Siyouma (foaled 3 April 2008) is an Irish-bred, French-trained

Thoroughbred The Thoroughbred is a horse breed best known for its use in horse racing. Although the word ''thoroughbred'' is sometimes used to refer to any breed of purebred horse, it technically refers only to the Thoroughbred breed. Thoroughbreds are c ...

racehorse and

broodmare A mare is an adult female horse or other equine. In most cases, a mare is a female horse over the age of three, and a filly is a female horse three and younger. In Thoroughbred horse racing, a mare is defined as a female horse more than four ...

. Bred and originally owned by the

Aga Khan Aga Khan ( fa, آقاخان, ar, آغا خان; also transliterated as ''Aqa Khan'' and ''Agha Khan'') is a title held by the Imām of the Nizari Ismāʿīli Shias. Since 1957, the holder of the title has been the 49th Imām, Prince Shah Karim ...

she was unraced as a two-year-old and won one minor race as a three-year-old in 2011 before being sold at auction. In 2012 she emerged as a top-class racemare, winning the

Sun Chariot Stakes The Sun Chariot Stakes is a Group 1 flat horse race in Great Britain open to fillies and mares aged three years or older. It is run on the Rowley Mile at Newmarket over a distance of 1 mile (1,609 ...

in England and the

E. P. Taylor Stakes The E. P. Taylor Stakes is a Thoroughbred horse race for fillies and mares held annually since 1956 in October at Woodbine Racetrack in Toronto, Ontario, Canada. It is run on the E. P. Taylor turf course at a distance of miles. Originally run as ...

in Canada as well as finishing third in the

Falmouth Stakes The Falmouth Stakes is a Group 1 flat horse race in Great Britain open to fillies and mares aged three years or older. It is run on the July Course at Newmarket over a distance of 1 mile (1,60 ...

and fourth in the

Prix Jean Romanet The Prix Jean Romanet is a Group races, Group 1 Flat racing, flat Horse racing, horse race in France open to thoroughbred Filly, fillies and mares aged four years or older. It is run over a distance of 2,000 met ...

. After her retirement from racing she was sold and exported to Japan.

Background

Siyouma is a bay mare with a white

star A star is an astronomical object comprising a luminous spheroid of plasma (physics), plasma held together by its gravity. The List of nearest stars and brown dwarfs, nearest star to Earth is the Sun. Many other stars are visible to the naked ...

and a white

sock A sock is a piece of clothing worn on the feet and often covering the ankle or some part of the calf. Some types of shoes or boots are typically worn over socks. In ancient times, socks were made from leather or matted animal hair. In the late ...

on her left hind leg bred in Ireland by her owner

Aga Khan IV Shāh Karim al-Husayni (born 13 December 1936), known by the religious title Mawlānā Hazar Imam by his Ismaili followers and elsewhere as Aga Khan IV, is the 49th and current Imam of Nizari Ismailis, a denomination within Shia Islam. He ha ...

. His sire Medicean was an outstanding miler whose wins included the

Lockinge Stakes The Lockinge Stakes is a Group 1 flat horse race in Great Britain open to horses aged four years or older. It is run over a distance of 1 mile (1,609 metres) at Newbur ...

Queen Anne Stakes The Queen Anne Stakes is a Group 1 flat horse race in Great Britain open to horses aged four years or older. It is run at Ascot over a distance of 1 mile (1,609 metres), and is scheduled to take pl ...

and

Eclipse Stakes The Eclipse Stakes is a Group races, Group 1 Flat racing, flat Horse racing, horse race in Great Britain open to horses aged three years or older. It is run at Sandown P ...

. His other offspring have included

Nannina Nannina is a retired British Thoroughbred racehorse. She won five of her sixteen races, with two seconds and three thirds, earning £493000 in a career that spanned three seasons. Background Sired by Medicean, out of Hill Hopper (Danehill) and o ...

Dutch Art Dutch art describes the history of visual arts in the Netherlands, after the United Provinces separated from Flanders. Earlier painting in the area is covered in Early Netherlandish painting and Dutch and Flemish Renaissance painting. The hist ...

, Al Shemali (

Dubai Duty Free Stakes The Dubai Turf, known as Dubai Duty Free 1996 to 2014. is a Group 1 flat horse race in the United Arab Emirates for four-year-old and above thoroughbreds run over a distance of 1,800 metres (1 mile 1 furlong) on the turf at Meydan Racecourse in Du ...

), Capponi (

Al Maktoum Challenge, Round 3 The Al Maktoum Challenge, Round 3, is a horse race run over a distance of 2,000 metres (one and a quarter miles) on dirt in March at Meydan Racecourse in Dubai. It is the third of three races in the Al Maktoum Challenge series which serve as trial ...

