His Highness The Aga Khan’s unbeaten ZARKAVA (Zamindar) delighted connections
in a gallop on Tuesday as she prepares for Sunday’s Poule d’Essai des Pouliches
(French One Thousand Guineas) (Fr-G1) at Longchamp.
Last year’s impressive Prix Marcel Boussac (Fr-G1) scorer, who returned in
the same vein in the course-and-distance Prix de la Grotte (Fr-G3) on April 13,
came through her gallop at Chantilly’s Les Aigles in style.
“She worked with two older horses and certainly seemed to appreciate the
better ground,” trainer Alain de Royer-Dupre told the Racing Post. “It
was a very satisfactory piece of work and she won her gallop in a canter.”
Potential challengers were on the wane Wednesday as the list was cut to 17,
and will likely decrease further as the week wears on. Trainer Jim Bolger has
left in Monday’s Athasi S. (Ire-G3) winner PRIMA LUCE (Galileo [Ire]), but she
will only line up if the ground softens.
“She worked very well a month ago and was going to run, but her blood sample
wasn’t quite right and for 10 days afterwards she was very quiet and wasn’t very
well,” her trainer told PA Sport on Tuesday. “She bounced back in the last
couple of weeks, I took the chance of running her yesterday and it came off. If
the ground at Longchamp came up very soft, I’d give serious consideration to
running there as she is very well. If it’s anything other than soft, we will
miss it as it will be a hot race.”
Ireland will be represented by the Ballydoyle duo HALFWAY TO HEAVEN (Pivotal)
and PSALM (Sadler’s Wells), who were second and seventh, respectively, in the
April 6 Leopardstown One Thousand Guineas Trial (Ire-G3).
Of the British challengers, Jaber Abdullah’s Albany S. (Eng-G3) winner NIJOOM
DUBAI (Noverre) and Robert Barnett’s Fred Darling S. (Eng-G3) scorer DREAM DAY
(Oasis Dream [GB]) are intended runners.
Watering is underway currently, with the track officials looking to provide
good ground on Sunday.