ENGLISH TEXTS
AKTEM
BY MÉGANE MARTINS
A NEW RACEHORSE AUC- TION AGENCY, SETS UP IN MAISONS-LAFFITTE
The landscape of horse racing will be enriched by a new sales agency in 2026 with the arrival of AKTEM, which aims to be agile and innovative, dedicated to thoroughbreds and Purebred Arabians. Thanks to a partnership with the town of Maisons-Laffitte, the agency will establish its base within the historic Seine-side racecourse, offering an ideal location just a stone’ s throw from Paris and facilities perfectly suited to hosting sales, horses, and industry professionals. With a model designed to directly involve industry stakeholders in the collective success of the project, AKTEM will open 10 % of its capital, and each share held will provide access to numerous advantages such as reduced entry fees, transport facilitations for bringing horses to the sales, communication support, as well as profit-sharing on net profits or in the event of a sale. On the Bloodstock side, Guy Petit was recently announced as Director and will bring his expertise, particularly in the NH sector, to sellers and buyers, while Mégane Martins has just been appointed Director of Communication and Development.
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UNE
01
BY SERGE OKEY
AGA KHAN, THE PRODIGIOUS YEAR
Overlooking Aswan( Egypt), His Highness Karim Aga Khan IV now rests in the family’ s impressive pink-granite mausoleum on the banks of the Nile. His passing on February 4 in Lisbon, at the age of 88, was met with a flood of tributes befitting his legacy. Forty-ninth descendant of the Prophet Muhammad, the spiritual leader of the Nizari Ismailis was a guide to millions of Shia Muslims. At the same time, this king without a kingdom, and great philanthropist, managed to elevate a rich equestrian heritage to new heights. Alongside Alec Head, François Mathet and later Alain de Royer-Dupré, Prince Aga Khan IV left an indelible greenand-red mark on racing history: 160 Group 1 victories, including four Prix de l’ Arc de Triomphe, eight Jockey Clubs, seven Prix de Diane, and twenty titles as leading owner with such immense champions as Blushing Groom, Shergar, Sinndar, Dalakhani and, of course, Zarkava. Aga Khan IV was also a visionary and a brilliant geneticist. These two qualities earned him fifteen titles as leading breeder in France, Ireland and Great Britain. He acquired the Dupré, Boussac, Holliday and Lagardère bloodstock, contributed to the modernization of the racecourses of Chantilly and the Curragh( Ireland), and became a shareholder in the sales companies ARQANA and Goffs. Upon his passing, his daughter Princess Zahra took over the reins of the century-old operation with remarkable success. Daryz added an eighth Qatar Prix de l’ Arc de Triomphe( a record) to the family’ s list of achievements. Zarigana captured the Emirates Poule d’ Essai des Pouliches( Gr. 1). Candelari and Sibayan dominated the Group 1 Prix Vicomte Viguier and the Mehl-Mülhens-Stiftung 63 rd Preis von Europa, bringing the formidable Graffard – Aga Khan tandem to seven Group 1 victories this year. Three of them came from Calandagan, named Horse of the Year at the latest Cartier Awards following his victories in the Grand Prix de Saint-Cloud, the King George VI and Queen Elizabeth Stakes, and the Qipco Champion Stakes.
02
BY MÉLODIE JANVIER
CLASH OF THE TITANS
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In February, Riyadh set the tone for what would become an exceptional year in 2025. In a Saudi Cup( Gr. 1) as“ extravagant” as ever, the public witnessed a truly legendary duel. On one side, Romantic Warrior, the king of Hong Kong and the richest racehorse on the planet; on the other, the younger Japanese challenger Forever Young, unbeaten in the land of the Rising Sun. Just when it seemed the son of Acclamation was headed for glory, Forever Young, in
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