) and Mr Medici (

Champions & Chater Cup Hong Kong Champions & Chater Cup is a Hong Kong Thoroughbred horse race held annually in late May or early June at Sha Tin Racecourse. A Group One race that offers a purse of HK$12,000,000, it is run on turf over a distance of 2400 meters (prior ...

). Siyouma's dam Sichilla showed great promise in a brief racing career, winning two of her three races including the Listed Prix Amandine, and as a broodmare, she also produced Siyouni, a colt who won the

Prix Jean-Luc Lagardère The Prix Jean-Luc Lagardère, formerly the Grand Critérium, is a Group 1 flat horse race in France open to two-year-old thoroughbred colts and fillies. It is run at Longchamp over a distance of 1, ...

in 2007. She was distantly descended from the influential American broodmare Blue Filly. Siyouma was sent to race in France and entered training with

Alain de Royer-Dupré Alain de Royer-Dupré (born 24 September 1944http://www.breederscup.com/bio.aspx?id=2334 Breeders' Cup trainer profile) is a leading French thoroughbred racehorse trainer. Early life He grew up at the Haras de Saint Lô, a national stud farm in No ...

Racing career

2011: three-year-old season

Siyouma did not race as a two-year-old, making her debut in a

maiden race In horse racing a maiden race is an event for horses that have not won a race. Horses that have not won a race are referred to as maidens. Maiden horse races are held over a variety of distances and under conditions with eligibility based on the se ...

over 2000 metres at

Maisons-Laffitte Racecourse The Hippodrome de Maisons-Laffitte at 1 avenue de la Pelouse in the northwestern Parisian suburb of Maisons-Laffitte in France was a grass, turf horse racing facility and Hippodrome, track for Thoroughbred flat racing. Opened in 1878 by Joseph Olle ...

on 16 May in which she finished fourth of the seventeen runners behind Arisk. Four weeks later she started 8/5 favourite for a similar event over the same distance at

Longchamp Racecourse The Longchamp Racecourse (french: Hippodrome de Longchamp) is a 57 hectare horse-racing facility located on the Route des Tribunes at the Bois de Boulogne in Paris, France. It is used for flat racing and is noted for its variety of interlaced tr ...

. Ridden as on her debut by

Christophe Lemaire Christophe Patrice Lemaire (Japanese:, born 20 May 1979) is a French-born jockey. He has enjoyed much of his success on the Japanese flat racing circuit, with the most wins at Japan Racing Association racetracks for five consecutive years sinc ...

, she won by a head from Un Jour and nine others. The filly did not race again in 2011 and in December she was put up for auction at the Arqana sale in

Deauville Deauville () is a commune in the Calvados department, Normandy, northwestern France. Major attractions include its harbour, race course, marinas, conference centre, villas, Grand Casino, and sumptuous hotels. The first Deauville Asian Film Fes ...

. She was bought for €220,000 by the trainer

François Doumen François Doumen (born 11 June 1940) is a retired French racehorse trainer. From 1956 to 1970 he was an amateur jockey, and he then worked as an assistant trainer to his father Jean. As a young man he had also been a competitive slalom skier. He ...

and entered the ownership of the English businessman and horse breeder Robert Jeffcock.

2012: four-year-old season

On her first appearance as a four-year-old, Siyouma contested a minor stakes race over 2000 metres at

Compiègne Compiègne (; pcd, Compiène) is a commune in the Oise department in northern France. It is located on the river Oise. Its inhabitants are called ''Compiégnois''. Administration Compiègne is the seat of two cantons: * Compiègne-1 (with 19 c ...

on 12 March and won "easing down" by two lengths from the seven-year-old

gelding A gelding is a castrated male horse or other equine, such as a pony, donkey or a mule. Castration, as well as the elimination of hormonally driven behavior associated with a stallion, allows a male equine to be calmer and better-behaved, makin ...

Le Roi Mage. Two weeks later she finished third to Pagera and Haya Landa in the Prix Banassa at

Saint-Cloud Racecourse Hippodrome de Saint-Cloud is a grass race course for Thoroughbred flat horse racing opened in 1901 at 1 rue du Camp Canadien in Saint-Cloud near Paris, France. During World War 1, the race course site housed the No. 4 Canadian Stationary Hospital ...

and on April 27 she ran fourth behind Aiavoski in the Listed Vase d'Argent at

Toulouse Toulouse ( , ; oc, Tolosa ) is the prefecture of the French department of Haute-Garonne and of the larger region of Occitania. The city is on the banks of the River Garonne, from the Mediterranean Sea, from the Atlantic Ocean and from Par ...

