (Fr), better known in Europe simply as Light Infantry, notched his second win at the highest level since leaving David Simcock for Ciaron Maher.

The six-year-old is another feather in the cap for German breeder Barbara Moser of Haras du Long Champ, who also raised the Arc winner Ace Impact (Ire) at her Normandy farm for her compatriot and fellow breeder Waltraut Spanner. 

Light Infantry was a consistent performer in his days in Newmarket with Simcock, winning the G3 Horris Hill at two and being runner-up in French Group 1 contests on three occasions. 

 

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