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Zarkava conquers all in Arc
When Red Rock Canyon completed his job and weakened in the stretch, It's Gino (Perugino) and Soldier of Fortune struck the front. Just behind them was a wall of horses, Zarkava among them, trying to work their way forward. For an instant, it looked as if she may not find a seam, but suddenly the whole course opened up before her. Producing her hallmark turn of foot, Zarkava immediately stormed clear of the battling duo and crossed the wire a decisive two-length winner. The bay sophomore completed about 1 1/2 miles on the good-to-soft ground in 2:28 4/5, becoming the first female to take the Arc since the four-year-old Urban Sea in 1993. "Today we have seen the confirmation that she is really out of the ordinary," de Royer-Dupre marveled. "She has a very fluid way of moving and an ease of acceleration in just a couple of strides which is incredible. I have never seen her in difficulty. I am very lucky to train such a great filly." "She gave me the same extraordinary sensation that I had with Dalakhani (winner of the 2003 Arc), the only one that would have been able to challenge her for victory today," Soumillon said. "They are the two horses of my life. They will be engraved in everyone's memory forever, and especially in mine. I always said that I thought I would win the Arc with her, but we needed a good run of the race, which is never guaranteed. We got a passage through the field at a crucial moment in the race when there was a lot of movement. "She's a real jewel, a filly with such class that we are unlikely to see the same quality for 25 or 30 years," her rider concluded. "Today is the apogee for a breeding operation which dates back 90 years and for five generations of my family," summed up the Aga Khan, who also bred and campaigned Dalakhani. "I am really amazed by my filly." Last year's Arc runner-up Youmzain (Sinndar), who had been buried on the rail, finally broke free and finished with a flourish to take second place once again. "It didn't cost him the race," Bruce Raymond, racing manager to Youmzain's owner Jaber Abdullah, admitted to PA Sport. "The winner is an exceptional filly." Another half-length back came the inseparable pair of It's Gino and Soldier of Fortune in a dead-heat for third. The previously unbeaten colt Vision d'Etat (Chicicastengago) reported home fifth, followed by Ask (GB) (Sadler's Wells), Duke of Marmalade, Getaway (Monsun), Cima de Triomphe (Galileo [Ire]), Japanese shipper Meisho Samson (Opera House [GB]), Papal Bull (Montjeu [Ire]), Blue Bresil (Smadoun), Schiaparelli (Monsun), Zambezi Sun (Dansili [GB]), Kamsin (Samum) and Red Rock Canyon. O'Brien was not making any hasty decisions about Soldier of Fortune and Duke of Marmalade. "I'm not using the ground as an excuse. They've both run good races," he said. "They both have plenty of options, and we'll see what happens." Zarkava first burst onto the scene on Arc Day last year, when she captured the Prix Marcel Boussac (Fr-G1) and thereby ranked as France's highweight juvenile filly. On Sunday, her Arc success put her seal on a brilliant three-year-old campaign. After an easy reappearance in the Prix de la Grotte (Fr-G3), she commenced her march through the French fillies' classics, coasting to impressive victories in the Poule d'Essai des Pouliches (French One Thousand Guineas) (Fr-G1) and Prix de Diane (Fr-G1). She enjoyed the traditional summer break and returned to prep for the Arc with a scintillating score in the Prix Vermeille (Fr-G1). Bred in Ireland, Zarkava was produced by the unraced Zarkasha (Kahyasi), and she has an unraced juvenile half-sister named Zerkeriya (Soviet Star). Zarkasha is herself a half-sister to French Group 3 heroine Zarkiya (Ire) (Catrail). This is the family of Zainta (Kahyasi), victress of the 1998 Prix de Diane and Prix Saint-Alary (Fr-G1). Zarkava's fifth dam is the immortal Petite Etoile (Petition), winner of the 1959 English One Thousand Guineas, Oaks and Champion S., and a two-time heroine of the Coronation Cup in 1960-61. The Aga Khan has not yet determined whether Zarkava will remain in training next season, or be retired. "The decision about her future has not been taken yet," His Highness said. "She won't race again this year, and I will discuss next year with my team."
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