. On 28 May she was stepped up in class for the Group Two

Prix Corrida The Prix Corrida is a Group races, Group 2 Flat racing, flat Horse racing, horse race in France open to thoroughbred Filly, fillies and mares aged four years or older. It is run at Saint-Cloud Racecourse, Saint-Cloud ...

at Saint-Cloud and started a 28/1 outsider in a ten-runner field. Ridden by

Thierry Jarnet Thierry Jarnet (born 24 March 1967) is a champion thoroughbred flat racing jockey in France who won the title four times between 1992–1995. Jarnet was first apprenticed to Patrick Rago at Maisons-Laffitte and then to Yann Porzier at Chanti ...

she stayed on strongly in the straight to take third place, beaten a nose and three quarters of a

length Length is a measure of distance. In the International System of Quantities, length is a quantity with dimension distance. In most systems of measurement a base unit for length is chosen, from which all other units are derived. In the Interna ...

Solemia Solemia (foaled 20 February 2008) is an Irish-bred, French-trained Thoroughbred racehorse best known for winning the 2012 Prix de l'Arc de Triomphe. Before her win in the Arc, Solemia had won four of her twelve races, with her biggest win coming ...

and

Shareta Shareta (foaled 8 May 2008) is an Irish-bred, French-trained Thoroughbred racehorse and broodmare. She was a top-class middle-distance runner who showed her best form on good or firm ground. After finishing second on her only start as a juveni ...

. In all of her subsequent races, Siyouma was ridden by

Gerald Mosse Gerald is a male Germanic given name meaning "rule of the spear" from the prefix ''ger-'' ("spear") and suffix ''-wald'' ("rule"). Variants include the English given name Jerrold, the feminine nickname Jeri and the Welsh language Gerallt and Iri ...

. In July she was sent to England and brought back in distance for the Group One

over one mile at

Newmarket Racecourse Newmarket Racecourse is a British Thoroughbred horse racing venue in Newmarket, Suffolk, Newmarket, Suffolk, comprising two individual racecourses: the Rowley Mile and the July Course. Newmarket is often referred to as the headquarters of ...

. Starting at odds of 33/1 she was restrained by Mosse in the early stages before staying on to take third behind Giofra and Elusive Kate with the unplaced horses including Maybe and

Golden Lilac Golden Lilac is an Irish-bred, French-trained Thoroughbred racehorse. She won her first six races including the Poule d'Essai des Pouliches and the Prix de Diane as a three-year-old in 2011. In May 2012, she defeated Cirrus des Aigles to win the ...

. On her return to France in August she finished fifth behind

Snow Fairy Snow Fairy (foaled 12 February 2007) is a retired Thoroughbred racehorse who was bred in Ireland and trained in England by Ed Dunlop. She made little impression on the racecourse as a two-year-old, winning only one race out of six. She started h ...

Izzi Top Izzi Top is a British Thoroughbred racehorse. In a career which lasted from October 2010 until October 2012 she ran twelve times and won six races. As four-year-old in 2012 she won two Group One races- the Pretty Polly Stakes in Ireland and the ...

, Galikova and

Timepiece A clock or a timepiece is a device used to measure and indicate time. The clock is one of the oldest human inventions, meeting the need to measure intervals of time shorter than the natural units such as the day, the lunar month and the ...

in the

although she was later promoted to fourth when the "winner" tested positive for a banned substance. On 29 September Siyouma returned to Newmarket for the Group One Sun Chariot Stakes and started at odds of 12/1 in an eight-runner field. The

Poule d'Essai des Pouliches The Poule d'Essai des Pouliches is a Group 1 flat horse race in France open to three-year-old thoroughbred fillies. It is run over a distance of 1,600 metres (about 1 mile) at ...

winner Beauty Parlour started favourite ahead of Elusive Kate whilst the other runners were Chachamaidee ( Matron Stakes), Up ( Blandford Stakes), Laugh Out Loud (

Prix de Sandringham The Prix de Sandringham is a Group 2 flat horse race in France open to three-year-old thoroughbred fillies. It is run at Chantilly over a distance of 1,600 metres (about 1 mile), and it is scheduled to take place ...

), Gamilati (

Cherry Hinton Stakes The Duchess of Cambridge Stakes is a Group races, Group 2 Flat racing, flat Horse racing, horse race in Great Britain open to two-year-old Filly, fillies. It is run on the July Course at Newmarket Ra ...

UAE 1000 Guineas The UAE 1000 Guineas is a flat horse race in the United Arab Emirates for three-year-old thoroughbred fillies run at Meydan Racecourse in Dubai in February. Records Record time: * 1:35.84 – ''Folk (2007)'' Leading jockey (4 wins): * Frankie Det ...

) and La Collina (

Phoenix Stakes The Phoenix Stakes is a Group 1 flat horse race in Ireland open to two-year-old thoroughbred colts and fillies. It is run at the Curragh over a distance of 6 furlongs (1,207 metres), and it is sch ...

