The Aga Khan’s outstanding mare Zarkava gave birth to a bay filly foal by Frankel earlier this month.
Zarkava’s new arrival is a full sister to the Listed-winning and Group 1-placed Zarkamiya as well as being a half-sister to Grand Prix de Saint-Cloud hero Zarak, who is standing his third season at Haras de Bonneval in France this year.
Winner of five Group 1s including the Prix de l’Arc de Triomphe, Zarkava also has a three-year-old filly by Siyouni named Zaykava, a two-year-old colt by Sea The Stars and a yearling filly by Dubawi. The daughter of Zamindar is due to visit Siyouni again this year.
ARC tracks could be utilised in racing’s resumption
Tracks owned by Arena Racing Company could be utilised if and when British racing is given the go-ahead to resume by the government.
Racing in Britain was suspended last month soon after the completion of the Cheltenham Festival. Last week, the British Horseracing Authority announced the suspension would remain in place indefinitely.
The resumption of racing would take place behind closed doors and should this happen, ARC’s all-weather tracks at Lingfield and Newcastle would have the facilities to host a heavily quarantined introduction.
Martin Cruddace, Chief Executive of ARC, spoke to Racing TV’s Luck on Sunday and said: “My own personal view is we’ll have a position whereby we will be in a heavily quarantined first phase and we would need to make sure the movement of people is kept to the absolute minimum.
“The first phase could and maybe should involve a quarantined, sanitised zone at a racecourse that is able to put on regular fixtures maybe each day, and where the participants do not have to leave that sanitised zone.
“To a large extent we are relying on Dr Jerry Hill and his great team at the BHA and being guided by their advice, but I think we have to be in a position whereby we can meet every possible objection.
“So for instance those that unload the horses from the horse lorry and look after the horses at the stables may be part of the participants that are quarantined, and those that bring the horses to the racecourse do not have a chance to interfere with or infect the quarantined zone. I’m pretty sure we can put all of that in place.
“I should make the point that our first priority is the public health emergency, without a doubt, but that doesn’t mean that we shouldn’t plan for when resumption can happen. It’s important to emphasis we can’t do anything without government consent and that can only happen when the public health situation allows it to happen.
“What you are looking for is probably a hotel on the racecourse, a surface that can take regular racing and also a hotel that can provide 100 to 110 rooms. Obviously if you look at it regionally, we have Lingfield where we have a hotel and we have Newcastle which has a hotel on-site as well.
“We have also been doing our own work, we have a 37-point plan to put in place and we only need two or three days’ notice and we will be up and running.”
