Shamardal

Dropping back to the seven-furlong trip over which he proved so dominant in 2019, Godolphin's Pinatubo (Ire) (Shamardal) was duly back to winning ways in Sunday's G1 Qatar Prix Jean Prat at Deauville. Vanquished at a mile when third in the G1 2000 Guineas and runner-up in the G1 St James's Palace S., the 3-5 favourite was buried in the pack early by William Buick and was at his previous best as he threaded through rivals to take command a furlong out. Threatened by one of last year's foes Lope...

Recovered from an injury which forced the abandonment of any and all plans for this term's rescheduled one-mile Classics, the belated reintroduction of Godolphin's homebred Earthlight (Ire) (Shamardal) in Sunday's Listed Qatar Prix Kistena at Deauville was as straightforward as starting odds of 2-5 might suggest and the Andre Fabre trainee maintained his perfect record, going six-for-six, with an impressive 2 1/2-length dismissal of Wanaway (Fr) (Galiway {GB}) in the six-furlong dash. Settled under cover in sixth after an alert departure from the outside stall, last term's G1 Prix Morny...

Godolphin's champion Pinatubo (Ire) (Shamardal) and fellow MG1SW Earthlight (Ire) (Shamardal) will not line up against one another in the July 12 G1 Prix Jean Prat, the Racing Post reported on Tuesday. The former, an unbeaten champion at two for trainer Charlie Appleby, ran third in the G1 QIPCO 2000 Guineas early last month, before a runner-up performance in the G1 St James's Palace S. at Royal Ascot on June 20. He will represent the royal blue in the Jean Prat, while Andre Fabre trainee Earthlight, who won the G1...

Observations on the European Racing Scene turns the spotlight on the best European races of the day, highlighting well-pedigreed horses early in their careers, horses of note returning to action and young runners that achieved notable results in the sales ring. Wednesday's Insights features a daughter of the undefeated Arc heroine Zarkava (Ire) (Zamindar). 2.24 Compiegne, Debutantes, €22,000, 2yo, c/g, 7fT VISSANI (FR) (Dariyan {Fr}) debuts for The Aga Khan and Alain de Royer-Dupre and is a half-brother to the triple Group 1-winning stayer Vazirabad (Fr) (Manduro {Ger}) whose dam...

Andre Fabre's unbeaten Earthlight (Ire) (Shamardal) is eyeing a return in the July 12 G1 Prix Jean Prat, after a minor sprain kept him on the bench instead of contesting the G3 Prix de Fontainebleau last month. The Godolphin runner will have a gallop at Saint-Cloud next week. Having won all five races at two, including two Group 1s, Earthlight was prominent through the winter in the betting for the G1 English 2000 Guineas. "He's doing ok, he's back in work," said Fabre. "He's going to go to Saint-Cloud next...

Observations on the European Racing Scene turns the spotlight on the best European races of the day, highlighting well-pedigreed horses early in their careers, horses of note returning to action and young runners that achieved notable results in the sales ring. Monday's Insights features the first foal of MG1SW Found (Ire) (Galileo {Ire}). 12.15 Haydock, Novice, £6,400, 2yo, 6fT MESHAKEL (IRE) (Shamardal) is another off the Mark Johnston production line which has been working highly efficiently since Monday, with Salem Rashid bin Ghadayer's March-foaled chestnut another Royal Ascot aspirant having...

Victor Ludorum. With such a name should we ever have doubted him? Fifteen years after his late sire Shamardal blazed to glory in the Poule d'Essai des Poulains for the first half of his own Classic double, Victor Ludorum (Ire) set up a double of a different kind at Deauville on Monday, passing the Godolphin baton to his fellow colour-bearer and last year's champion juvenile Pinatubo (Ire) to attempt to complete a posthumous Classic double for Shamardal within a week. Should the much lauded Pinatubo resurface in the manner which...

After all the worry and uncertainty of the past few weeks, the first of the European Classics to be staged in the time of COVID-19 provided a reassuring outcome as Godolphin's TDN Rising Star Victor Ludorum (GB) (Shamardal) made class tell over the straight mile at Deauville. As it was before the huge disruption wrought by the virus, so it remains at least in this sphere with the G1 Prix Jean-Luc Lagardere winner confirming the form of the Arc card's juvenile highlight to regain the winning thread in Monday's G1...

Constant, blazing sunshine will welcome back Europe's Group 1 Classics at Deauville on Monday while Berlin-Hoppegarten join in with the first of their own domestic Classics on a day that will be relished by all the racing community. While the G1 Emirates Poule d'Essai des Poulains and Pouliches are an all-French affair in 2020 and the former is missing the country's leading juvenile of 2019 in Earthlight (Ire) (Shamardal), there are two Group 1 winners engaged to add gravitas to a renewal forever to be marked with an asterisk. Both...

The G1 2000 Guineas card at Newmarket on June 6 and Japan's G1 Yasuda Kinen on June 7 will be simulcast for betting beginning in the late evening of Saturday, June 6, the Hong Kong Jockey Club announced on Sunday. Newmarket's seven races are headed by the 2000 Guineas, where European Champion 2-Year-Old Colt Pinatubo (Ire) (Shamardal) is expected to take part. Meanwhile in Japan the next day, the 1600-metre G1 Yasuda Kinen features Japanese Horse of the Year Almond Eye (Jpn) (Lord Kanaloa {Jpn}) and the race will be...

French listed winner Helter Skelter (Fr) (Wootton Bassett {GB}-Winna Chope {Fr}, by Soave {Ger}) sustained a fatal injury on the gallops on Wednesday morning, owner Masaaki Matsushima confirmed to Jour de Galop. The colt, an €30,000 yearling at the Osarus September Yearling Sale in 2018 who was purchased by Matsushima after his 3 1/2-length victory in the Listed Criterium du Fonds Europeen de l'Elevage, had held an entry in the June 1 G1 G1 Poule d'Essai de Poulains. He was a last out sixth in the G3 Prix de Fontainebleau...

   In one of ParisLongchamp's season-opener's unexpected reversals, White Birch Farm's G1 Prix du Jockey Club hero Sottsass (Fr) (Siyouni {Fr}) could only manage fourth as the Wertheimers' Shaman (Ire) (Shamardal) made all for an upset in the G2 Prix d'Harcourt. Campaigned mainly at a mile last term and runner-up in the G1 Poule d'Essai des Poulains and G1 Prix Jacques le Marois, Shaman had stamina to prove upped to this 10-furlong distance for the first time but Maxime Guyon was able to dictate steady fractions on the homebred. After...