Dalgahr sets seven-furlong mark at Longchamp

On a day of record setting performances in Europe, Dalgahr cracked the track mark for seven furlongs at Longchamp with an impressive tally in the Group 3, $95,000 Prix du Palais-Royal. Ridden by Christophe Lemaire, the Anabaa 4-year-old tracked the fast pace of eventual runner-up Colonial, led just inside the three-eighths pole and ran on to a 2 1/2-length victory as the 11-10 favorite, stopping the clock at 1:17.40 on good ground.

His victory coming just 90 minutes prior to Workforce's record-setting performance in the Epsom Derby, Dalghar is a late-developing half-brother to eight-time Group 1 or Grade 1 winner Daylami as well as to Prix de l'Arc de Triomphe winner Dalakhani. His sensational time was due in no small part to that the seven-furlong course at Longchamp is downhill for the first 3 1/2 furlongs and probably measures a few yards short of the published distance. The old mark for seven furlongs was 1:17.90, set by Russian Revival in 1999.

Trained by Alain de Royer-Dupre for his owner-breeder the Aga Khan, Dalghar had won his last two starts last year at a mile in a Longchamp allowance and a listed race on the Deauville synthetic track. In his first start this season, he had finished three lengths second in Longchamp's listed one-mile Prix de Montretout to Fuisse, the horse that had finished second in last year's French Derby.

Royer-Dupre said that Dalghar was under consideration for the one-mile, Group 1 Queen Anne Stakes at Royal Ascot on June 15, when he would run into Goldikova and Paco Boy.