Darley sires dominated when Singapore’s weekend of feature racing kicked off on Friday night.

Elusive Quality youngster Mr Big won the G2 Aushorse Golden Horseshoe and Shamardal colt Gingerbread Man cruised home in the G1 Singapore Guineas.

Gingerbread Man (3c Shamardal – Quaffle by Hurricane Sky) headed a Darley and Magic Millions quinella with a dominant victory over Clear for Action (Commands).  He had won the G3 3YO Sprint and G2 3YO Classic before completing the Triple Crown on Friday night.

The Singapore star is raced by Joe Singh after being purchased for $30,000 from Rothwell Park at the 2009 Gold Coast Magic Millions yearling sale.  He has now won 8 of 11 starts for earnings of S$873,990 and will now be spelled and stretched out to 2000m later this year.

“He’s a classy colt but has his quirks,” trainer Bruce Marsh said.  “It is a great thrill because there had been a question mark about him getting 1600 metres.”

Gingerbread Man is by Darley champion Shamardal who has sired 192 winners of 373 races at a 68% strike-rate!  There have been 28 individual stakes winners of 48 stakes races among that total.  His stakes-winners to winners strike-rate is a staggering 14.6%.

His dam Quaffle is a half-sister to Listed QTC Lightning Hcp winner Golden Snitch (Unbridled’s Song).  Second dam Sydney’s Spy (Snippets) is a half-sister to G1 AJC Epsom Hcp winner Iron Horse (Zephyr Zip).  

Quaffle has a yearling colt and a weanling filly by Darley shuttler Bernardini.  She was served by Lonhro last spring and will go under the hammer as Lot 754 at the Magic Millions National broodmare sale at the Gold Coast in June.  

Patinack Farm owner Nathan Tinkler is a Shamardal fan and he has Marquardt and Happy Hippy engaged in the LR Glenlogan Park Stakes at Doomben on Saturday.

Shamardal colt Dunboyne Express is also in the mix for the G1 Irish 2000 Guineas at the Curragh on Saturday.  

Dunboyne Express (3c Shamardal – Love Excelling by Polish Precendent) won the 2000 Guineas Trial by nearly two lengths for trainer Kevin Prendergast last month.  

Owner-breeder John Connaughton refused a final bid of 48,000gns (AUD 90,745) for the colt at the 2009 Tattersalls October yearling sale.  He is out of a half-sister to 2000 English Oaks winner Love Divine (Diesis).  She is the dam of 2006 English St Leger winner Sixties Icon (Galileo).

Dunboyne Express is a 9-4 equal favourite with Dubawi Gold (Dubawi) in the classic which is timed for 12.45am (AEST) on Sunday morning.