Zarkava produces first foal

The Aga Khan's unbeaten ZARKAVA (Zamindar), Europe's Horse of the

Year in 2008, produced her first foal on Saturday evening in Ireland.

The filly, sired by the Aga Khan's Dalakhani, was born at 9:30 p.m.,

according to the Aga Khan Studs website.

Pat Downes, the Irish Manager of the Aga Khan Studs, was on hand to

witness the foaling.

The Dalakhani-Zarkava filly is "a lovely individual that is correct,

strong and full of quality," Downes observed. "It was a straightforward

foaling, and Zarkava has proved herself to be a good mother. The

Dalakhani filly is a good size for a first foal."

The filly is the offspring of two sensational performers, both

winners of the Prix de l'Arc de Triomphe (Fr-G1). Dalakhani claimed the

spoils in 2003, and Zarkava capped her perfect seven-for-seven career in

the 2008 Arc.

Each also captured French classic races, with Dalakhani winning the

Prix du Jockey-Club (French Derby) (Fr-G1) and Zarkava capturing the

Poule d'Essai des Pouliches (French One Thousand Guineas) (Fr-G1) and

Prix de Diane (French Oaks) (Fr-G1).