Zarkava works toward French One Thousand Guineas

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.