The battle for Australia’s first-season honours, in the individual winners category, intensified when Shamardal and Fastnet Rock both sired winners yesterday.

Darley shuttler Shamardal jumped to the outright lead on 10 winners when St Clement Danes scored an on-pace victory at Wyong

Less than an hour later, Coolmore sire Fastnet Rock joined Arrowfield freshman Not A Single Doubt on 9 winners after Eclair Fastpass split runners in the straight to score on debut at Sale.

St Clement Danes (2c Shamardal – St. Clemens Belle by Don’t Say Halo) was a $325,000 purchase for Sheikh Mohammed from the Mill Park draft at the 2008 Inglis Australian Easter Yearling Sale.

His dam St. Clemens Belle was raced by Toorak Park’s Harry Perks to a G1 win in the WATC Fruit ‘n’ Veg Stakes in Perth and she was also G1 placed in the QTC Sires’ Produce Stakes and VATC One Thousand Guineas.

Shamardal has upgraded the dam’s record at stud.  Her first three foals by Grand Lodge, Danehill and Fusaichi Pegasus all failed to win.  St Clemens Belle died after foaling an Exceed and Excel that made $320,000 at the 2009 Inglis Australian Easter Yearling Sale.

St Clement Danes was unplaced on debut at Sandown Lakeside in May but he did strike interference that day.  Sent to Peter Snowdown’s Sydney stables, he then bogged down in heavy going at Warwick Farm second-up a fortnight ago.

He settled outside Double Life at Wyong yesterday and then dropped the leader when Kerrin McEvoy gave him a couple of clips with the whip in the straight.

Shamardal’s own career indicates his progeny will keep progressing as three year-olds.  He arrived here after a career that returned a 2yo G1 in the Dewhurst Stakes and 3yo G1 classics in the French 2000 Guineas and French Derby.

Nine days after the Derby, with McEvoy in the saddle, he bowed out with a powerful three length victory over Ad Valorem in the G1 St James’s Palace Stakes which was run at York that year.  His only loss in seven starts occurred in the 2005 G2 UAE Derby at Nad al Sheba.

Shamardal (Giant’s Causeway – Helsinki by Machiavellian) is from a sister to leading sire Street Cry.  He covered his original Darley Australia book at a $55,000 fee in 2005 but he’s half that this year.

At $27,500 a cover, Shamardal is in the value plus category and Darley should be swamped with bookings for 2009.