SOUMILLON 'ZARKAVA IS FEMALE DALAKHANI'
'Rarely do Classics center around one runner in the way this race revolved around unbeaten filly ZARKAVA, but it was for good reason and she didn't disappoint, flying home from off a sound pace, recording a faster time than the colts and the fastest winning time for the race.' Racing Post
Article taken from the Racing Post
ZARKAVA once again showed a clean pair of heels to her rivals when she took the Poule d'Essai des Pouliches at Longchamp on Sunday.
She did increase the blood pressure of her connections, but super cool Christophe Soumillon never had an anxious moment throughout the Classic and described her afterwards as "the female Dalakhani" after his brilliant Arc winner.
Zarkava dominated the final furlong and a half and went on to score by two lengths from Goldikova, with the Aidan O'Brien-trained Halfway To Heaven third. The daughter of ZAMINDAR also set a record for the race as she covered the course in 1min35.2sec.
A crack at the Vodafone Oaks at Epsom was again ruled out, with her next intended target being the French equivalent, the Prix de Diane.
Slow into her stride, Zarkava was towards the tail of the field early on and still only seventh by the straight, but things opened up beautifully for Soumillon before he asked for a final effort.
She needed a tap to keep her attention on the job and then drew away to win her fourth race and, once again, did not really have to flex a muscle.
However her owner-breeder the Aga Khan was forced to admit: "I was a little worried early onto see her so far back. We have been training her to go further so her next race will be the Prix de Diane as that seems a logical progression."
Her trainer Alain de Royer-Dupre, who won the race last year with Darjina for Princess Zahra Aga Khan, added: "She didn't make the fastest start and they went very quickly early on. We must wake her up a bit in the future. We have been training Zarkava to go longer and next time we will put a lead horse in the race. The filly did not have a hard time today and she did exactly what the doctor ordered."
Soumillon, however, was never concerned. He said: "I just let her start as she wanted and we were never under any pressure. If you are ahead of affairs too early on, you get into a fight and get burnt out. This race was just a trial for the Diane. There was a good pace throughout and she was easily the best, as usual. I was never worried about the others at all during the race as I knew what I had in my hands. For me Zarkava is a female Dalakhani but she is a little bit more nervous. Happily she is trained by Alain de Royer-Dupre."
Although it made no difference to the result, Goldikova did peck coming out of the stalls but she still ran a fine race in second place.
Trainer Freddie Head said: "There isn't really much to comment on. I was very happy as she never gave up and was beaten by a better filly."
Peslier added: "She did slip coming out of the stalls but that wasn't really an excuse. We were beaten by the best of her generation."
Ballydoyle's Halfway To Heaven ran on well up the far rail to finish a length and a half third.
"She ran a really good race and is a tough lady. In the future we will be looking at a race like the Irish Oaks," said Aidan O'Brien.
"Psalm also ran a good race from a bad draw but the winner is certainly a very good filly," added the Irishman.
Khalid Abdullah's Modern Look, who finished fourth, was beaten a length and a half by the 1,000 Guineas winner Natagora in the Prix Imprudence. In the Pouliches she finished fourth and more than four lengths adrift of Zarkava, who on form appears to be the best filly in Europe over a mile.
The owner's racing manager Teddy Grimthorpe said: "Modern Look got a little squeezed up a bit but ran decently."
Rarely do Classics center around one runner in the way this race revolved aroubd unbeaten filly ZARKAVA, but it was for good reason and she didn't disappoint, flying home from off a sound pace, recording a faster time than the colts and the fastest winning time for the race.
Date: 12 May 2008