Aga Khan Studs aim at bits of wood

The thoroughbred exists because its selection has depended, not on experts, technicians or zoologists, but on a piece of wood: the winning post of the Epsom Derby.

That’s a famous saying of legendary Italian horse breeder Federico Tesio. Just add the winning post (probably metal or plastic nowadays) of the Prix de l’Arc de Triomphe and it could be a motto of the Aga Khan family.

For more than 100 years, the spiritual leaders of the world’s 20 million Isma’ili Muslims have, in their spare time, been fixated on breeding racehorses to be superior runners over a distance of a mile and a half (or 2400m).

They’ve been good at it, producing 10 Derby champions in the UK and nine Prix de l’Arc de Triomphe triumphs in France – not to mention winners of a host of the world’s other great races.

The latest achievement of Aga Khan Studs was the stunning victory of the colt Daryz in Sunday’s Arc, a rare back-to-back colt success in “Europe’s greatest race” after his 2025 win. It was the first such repeat since 1978 and will probably elevate the handsome bay to No 1-ranked racehorse in the world.

Princess Zahra Aga Khan, who currently runs the vast global stud operation built by her father, grandfather and great grandfather, says of Daryz: “He was born for this. On both sides, sire and dam, they were Group 1 winners at the distance, so he was born to get 2400m.”

Daryz’s sire, Sea The Stars, is revered as one of the greatest racers of all time, winning both the 2009 Epsom Derby and Arc among a long list of big races. Dam Daryakana won the 2009 Hong Kong Vase at Sha Tin and then surpassed her racing career as a broodmare with six black-type foals.

The bloodline includes the Aga Khans’ famous E-1 family.

Pierre Gasnier, manager of the Studs in France, puts it bluntly: “Genetically speaking, you cannot do much better than this … winner to winner!”

He is alluding to the old maxim: breed the best to the best and hope for the best.

Not every farm has the means to do that but, interestingly, Aga Khan Studs do not keep their stallions’ potency to themselves – in line with their philosophy of making the horse business pay for itself. Standing at their Gilltown Stud in Ireland, Sea The Stars is available for €300,000 (R5.6-million) a covering.

His son Daryz is likely to be pulling that sort of money soon, too.

Asked about the colt possibly returning to Longchamp racecourse in pursuit of an historic Arc treble – with geldings being allowed to run in the race for the first time in 2027 – Princess Zahra said: “Look, we’re breeders right, and you get to the point where you’re taking a risk every time you run the horse. His mother [Daryakana] improved with age, that’s true, but would we want him to train on for another year?

“I’m not sure; I think he has other things to do.”