DALAKHANI suffered his sole defeat in nine starts on his only venture outside France. Unbeaten in three juvenile starts, the best of which was the Group 1 Criterium International at Saint-Cloud, he was rated the best of his generation in Europe at three.

He travelled to Ireland as a classic winner in 2003, having garnered that honour with victory in the Group 1 Prix du Jockey Club-French Derby, but he found another colt owned and bred by His Highness the Aga Khan too good for him at the Curragh. He was beaten by the John Oxx-trained Alamshar.

Prior to his classic win he captured the Group 1 Prix Lupin, and, following a two-month break after his trip to Ireland, he returned to winning ways when he defeated Doyen in the Group 2 Prix Niel, his warm-up for his final start in the Group 1 Prix de l’Arc de Triomphe. He ended his career with victory and then returned to his country of birth to take up stud duties at Gilltown Stud.

He remained at Gilltown until he transferred for a single season to Haras de Bonneval, but he was removed from stallion duties following the 2016 covering season and was enjoying a peaceful retirement at Haras d’Ouilly in Normandy when he died recently, having just turned 21.

Aga Khan tribute

H.H. the Aga Khan declared after Dalakhani’s final run in Longchamp: “He’s outstanding on the basis of what we’ve seen as a two-year-old, three-year-old, over all distances and on all going.

“It’s very difficult to make comparisons, but this horse has a concentration of unusual talents, and that’s what gives him the ability to accelerate when he needs to accelerate, to follow a pace when he needs to follow a pace, and to handle all goings.”

Dalakhani was a pure product of the Aga Khan Studs’ operation, being a son of the their Prix du Jockey Club winner Darshaan (Shirley Heights) and out of the Miswaki (Mr Prospector) stakes-winning Daltawa. Dalakhani had six winning siblings, the best of the rest being the outstanding Daylami (Doyoun).

He was the champion of Europe the year before Dalakhani was born, and he posted an incredible seven victories at Group and Grade 1 level in Ireland, England, France and the USA.

Daltawa’s offspring also included the stakes winner and Group 1 Prix Lupin runner-up Daymarti (Caerleon), and her daughter Daltama (Indian Ridge) bred Dolniya (Azamour), winner of the Group 1 Coronation Cup at Epsom and the Group 1 Dubai Sheema Classic at Meydan.

Dalakhani is one of 11 Group 1 winners by the Group 1 Prix du Jockey Club-French Derby winner Darshaan. Others included the successful sire Mark Of Esteem, while Dalakhani’s achievement in winning four times at the highest level was only bettered by Darshaan’s son Kotashaan, winner of five Grade 1 races, including the Breeders’ Cup Turf.

Dalakhani came close to equalling Darshaan’s record of Group and Grade 1 winning sons and daughters. He sired 10 Group 1 winners, including classic winners Moonstone and Reliable Man, top-notch fillies Chinese White and Integral, dual Breeders’ Cup Turf winner Conduit, and, more recently, Coronation Cup winner Defoe. In total, Dalakhani has sired 55 blacktype winners (37 at group level) and a total of 92 blacktype performers on the flat.

In another sphere, Dalakhani is now leaving his mark as a broodmare sire, a most notable recent example being the champion two-year-old Pinatubo (Shamardal), who also won last year’s Group 1 Prix Jean Prat, and will shortly commence stud duties at Dalham Hall Stud. At present, he is broodmare sire of 35 blacktype winners, almost half of them at group level, and a running total of 61 blacktype performers.

Dalakhani was trained by Alain de Royer-Dupré and ridden in all his starts by Christophe Soumillon.