SHAMARDAL (by Giant’s Causeway) had an outstanding year in 2019. His brilliant sprint son Blue Point rounded off his track career with a Group 1 double at Royal Ascot in June, Castle Lady won the Group 1 Poule d’Essai des Pouliches (French 1000 Guineas), and the two-year-olds Earthlight, Victor Ludorum and champion Pinatubo went into winter quarters as undefeated Group 1 stars.
The Kildangan Stud flagbearer was also the broodmare sire of the Group 1 Sprint Cup star Hello Youmzain (by Kodiac) and the grandsire of two more who hit the top in Europe thanks to his excellent son Lope De Vega. That Ballylinch Stud resident, a dual classic hero, has nine top-level winners to his name from more than 60 blacktype scorers, and in addition to the Australian sprinter Santa Ana Lane he was represented by Group 1 Prix d’Ispahan scorer Zabeel Prince and the Group 1 Irish 2000 Guineas star Phoenix Of Spain in 2019.
The latter is beginning his new career at the Irish National Stud and Lope De Vega’s sons also include Kildangan Stud stallion Belardo, whose yearlings made up to 200,000gns. The other Shamardal stallions include Captain Sonador (died young but sired a Group 1 winner), Casamento (sire of Group 1 winner Kings Will Dream and Group 2 scorers Amade, Communique and Princess Yaiza), Mukhadram (stakes sire), and Puissance De Lune (responsible for classic-placed Australian Group 2 winner Moonlight Maid in his first crop). So the future looks promising for those coming up behind them.
Bow Creek and Dariyan (yearlings made up to €115,000) are freshman sires, Blue Point could be one of the busiest recruits of 2020, and this could the year when French Navy gets his first blacktype horses. He does not have as many representatives as many of his cohorts but came up with five first-crop juvenile winners from a handful of runners last year. Improvement can be expected as their sire, though a Group 3 scorer at two, was a stakes or pattern winner every year from two to seven, and he was best at a mile to nine and a half furlongs.
French Navy won 11 times, his pattern-winning half-brother Sea Lord (by Cape Cross) has won seven on the flat and another seven over hurdles, and their stakes-winning dam First Fleet (by Woodman) won three. Frankova (by Nureyev), his grandam, was a half-sister to the Group 3 winner Warrshan (by Northern Dancer), Group 1 scorer Assatis (by Topsider), and also Razeen (by Northern Dancer), the Grade 2-placed stakes winner who became a multiple champion sire in India.
This is a branch of the prolific Grade 1-producing family whose stallions include Private Account (by Damascus), Polish Numbers (by Danzig), Rhythm (by Mr Prospector), Super Saver (by Maria’s Mon), and Woodman (by Mr Prospector).
FRENCH NAVY (GB), Bay 2008. Won eleven races, £304,321, from 1 mile to 1 mile 2 furlongs, 2 to 7 years including, Betfred the Bonus King Select Stakes, Goodwood, Gr.3, Investec Diomed Stakes, Epsom Downs, Gr.3, Prix des Chenes, Longchamp, Gr.3, Weatherbys Earl of Sefton Stakes, Newmarket, Gr.3, 32Red Casino Festival Stakes, Goodwood, L, Ben Marshall Stakes, Newmarket, L (twice), Totepool Midsummer Stakes, Windsor, L, also placed second in Weatherbys Earl of Sefton Stakes, Newmarket, Gr.3, Finjaan at Gazeley Ben Marshall Stakes, Newmarket, L, chrisbeekracing.com Steventon Stakes, Newbury, L, and third in Bet365 Paradise Stakes, Ascot, L..
Retired to Stud in 2016, and sire of the winners of 5 races, and £81,595
Stands at: Kildangan Stud, Monasterevin, Kildare, Co Kildare, Ireland.
Contact: Joe Osborne, Jimmy Hyland, Patrick Byrne, Eamon Moloney, Anthony O’Donnell, Caoimhe Doherty
Telephone: +353 (0)45 527600
Email: hello@darley.co.uk
Web: www.darleystallions.com
Fee: €4,000