Shamardal dies at Darley’s Kildangan Stud aged 18
Shamardal (Giant’s Causeway), who was unbeaten in all six of his turf starts, including four at the highest level before going on to have an immensely successful career as a stallion, has died aged 18.
A son of Giant’s Causeway (Storm Cat), Shamardal began his career with Mark Johnston, winning all three starts at two in 2004, culminating in the Dewhurst (Gr 1, 7f) at Newmarket.
Although his three-year-old campaign began with his only defeat when failing to handle dirt on debut for Saeed bin Suroor at Nad Al Sheba, Shamardal would return to a sparkling level of form for the remainder of his short career.
He won the Poule d’Essai des Poulains (French 2,000 Guineas) (Gr 1, 1600m), Prix du Jockey Club (French Derby) (2100m) and St James’s Palace Stakes (Gr 1, 1m) in the space of a month before a career-ending injury led to retirement on the eve of an intended clash with 2005 Epsom Derby (Gr 1, 1m 4f) winner Motivator (Montjeu) in the Coral-Eclipse (Gr 1, 1m 2f).
Paying tribute, Bin Suroor said: “We were all very sad to hear of the passing of Shamardal. He was a champion two-year-old and became one of Godolphin’s best horses, winning two Classics in France as well as the St James’s Palace Stakes.
“He went on to establish himself as a top sire, producing exceptional horses throughout the world, and everyone is going to miss him. It is a sad day but I am sure that his progeny will continue his legacy both on the racecourse and in the breeding sheds.”
At stud he would prove to be an incredible source of top-class winners for Godolphin’s breeding arm, Darley.
Standing at Kildangan Stud in Ireland, Shamardal produced 25 individual Group 1 winners, including Pinatubo, Blue Point, Able Friend and Mukhadram.
Sam Bullard, director of stallions at Darley, said: “Shamardal has been the mainstay of our Irish stallion roster for many years and will be sorely missed by the team at Kildangan.
“His record as a sire speaks for itself and we have enjoyed many great days on the racecourse courtesy of his sons and daughters. Led by the imperious Pinatubo, Shamardal’s juvenile crop of last year was truly outstanding siring three unbeaten Group 1-winning juvenile colts, a feat never achieved before since the start of the Pattern.”
How Shamardal beat the odds early in life to become a breed-shaping sire
Shamardal might have been a blue blooded and high achieving member of Sheikh Mohammed’s racing string and stallion roster, but he had to overcome the odds early in life to get there.
Bred by Brilliant Stable in Kentucky, he hailed from the first crop of ‘iron horse’ Giant’s Causeway and was out of Helsinki, a Listed-placed daughter of Machiavellian (Mr. Prospector) and Irish Oaks (Gr 1, 1m 4f) heroine Helen Street (Troy), making the dam a sister to Dubai World Cup (Gr 1, 2000m) winner Street Cry.
So far so good. But just months after he was bought back as a foal by his breeder for US$485,000 at the 2002 Keeneland November Breeding-Stock Sale, he was diagnosed as a Grade 3 wobbler – a syndrome caused by spinal cord compression in the neck that leads to a lack of balance and co-ordination, its severity ranked from 0 to 5; the highest grade indicating an inability to stand up.
The seriousness of the syndrome is such that typical equine mortality insurance has an extension covering wobblers written to it, with many horses who suffer from the condition having to be put down.
Brilliant Stable had the mortality claim paid out against Shamardal but fortunately for the horse he was bought from the underwriters by loss adjuster Richard Ketch and given therapy that led to a miraculous recovery.
He was subsequently offered by Ted Voute at the Tattersalls Houghton Yearling Sale, where he was bought by Michael Goodbody on behalf of Gainsborough Stud for 50,000gns – well below the auction average of more than 266,000gns even though neither the buyer nor the underbidder, his eventual first trainer Mark Johnston, were aware of his medical history.
The extraordinary start to Shamardal’s life was soon forgotten by his exploits on the track, which included a hard-fought front-running victory over the stronger-staying Hurricane Run in the Prix du Jockey Club that certainly belied his adolescent weaknesses.
Shamardal’s early problems receded even further into irrelevance during his stellar stallion career for Darley. He was a success from the start, crowned champion first-season sire by progeny earnings in 2009, a breakthrough year for Sheikh Mohammed’s breeding operation as Dubawi (Dubai Millennium) also had debut two-year-old runners and supplied more individual winners than any of his peers.
Shamardal’s growing reputation as a sire of note was sealed in 2010 when first-crop son Lope De Vega emulated his feat of winning the Poule d’Essai des Poulains and Prix du Jockey Club and second-crop son Casamento landed the Racing Post Trophy (Gr 1, 1m) in good style at the end of the season.
Shamardal continued to deliver a steady stream of top-class performers, even though health issues in later life meant he was confined to covering smaller books of mostly only Maktoum family-owned mares.
Last year was a brilliant season for him, as he was represented by dual Royal Ascot winner Blue Point and French Classic scorer Castle Lady, while his first privately bred crop yielded an unprecedented three unbeaten Group 1-winning two-year-olds – the standout champion Pinatubo, Earthlight and Victor Ludorum.
In all, Shamardal has supplied 146 stakes winners, 25 of whom have struck at the highest level including other celebrities such as Lumiere, Mukhadram, Pakistan Star, Speedy Boarding and Tryster.
Shamardal looks set to leave a deep influence on the breed, with Lope De Vega turning out to be an outstanding sire in his own right at Ballylinch Stud. He is commanding a fee of €100,000 this year on the back of having ten Group 1 winners to his name and two sons at stud in Belardo and Phoenix Of Spain.
Shamardal’s other sons Casamento and Mukhadram have proved capable of getting useful performers at a value price, while Blue Point is being strongly supported in his first season at Kildangan Stud this year. Pinatubo, Earthlight and Victor Ludorum will also surely be in demand when they eventually retire.
Shamardal is also emerging as a broodmare sire of serious consequence, with his daughters having produced Group 1 winners Awtaad (Cape Cross), Hello Youmzain (Kodiac), Latrobe (Camelot), Mighty High (Pathfork) and Pretty Pollyanna (Oasis Dream) as well as promising sorts such as Far Above (Farhh) and Premier Power (Siyouni).
The son of Giant’s Causeway shuttled to Darley’s Australia base each year from 2005 to 2010 which resulted in Hong Kong star Able Friend and fellow top-notchers Captain Sonador, Delectation, Faint Perfume and Maybe Discreet.
Shamardal has sired a total of 27 individual stakes winners in Australia and New Zealand while his son Lope De Vega is himself responsible for 16 Australian stakes winners, headed by champion sprinter Santa Ana Lane as well as fellow Group 1 scorers Vega Magic and Gytrash.
As a broodmare sire down under, he is responsible for last year’s Ottawa Stakes (Gr 3, 1000m) winner Aryaaf (Epaulette) as well as stakes scorers Ken’s Dream (Dream Ahead) and Furrion (Camelot).
Shamardal will again be represented at stud in Australia this year after Darley recently announced that Blue Point will shuttle to their Northwood Park property in Victoria for the 2020 season.
Shamardal will be sorely missed by those at Kildangan Stud, where he spent all but one of the 15 years of his stallion career and was regarded as a totemic figure.