Shamardal

RIYADH, Saudi Arabia -- On a day when America, Britain, Ireland, Saudi Arabia and Japan were all represented in the winner's circle at King Abdulaziz Racecourse, perhaps the most astonishing performance came from the Karl Burke-trained Royal Champion. The son of Shamardal appears still to be improving at the age of eight and bounced into his biggest success yet in the G1 Howden Neom Turf Cup off the back of a similarly impressive win in the G2 Bahrain International Trophy. His jockey Oisin Murphy had got his eye in with...

Rosallion and Inisherin, both Group 1-winning grandsons of Sheikh Mohammed Obaid Al Maktoum's blue hen Reem Three (Mark Of Esteem), will join the Darley roster at Dalham Hall Stud for the 2026 breeding season. Trained by Richard Hannon, Rosallion retires as the winner of five of his 13 starts and over £1.6 million in career earnings. Beaten just once in four starts as a two-year-old, when his victories included the G1 Prix Jean-Luc Lagardere at ParisLongchamp, he returned the following year with a runner-up finish in the G1 2,000 Guineas...

3rd-BEL, $85K, Msw, 2yo, 6 1/2f, 2:11 p.m. ET. A $900,000 Keeneland September purchase, STRONG EFFORT (Practical Joke) goes out for St Elias and trainer Chad Brown. Responsible for MGISP Reinvestment Risk (Upstart), dam Ridingwiththedevil (Candy Ride {Arg}) was a $210,000 buy for Gainesway at the Fasig-Tipton Fall Mixed sale while Strong Effort was in utero. The first-time starter's extended female family includes Canadian MGSW My List (Banker's Gold). TJCIS PPS 1st-BEL, $85K, Msw, 2yo, f, 6f, 1:10 p.m. ET. Trainer Todd Pletcher has a pair of uncoupled entries set...

Almost a bigger name in the States than she is in her native Britain, Cinderella's Dream (Shamardal) gained her first Group 1 on home soil on Friday as she mastered Newmarket's Tattersalls Falmouth Stakes. Runner-up in the G2 Duke of Cambridge Stakes last month, the 5-2 second favourite put that behind her by upstaging Ballydoyle's 6-4 market-leader January (Kingman) by half a length in the mile feature. "We're very much going to work back from the Breeders' Cup Filly And Mare Turf," Charlie Appleby said of Godolphin's breakthrough first Falmouth...

Last term's G1 Commonwealth Cup hero Inisherin (Shamardal) had failed to fire in two starts since that Royal Ascot career high and, with the benefit of a recent wind operation, bounced back in game fashion to annex Wednesday's G2 1895 Duke Of York Clipper Stakes at York. Well away from stall one to race in a handy third through the halfway mark in this six-furlong dash, the 11-8 favourite came under pressure to make his challenge along the far-side rail approaching the final furlong and kept on resolutely under a...

Godolphin's weekend of all weekends also had a key support act on Sunday as Cinderella's Dream added more glitter dust to proceedings in Newmarket's G2 Betfred Dahlia Stakes. With all the momentum, the operation had the 11-8 favourite for this nine-furlong test by one of their key sires of recent times and on her first British start since last year's 1,000 Guineas she provided the latest reminder of just what a force Shamardal has been. Switched off in a detached last with William Buick oozing confidence throughout, the homebred sliced...

Haras d'Etreham resident Victor Ludorum (GB) (Shamardal) became Europe's latest first-crop sire to get off the mark when his Adam West-trained daughter Viva La Skids (Fr) pounced late in the Thursday's six-furlong Prix Royal Hampton at Saint-Cloud to defeat 11 rivals on debut. Occupying a position off the tempo towards the rear for the most part, the 77-2 outsider made relentless headway under pressure out wide inside the final quarter-mile and inched ahead in the dying strides to defeat Kalkara (Fr) (Zelzal {Fr}) by a neck. Viva La Skids, kin...

John O'Connor on securing Lope De Vega's Classic-winning son  The equine transfer market is no less difficult to navigate than its footballing equivalent and John O'Connor pulled off a coup that even powerhouse clubs like Real Madrid or Barcelona would have been proud of in luring last year's breathtaking Prix du Jockey Club winner Look De Vega (Fr) to Ballylinch Stud.  Look De Vega will stand alongside his sire Lope De Vega (Ire) at the County Kilkenny stud. This is on a par with Lionel Messi's son starring for Barcelona...

A breeding right in Blue Point (Ire) sold for €430,000 to an unnamed buyer on Darley's winning bid platform on Wednesday. The son of Shamardal sired 2024 G1 Irish 2000 Guineas and G1 St James's Palace Stakes hero Rosallion (Ire), as well as his third Group 1 winner in Kind Of Blue (GB). In his second crop, he is credited with seven black-type performers including Group 2 winner Sky Majesty (Ire). On the sales front, his 2024 yearlings have sold for up to €850,000. Fully booked at a fee of...

Observations on the European Racing Scene turns the spotlight on the best European races of the day, highlighting well-bred horses early in their careers, horses of note returning to action and young runners that achieved notable results in the sales ring. Sunday's Observations include a colt out of G1 Oaks heroine Qualify. 12.48 Saint-Cloud, Mdn, €50,000, unraced 2yo, c/g, 7 1/2fT Godolphin's CUALIFICAR (GB) (Lope De Vega {Ire}), is an Andre Fabre-trained son of G1 Oaks heroine Qualify (Ire) (Fastnet Rock {Aus}) and thus kin to this year's G3 Jebel...

Group winner Symbol Of Strength (Ire) (Kodiac {GB}) has been sold to race in Hong Kong, trainer Adrian Keatley confirmed on Tuesday. The juvenile colt was originally raced by Keatley Owners Group, Finneran and Moore. A winner at second asking at Ayr in July, the son of Symbol Of Love (GB) (Shamardal) ran third in the G2 Gimcrack Stakes a month later, before a half-length triumph in the G3 Sirenia Stakes over six furlongs at Kempton on Sept. 7. "Symbol Of Strength has been sold," said Keatley. "There was always...

There was no glass slipper, but the royal blue silks of Godolphin floated home the fairest of winners all the same as Cinderella's Dream (GB) (Shamardal) claimed the second leg of the Turf Triple in the GII Fasig-Tipton Saratoga Oaks Invitational Stakes. With only one blemish on her record, Cinderella's Dream has carried said silks (dyed in a color also known--rather appropriately--as 'queen blue' or 'imperial blue') to six victories. She was a neck winner on unveiling last May at Lingfield and then steadily worked her way through the ranks...