Zarkava, the dam of Metropolitan's sire Zarak

Pedigree Pointers: Metropolitan and the rise of Zarak

By Laura Joy

10:09 · WED May 15, 2024

On Sunday at Longchamp, Metropolitan became the third Group 1 winning colt by Zarak in as many crops of Classic age to race.

Zarak's first Classic winner in his own right, he provided yet another major boost to his sire's burgeoning record, all conceived from a fee of just €12,000. With that value a distant memory, regally bred Zarak now stands for €60,000 at his owner breeder The Aga Khan's Haras de Bonneval.

He is the first and only Group 1 winner out of his unbeaten five time Group 1 winning dam Zarkava, and the second son of Dubawi to sire a French 2000 Guineas winner.

Makfi was first with Make Believe in the same race in 2015 and given the near misses by Night Of Thunder's Vespertilio in the fillies' equivalent and Isaac Shelby in the 2023 colt's renewal, it is likely only a matter of time until there is a third. With that in mind and an in depth analysis of Metropolitan’s pedigree, it soon becomes very clear this Classic win was no fluke.

Out of the Halling mare Alianza, Metropolitan was a €78,000 yearling purchase at Arqana October Yearling Sale in 2022. The success of Zarak's first crop of three year olds will have had a notable influence on his price. Alianza was an 800gns cull from Godolphin having failed to reach the track, and her preceding three foals had not set the world alight. Though it had been a while between (black type earning) drinks in Metropolitan’s family, there is ample class amongst his ancestors that affirms it is not only exciting young sire Zarak who can claim responsibility for his talent.

His third dam Warm Mood (Alydar) was knocked down to Barronstown Stud for $2.85m at Keeneland November in 1999 carrying Ballydoyle’s subsequent Listed Doncaster Stakes winner Miguel Cervantes (Danzig).

She went some way towards recouping that substantial outlay adding Leopardstown 1000 Guineas Trial winner Royal Tigress (Storm Cat) to her record, but it was her year younger sister who really had an impact, albeit for different connections, commanding a bid of $1.7m at Keeneland September in 2004 from John Ferguson.

Subsequently named Cercle d'Amour, she never ran and twelve years later produced her first black type earner when Boater (Helmet) was second in the Listed Marygate Stakes. However, it was too little too late to keep Alianza in the fold, as she was sold the previous February 2015 at Tattersalls to Stuart McPhee Bloodstock. Cercle d’Amour sadly died after producing just six foals, four were fillies and all were sold.

The global breeding powers that be simply cannot keep every filly and mare and culling is an important part of any breeding entity’s functionality, commercial or otherwise. Time and time again investments into perceived weaker branches of tenderly nurtured owner breeder families pay off.

Class so often repeats itself, even if a generation apart, and landing a touch with a young sire in his third crop whose fee is going to multiply by five by the time you race is certainly not a hindrance in bringing it to the fore.

Breeding a mare whose pedigree had the fingerprints of both Coolmore and Godolphin as well as the Aga Khan’s blue blooded Zarak has led to a stark change of fortune for this family. Even with Zarak’s impeccable bloodlines, it is a true mark of a stallion to sire progeny better than himself. For the son of Dubawi who finally struck at Group 1 level at the seventh attempt, the same number of times his unbeaten Champion dam Zarkava ran, to add a Classic winner to his sixteen Group winners and nineteen stakes winners to date is a strong indication of a bright future to come.

Excluding this crop of juveniles, he is operating at an 8% strike rate of stakes winners to foals with his third crop of 3yos only two months into their season. With the presumably sharp rise in quality from his increased fees of €25,000 in 2022 and €60,000 for the past two years, it will be fascinating to see what he can achieve. He covered his biggest book of mares in 2022 with 165 breeders taking encouragement from his promising first crop of juveniles to race in 2021 which included G3 winner Lizaid and G1 runner-up Purplepay from eighteen winners, four of those earning black type.

With a $2.85 million third dam, a $1.7 million granddam and his own 800gns dam, Metropolitan is the epitome of the small breeder’s dream and the glimmering hope that perseverance can one day be worth it. Regardless of Metropolitan’s apparent humble beginnings and rather contrasting expensive history, his ability is apparent for all to see.

Lightly raced, he is an exciting horse to follow and only the latest of a multitude of reasons to keep his young sire Zarak on side. As for Alianza, her value has multiplied considerably more than Zarak’s fee since they last met and a return to France must be an enticing prospect for this exciting colt’s shrewd breeder.

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