Shades of mum as Zarkava's son Zarkallani storms home at Longchamp

Zarkallani, the seventh foal of unbeaten Prix de l'Arc de Triomphe heroine Zarkava, got off the mark at the third time of asking with a four-length success in the Prix RFM over 1m2f at Longchamp on Sunday.

The colt, a son of Invincible Spirit, is trained by Alain de Royer-Dupre, who also oversaw the racing career of his dam, for the Aga Khan.

There were real shades of Zarkava in the way that her son swept by the seven-runner field, coming from well in rear under Christophe Soumillon to score by clear water.

"I have always thought a lot of him because he works like a very high-class horse in the mornings," said Royer-Dupre.

Zarkallani surveys his surroundings after landing the Prix RFMCredit: Scott Burton

"The twice he ran before he was a little bit hemmed in among horses and, while he didn't really pull, he didn't really drop the bit. Here he relaxed the whole way and we saw exactly what we were hoping for.

"The tactics were the key today and I don't think going up in trip made much difference, he would have won over a mile as well. He's still a work in progress and a little immature.

"I don't have any particular race in my head but he showed today he has inherited a touch of class from his mother and we will look for a Group race for him."

Zarkallani showed plenty of promise on his previous two starts, running a neck second to Melicertes on debut before finishing runner-up by a head to Boardman, a Juddmonte-bred son of Kingman, at Saint-Cloud on his penultimate start.

Zarkallani returns to the Longchamp winner's enclosureCredit: Scott Burton

The three-year-old still has some way to go if he is to fully uphold the family's honour, as not only did his dam win five Group 1s, but she has gone on to produce two Group 1 performers from as many runners.

First came Zarak, her fourth foal, who landed the Group 1 Grand Prix de Saint-Cloud before taking up stallion duties at the Aga Khan's French base at Haras de Bonneval in 2018. The son of Dubawi is priced at €12,000 for 2019.

Zarkava has also been represented by Zarkamiya, a Listed-winning daughter of Frankel who finished third in the Group 1 Prix Vermeille last year.

Zarkava has a two-year-old daughter - Zaykava, a filly by Siyouni - who is registered as being in training with Royer-Dupre, and she also has a yearling colt by Sea The Stars on the ground.

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