Pinatubo & Ghaiyyath scoop Irish Thoroughbred Breeders’ Association Awards

Pinatubo and Ghaiyyath both received honours at the 2020 Irish Thoroughbred Breeders’ Association (ITBA) National Breeding & Racing Awards, which were distributed via an online ceremony on the evening of Saturday, 30 January.

Pinatubo, who had been crowned ITBA Two-Year-Old Colt in 2019, was named Three-Year-Old Colt following another superb campaign that saw the homebred son of Shamardal win or place at G1 level on all four of his starts.

After finishing third in the 2,000 Guineas, Pinatubo chased home Palace Pier in the St James’s Palace Stakes before posting the third G1 victory of his career with a scintillating display in the Prix Jean Prat at Deauville in August.

He also showed his trademark electric turn of foot on his final appearance with a fast-finishing second to Persian King in the G1 Prix du Moulin de Longchamp.

Jimmy Hyland of Godolphin said: “I would like to say a special thank you to the IBTA team and the sponsors, in particular Stephen Collins and his team at Derrinstown Stud for sponsoring this award for Pinatubo. We are very grateful and appreciative.

“On behalf of His Highness Sheikh Mohammed and all the team at Godolphin, we are delighted to accept this award for Pinatubo.

“Every breeder, no matter how big or small, dreams of breeding a horse like Pinatubo. When it comes to fruition and he ends up becoming a champion - and a very good one at that - it’s very satisfying for all the team and we are delighted to be part of that. It’s a great achievement for him.

“Shamardal, who we lost last year, has left a great legacy for us. Not just Pinatubo but also Earthlight and Blue Point, while another of his son’s Victor Ludorum, who was the French Guineas winner last year, stays in training. So, we have a lot to look forward to.

“We are very grateful to be receiving this award for Pinatubo and for him to be recognised as the top three-year-old.”

Ghaiyyath, who ended 2020 as the highest-rated horse in the world, collected the ITBA prize for Older Horse.

The Dubawi entire gained an outstanding G1 treble last year with dominant victories in the Coronation Cup, Eclipse Stakes and Juddmonte International.