Zamindar no relation Aga Khan IV
Background
Bred and raced by HH Aga Khan IV, Zarkava was sired by Group II winner Zamindar who also sired the multiple Group One winner, Darjina. Out of the mare, Zarkasha, her damsire is Kahyasi, winner of the 1988 Epsom and Irish Derbys.Racing career
Zarkava made two starts as a two-year-old at Longchamp Racecourse, her home base in Paris for trainer Alain de Royer-Dupré. She won the Prix de la Cascade for maiden fillies, and the Group One Prix Marcel Boussac. She was ridden by Christophe Soumillon, who rode her in all her races.
In 2008, she made her three-year-old debut in April at Longchamp with a win in the Group 3 Prix de la Grotte. She followed that with a win in the Poule d'Essai des Pouliches, setting a new stakes record. She then won the Prix de Diane at Chantilly Racecourse in June.
Back at Longchamp in September, she raced in the 2,400 metre Prix Vermeille. After stumbling out of the starting gate and losing at least a dozen lengths to the leaders, she went from last to first and won by two lengths while equaling the stakes record.
She made her next start in the 2008 Prix de l'Arc de Triomphe on October 5. Even though it was her first race against colts and many questioned her ability to win after her tardy start in the Prix Vermeille, Zarkava was the betting favorite leading up to the Arc, and she made a powerful stretch drive to become the first filly in fifteen years to win the race.
Zarkava was retired on October 13 with an undefeated record.On November 17 she was named Cartier Horse of the Year. The Aga Khan noted in a video interview posted on the website of the Daily Telegraph that they had been working since the Prix Vermeille to get this quirky filly to leave from a state of relaxation in the gate and run in a more relaxed mode at the start of her races instead of getting all tied up. He also said Zarkava had matured at three and did not get into her pace as quickly as she did at two. The Aga Khan went on to say she was an exceptional racehorse in a year of exceptional horses; and that her quality was identified very early, resulting in being placed in Group 1 races after her maiden win. The interview also stated that his daughter, Princess Zahra, was deeply involved in the breeding of Zarkava, as well as the Aga Khan's other horses. His Highness has been quoted in story after story as saying Zarkava represents the apogee of the more than ninety years that his family had been breeding champion Thoroughbred racehorses.
no relation