With an Argentine connection along the way, Siyouni reached 100 stakes winners
Focus handed the Aga Khan Studs stallion a new milestone at Craon, being out of a great-granddaughter of champion Safari Queen; with 12 Group 1-winning offspring, the sire of Sottsass, St Mark’s Basilica, and Paddington continues a legacy of immense projection
By Diego H. Mitagstein
Siyouni began his stallion career at a stud fee of €7,000. Now, 15 seasons later, established among Europe’s most elite sires, he has reached 100 stakes winners. The victory of Focus in Sunday’s Prix du Point du Jour (L) at Craonallowed the son of Pivotal to hit another benchmark at the very stage of his career where his progeny are beginning to extend their influence through the breeding ranks.
Bred and owned by Wertheimer & Frère, the 3-year-old colt responded with a sharp turn of foot under Maxime Guyon for the training partnership of André and Lavinia Fabre. He had never finished outside the top four in his six prior starts and already boasted three black-type placings. This time, he turned that consistency into his breakthrough black-type victory.
The star of the day also carries an Argentine connection: he is out of Hidaka, by Deep Impact, whose dam, Royalmania (Elusive Quality), is a daughter of Argentine champion Safari Queen (Lode). A branch of South American breeding thus became tied to a milestone moment for the sire.
Foaled in 2007 and bred by the Aga Khan, Siyouni is by Pivotal out of Sichilla, a listed stakes winner by Danehill. His maternal family also produced his half-sister Siyouma (Medicean), winner of both the Sun Chariot Stakes (G1) and E. P. Taylor Stakes (G1). Early speed, precocity, and class were well established long before he entered stud.
Trained by Alain de Royer-Dupré, he won four of his twelve starts, all at age 2. His crowning moment came in the 2009 Prix Jean-Luc Lagardère (G1) under Gérald Mossé, following a victory in the Prix La Flèche (L). Although winless at 3, he placed second in the Prix Jean Prat (G1), third in the Prix du Moulin de Longchamp (G1), and fourth in the St James’s Palace Stakes (G1).
He entered stud in 2011 at Haras de Bonneval. The response from his early crops dramatically reshaped his commercial profile: his fee rose to €20,000 in 2015, €75,000 in 2018, and €100,000 in 2019. It reached €200,000 in 2024, with his 2026 advertised fee standing at €150,000—more than 21 times his introductory price.
Ervedya provided the first major statement. A member of his inaugural crop, she gave him his first graded success in the Prix de Cabourg (G3) before capturing the Poule d’Essai des Pouliches (G1), Coronation Stakes (G1), and Prix du Moulin (G1) in 2015. The young stallion already had a daughter capable of winning top-level European miles.
Subsequent stars expanded the scope of his influence. Laurens accumulated six Group 1 victories, including the Prix de Diane; Sottsass captured the 2019 Prix du Jockey Club and went on in 2020 to win the Prix Ganay and the Prix de l’Arc de Triomphe. Siyouni proved he could produce both precocious speed and the stamina required to dominate Europe's premier 2,400-meter event.
St Mark’s Basilica raised the bar higher still, stringing together five consecutive Group 1 wins from the 2020 Dewhurst Stakes through a perfect 2021 campaign that featured the Poule d’Essai des Poulains, Jockey Club, Eclipse Stakes, and Irish Champion Stakes. Paddington, meanwhile, swept the Irish 2000 Guineas, St James’s Palace, Eclipse, and Sussex Stakes at the top level in 2023.
His honor roll also includes four-time Group 1 winner Tahiyra; Mqse de Sévigné, a five-time Group 1 winner; Poule d’Essai des Pouliches victresses Dream And Do and Zarigana; Etoile, winner of Canada's E. P. Taylor; and Amelia’s Jewel, victor of Australia's Northerly Stakes (G1). In August, Soreanga added the German Preis der Diana, becoming his tenth classic winner and bringing his tally of Group 1 winners to 12.
His current form matches his storied past. According to data released by the Aga Khan Studs upon reaching the century mark, Siyouni has sired 11 stakes winners this season, including three 2-year-olds, ranking among the top ten sires both by volume of black-type winners and by percentage to runners.
At 19 years of age, the Bonneval stallion continues to add names to a record spanning generations, distances, and continents. This time, it was Focus, a descendant of Safari Queen, who provided the century-marking victory.
