New stakes winner for Shamardal

Darley shuttler Shamardal sired his first northern hemisphere stakes winner on Sunday when Arctic made it two-from-two at the Curragh.

Arctic (2c Shamardal – Shawanni by Shareef Dancer) overcame a slow start to win on debut at Bellewstown on July 2.  Trainer Tracey Collins lifted him straight into Listed company and the colt led all the way to score by five lengths in the Grangecon Stud Stakes.

“We thought Arctic was smart from day one and has always been a natural athlete,” Collins said at the Curragh.  “He learnt a lot on his debut and was really impressive today.”

The winner was a mere 9,000gns buy at the 2008 Tattersalls Yearling Sale last October but has now earned a 33-1 quote for the 2010 English 2000 Guineas next May.

Arctic was bred by Darley from Shawanni who is also the dam of Queen’s Vase winner Shanty Star and the Listed winner Hinton Admiral.

Shamardal (Giant’s Causeway) has had five winners in Europe so far this year and there’s lots more to come if they can emulate his first two year-olds in Australia.

Shamardal has sired 12 individual first-crop winners in Australia and that will almost certainly see him share the winners’ premiership with Not A Single Doubt and Fastnet Rock.  The season finishes on Wednesday.

But Shamardal would win comfortably if there was a count-back on a winners-to-runners basis.  He has sired 12 winners from 33 starters which gives him a much better percentage than Not A Single Doubt (38) and Fastnet Rock (55).