‘Nothing More Random Than This!’ – Pony Racing Star By Zarak To Sell At Osarus

[Wandering Eyes]

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 closer to a circus pony rather than a racehorse when she was born.

That hasn't stopped her stringing a host of wins together on the pony racing circuit, giving credence to that old saying, 'an ounce of breeding is worth a tonne of feeding'.

The six-year-old is out of an unnamed Irish-bred that Rimaud says looks similar to an Appaloosa. That mare was one of the first that Zarak, now the sire of multiple Group 1 and Classic winners, covered at Haras de Bonneval upon the completion of his racing career in 2018. 

Judith Leyster was gifted by the Aga Khan Studs to the Poneys au Galop and she will be sold in order to raise funds on behalf of the association. She has become something of a sensation, too. Not least for the fact that she is by Zarak, who has become one of the most important stallions France has to offer, but she is borderline unbeatable as a pony racer. On top of all that, she is pretty easy to spot, given her striking white body and brown spots. 

Rimaud recalled, “This is a pony out of a nurse mare we had on the farm. In Ireland, they call them batty mares, or you can call them nurse mares or foster mothers. We used to keep a few of them on the farm to get the younger stallions used to covering mares. We tried Zarak on these batty mares and, while I can't remember exactly, this could well have been the first ever mare that he covered. So be it, he got her in foal, and as the regulations state in France, you need to declare who the stallion is for the passport, health papers and the rest. Zarak didn't even have a book of mares at this point so little did we know what was going to come next.”

He added, “The dam, Janny, was one of these mares that we got from the hills or God knows where! If I remember correctly, she, like most of the foster mares, was multi-coloured – she looked like an Appaloosa. I don't even know if she had papers. There is nothing more random than this!”

The Osarus sales description states that multiple winner Judith Leyster will be sold only to a good home. She is also reported to be trained around cross-country courses and the proceeds of her sale will be reinvested within the Poneys au Galop organisation. 

Rimaud, who retired from his role within the Aga Khan Studs last year, said he found the whole story rather amusing but stated his pleasure at seeing one of the gifted ponies thriving away from her birth place at Haras de Bonneval.

He said, “Ponies race against other ponies and I think they are categorised by their size. Maybe this filly has a bit of speed because of her stallion but she seems to have done well. I understand that she may have done other things besides racing. All of these foals from the foster mares, we tend to give them away to a good home, and it's great to see them thriving. We raise them quite well, as one should do, and they are actually all hand-reared until we feel that they are ready to be sent out. I can remember giving a couple of them away for pony racing and Judith Leyster was obviously one of those. She is making the news now because she is speedier than the rest of the other ponies!”

Rimaud added, “I think it's funny more so than anything else and hopefully she might make a bit of money. I can assure you, she did not look like a racehorse when she was born – she looked more like a circus pony!”

The post ‘Nothing More Random Than This!’ – Pony Racing Star By Zarak To Sell At Osarus appeared first on TDN | Thoroughbred Daily News | Horse Racing News, Results and Video | Thoroughbred Breeding and Auctions.

View the full article