AS GOOD as New Approach was in the Derby, Zarkava emerged as easily the most impressive Classic winner of the weekend with an imperious display to win the Prix de Diane at Chantilly on Sunday.
The Aga Khan's filly crushed her 12 rivals and her next big target could well be the Prix de l'Arc de Triomphe at Longchamp in October.
William Hill quote Zarkava at 7-1 for the Arc, while Bet365 go 8-1 (from 12).
The daughter of Zamindar was giving both the Aga Khan and trainer Alain de Royer-Dupre their fifth success in the French Oaks. On board, Christophe Soumillon was toying with the others throughout the three-furlong straight.
Zarkava passed the post three lengths clear of the brave Gagnoa, who stayed on in the final stages, ahead of Goldikova and Proviso. The Irish-trained fillies Prima Luceand Kitty Matcham finished tenth and 12th.
Zarkava is now unbeaten in five races and has yet to be in the slightest bit extended. Soumillon was never in a hurry and just asked his willing partner to cruise around the final turn before coming up the centre of the track and taking control at the one and a half furlong marker.
Royer-Dupre said: "This filly is out of the ordinary and the best of her sex I've ever trained."
The Aga Khan said: 㜁hy not the Arc de Triomphe now? We need some time to think about it, of course, and to see how the filly comes out of the race but the Arc is certainly not excluded."
Royer-Dupre added: "She must have a prep before but I don't want her to have one over 12 furlongs, which is the same distance as the Arc. Itmust be something like ten furlongs, but I don't want her to race at Deauville.
"She is really an exceptional filly, and I've never really had any problems with her. She now deserves a rest before an autumn campaign."
Zarkava was winning her thirdGroup 1 event, but it doesn't look like she will ever clash with the 1,000 Guineas heroine Natagora, who is heading for the 1m Prix d'Astarte at Deauville.
It was a second Diane success for Soumillon, who partnered Latice to victory in 2004.
He said: "I really didn't have to do much. She was beautifully prepared by Alain de Royer-Dupre and his team, who have managed to calm the filly down.
"She was at the top of her game today and all I had to do was a guiding job. Zarkava was in a class of her own and she would have won the Jockey-Club if she'd run in it last week.
"As she stayed the ten and a half furlongs well at Chantilly, it is pretty certain she will get the 12 furlongs at Longchamp. I still consider her my feminine Dalakhani."
That colt, of course, won both the Jockey-Club and the Arc de Triomphe with Soumillon in the saddle.
There were also plenty of outside compliments about Zarkava.
Jockey Davy Bonilla said: "I was following her on Belle Allure and she had us all stitched up entering the straight."
Gagnoa's part-owner Michael Tabor said: "Zarkava is a super filly and something really special."
Of Gagnoa he added: "We were delighted with her performance and she will be better over a mile and a half. The programme now is probably the Irish Oaks and then the Prix Vermeille later in the season."
Johnny Murtagh rode the daughter of Sadler's Wells, who was bought by Coolmore over the winter and is trained by Andre Fabre.
He said: "We had a very good race and followed Zarkava all the time. Gagnoa will be better over a mile and a half, and on softer ground."
Goldikova played up a little before the start but she did little wrong during the race.
Given every chance by Olivier Peslier, she made her run up the far rail and Pierre-Yves Bureau, racing manager to the owners the Wertheimer Brothers, said: "We were very happy and she ran up to her best form. We were beaten by the very best and our filly will now have a break, as she has earned it."
Stephane Pasquier offered no excuses for Proviso, while Kevin Manning said of the Jim Bolger-trained Prima Luce: "The going was too fast for her, as it had dried out a bit too much."