). Mosse settled the filly in second place as Laugh Out Loud set the early pace. Siyouma took the lead a furlong out and held off a challenge from Elusive Kate to win by three quarters of a length with Laugh Out Loud holding on to take third ahead of La Collina. Doumen commented "She is the most satisfactory thing in the world. She is easy to train, she has an easy temperament and is very calm. Gerald said that she won with something in hand and nobody will be able to criticise his ride today. She could go for the EP Taylor at Woodbine in two weeks' time as we could get some cut in the ground there. She is better on softer ground. But the fact that she has won today reassures me that we could look at Hong Kong or Japan". When it was pointed out that her owner was English he responded "nobody is perfect". Siyouma was then sent to Canada to contest the

Grade I In the United Kingdom, a listed building or listed structure is one that has been placed on one of the four statutory lists maintained by Historic England in England, Historic Environment Scotland in Scotland, in Wales, and the Northern Irel ...

E. P. Taylor Stakes over a mile and a quarter at

Woodbine Racetrack Woodbine Racetrack is a race track for Thoroughbred horse racing in the Etobicoke area of Toronto, Ontario, Canada. Owned by Woodbine Entertainment Group, Woodbine Racetrack manages and hosts Canada's most famous race, the King's Plate. The track ...

on 14 October and started favourite in a thirteen-runner field which included runners from Canada, the United States, England, Ireland and France. The best fancied of her opponents were Dream Peace (

Prix de la Nonette The Prix de la Nonette is a Group 2 flat horse race in France open to three-year-old thoroughbred fillies. It is run at Deauville over a distance of 2,000 metres (about 1¼ miles), and it is scheduled to ...

, runner-up in the

Diana Stakes The Diana Stakes is an American Thoroughbred horse race. Named for the mythological goddess Diana, the race is run each year at Saratoga Race Course in Saratoga Springs, New York. Inaugurated in 1939, it is open to fillies and mares age three and ...

), Princess Highway (

Ribblesdale Stakes The Ribblesdale Stakes is a Group 2 flat horse race in Great Britain open to three-year-old fillies. It is run at Ascot over a distance of 1 mile 3 furlongs and 211 yards (2,406 metres), and it is ...

) and Barefoot Lady (

Nell Gwyn Stakes The Nell Gwyn Stakes is a Group 3 flat horse race in Great Britain open to three-year-old fillies. It is run over a distance of 7 furlongs (1,408 metres) on the Rowley Mile at Ne ...

Canadian Stakes The Canadian Stakes is a Grade II Thoroughbred horse race run annually at Woodbine Racetrack in Toronto, Ontario, Canada. Run in mid September, it is a Grade II event open to fillies and mares, three years of age and older. It is raced on turf over ...

). After racing in mid-division, Siyouma was switched to the outside, took the lead a furlong and a half from the finish and won in "imressive" style by one and three quarter lengths and a neck from Pagera and Dream Peace. After the race Doumen commented "She's so good and she's so calm. She has got such a wonderful temperament that it allows her to travel beautifully well and takes all the effort away". On her final appearance, Siyouma was sent to

Sha Tin Racecourse Sha Tin Racecourse is one of the two racecourses for horse racing in Hong Kong. It is located in Sha Tin District, Sha Tin in the New Territories. It is managed by Hong Kong Jockey Club. Penfold Park is encircled by the track, and the Hon ...

for the

Hong Kong Mile The Hong Kong Mile is a Group 1 flat horse race in Hong Kong which is open to thoroughbreds aged three years or older. It is run over a distance of 1,600 metres (about 1 mile) at Sha Tin, and it is scheduled to take place each year in mid December. ...

on 9 December. She never looked likely to win and could not recover after being hampered in the straight, finishing eleventh of the twelve runners behind

Ambitious Dragon Ambitious Dragon () is a New Zealand-bred, Hong Kong based Thoroughbred racehorse. In a racing career which began in 2010 he has won eleven races at Sha Tin Racecourse including the Hong Kong Mile, Hong Kong Classic Cup, Hong Kong Derby, Queen El ...

Breeding record

At the end of her racing career Siyouma was sold to the Yoshida family's Northern Farm and exported to become a broodmare in Japan. In her first three seasons she was covered by Deep Impact. She produced bay colts in 2014 and 2015 followed by a bay filly in 2016.

Pedigree

* Siyouma was

inbred Inbreeding is the production of offspring from the mating or breeding of individuals or organisms that are closely related genetically. By analogy, the term is used in human reproduction, but more commonly refers to the genetic disorders and o ...

3 × 4 to Mr. Prospector, meaning that this stallion appears in both the third and fourth generations of her pedigree.

References

{{Reflist, 2 2008 racehorse births Racehorses bred in Ireland Racehorses trained in France Thoroughbred family 12-b