Last year’s leading Sire in France wasn’t Frankel, it wasn’t Galileo, nor was it Sharmadal, it was SIYOUNI. Over €4.7m in prize-money and premiums, at an average of €23,106 return per foal. St Mark’s Basilica has helped to put him on the map and added to that prize money significantly, with his victories in both the Poule d’Essai des Poulains and the Prix du Jockey Club, but underneath that he has been steadily climbing the stallion ranks and now commands €140,000 at Stud. His own career is best described as precocious, with 5 wins from 6 starts that culminated in the G1 Prix Jean-Luc Lagardere at Paris Longchamp. His 3-year-old career didn’t quite hit the heights, but he still went on to place in the Prix Jean Prat and the Prix du Moulin. Laurens, Sottsass, St Mark’s Basilica, Dream and Do and Ervedya have put him on the map, so it would be remiss of me not to include him in the progeny series for 2022.
MR JOURDAIN
2-year-old Colt
Siyouni x Palombe (Nathaniel)
Andre Fabre
A well bred Colt, his dam PALOMBE won 2 of her 12 starts on the track for Andre Fabre, including the Listed Prix Gold River at Longchamp. She had plenty of stamina and saw out the 12-furlong trip very well, as did her 2 winning siblings, who both won beyond 2000m. Palombe won as a juvenile at Lyon-Parilly over a mile on her 2nd start and although Mr Jourdain is her first foal, his Sires influence would offer some hope that he could make his mark as a juvenile. Andre Fabre may look to follow a similar pattern with him as he did with his dam, in which case the end of season 2-year-old targets at Paris Longchamp and Saint-Cloud may be on the agenda if everything goes to plan.
ASCAGNE
2-year-old Filly
Siyouni x Ambivalence (Invincible Spirit)
Andre Fabre
Another with Andre Fabre, Ascagne comes from the family of Alpine Snow and looks to have a good blend of speed and stamina in her pedigree. Her dam won 2 of her 5 career starts for Henri-Alex Pantall, winning her first 2 starts at Chantilly and Saint-Cloud before going on to place at Listed level. She was a miler and most of the other winners in the immediate pedigree made their mark between 1400-1800m in France. With both Siyouni and Invincible Spirit in the immediate family, she is likely to be fairly precocious with plenty of speed, which could make her of interest as a juvenile before they try to stretch her out in trip.
CARINI
3-year-old Gelding
Siyouni x Candarliya (Dalakhani)
Francis-Henri Graffard
A nicely bred gelding for the Aga Khan, his dam was a multiple Group 2 winner who finished 2nd to Treve in the Prix Vermeille. She stayed extremely well and achieved a peak rating of 51.5 during her time with Alain De Royer Dupre. Carini has already been gelded, which limits his options as a 3-year-old, but there will be plenty of middle-distance opportunities for him if he can translate his staying pedigree into a good level of performance on the track. Given his pedigree, it is not overly surprising that he didn’t make the track as a 2-year-old, but the influence of his Sire could make him more than useful, with a turn-of-foot always a positive in French middle distance races that can often turn into a sprint for home.
GALANTHUS
3-year-old Filly
Siyouni x Nuit Polaire (Kheleyf)
Andre Fabre
Owned by Coolmore, Galanthus is a half-sister to G1 Prix Jean Prat winner Intellogent and looks to be a very well bred filly for Andre Fabre. Her dam, Nuit Polaire, didn’t appear until she was a 3-year-old, winning 1 of her 6 starts for Jean-Claude Rouget and reaching a peak rating of 42.5-kilos. She has produced 2 other winning progeny asides from Intellogent and is actually a half-sister to Willie Mullins chaser Melon. Although the pedigree is a bit of a mixed bag, one thing to note is that almost all of the family have stayed well, which should be a good mix with the speed and precocity from Siyouni. She has an entry in the Prix de Diane and if she can show enough ability when she reaches the track in the months ahead, there is no reason to think she won’t be able to give a good account of herself in pattern company.
The Progeny Series:
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