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The combination of owner/breeder the Aga Khan and trainer Alain de Royer Dupre is one of the most familiar and successful in modern French racing history and the unbeaten filly Siyarafina could put them back on a pedestal in Sunday’s (16 June) G1 Prix de Diane at Chantilly.
Royer Dupre and the Aga Khan have teamed on six occasions to win the race known as the French Oaks, but the latest of those to carry the famous green and red silks was Sarafina back in 2010. Last year, in particular, was a largely forgettable campaign in general for this usually formidable team.
But the 74-year-old trainer has long believed that Siyarafina was something special even if coughing kept her from competing as a two-year-old and some mediocre work meant that plans to supplement her for last month's G1 Poule d'Essai des Pouliches (1600m) were abandoned.
Instead, Royer Dupre moved her up to the 2000m of Longchamp's G1 Prix Saint Alary on 26 May, where she gained her third straight win and left all roads heading in the direction of Chantilly and Sunday's French classic for three-year-old fillies over 2100m.
Royer Dupre knows a top-class filly when he has one, having trained such outstanding distaffers as Zarkava - unbeaten in seven starts including this race and the 2008 Prix de l'Arc de Triomphe - and he heaped high praise on Siyarafina commenting: “She really stands out. She has an incredible turn-of-foot.”
That said, the handler is known for being cautious and that is exactly what he has been when reflecting on her victory in the Saint Alary - a race which has often led directly to Prix de Diane success, as it did with the British raider Laurens last year.
Christophe Soumillon advanced Siyarafina from midfield to lead about 200m out in the Saint Alary and the filly easily repelled Olendon and Imperial Charm.
The trainer said: “She won but actually I was hoping for a little bit more. She showed that she stays but if I'm being very critical she was a little less fluid in her movement. But I'm hopeful that race has brought her on in terms of condition.”
A win from Siyarafina would be a big story, as would victory from one of possibly four challengers in this Classic for trainer Jean-Claude Rouget, who has already bagged this year’s G1 Prix du Jockey Club with Sottsass.
Rouget has won the Diane four times and earlier this week was sorting big-race jockey plans with Frankie Dettori expected to ride Ebony and Christophe Lemaire jetting from Japan to partner Cartiem. Cristian Demuro will partner either Commes or Etoile.
Rouget said of Etoile, who proved herself over the Prix de Diane trip when winning the G3 Prix Cleopatre at Saint-Cloud last month, “It was all over quickly once she got to the front that day. She has a lot of energy but uses it effectively, making life easy on herself.”
The trainer is optimistic about his overall Diane challenge: “I have a marvellous bunch of fillies this year. Hopefully I’ll have four runners in the Diane, all with good chances. That has never happened to me before.”
With largely dry weather predicted in the area later in the week, good ground or good to soft ground are currently the most likely surface scenarios at Chantilly on Sunday.
