Sayani was a big, heavily built bay horse, variously described as resembling an "ox" or a "bullock"[1] bred in France by Brian Guinness at the Haras de Piencourt-Bailleul.
[2] Sayani's dam Perfume was a very successful broodmare who also produced the 2000 Guineas winner My Babu and was the female-line ancestor of the Irish Derby English Prince.
[1] Sayani showed good form as a two-year-old, recording his most important success in the Prix d'Arenberg over 1100 metres at Longchamp Racecourse.
He was lodged at the stable of Jack Reardon at Epsom, where Lieux's policy of strictly limiting the colt's physical activity drew adverse comment from local horsemen.
[1] Carrying a weight of 130 pounds, he was ridden by the Australian jockey Rae Johnstone and started a 25/1[6] outsider in a thirty-four runner field.
[7] His weight set the record in the race: only the American colt Foxhall in 1881 and the four-year-old Florence three years later had previously won under more than 126 pounds.