Reformed ‘Star’ starts Shamardal’s important week on a high
J A McGrath
28 May, 2018
It would be hard to understate the importance of the coming week in the career of the Darley stallion Shamardal.
On Sunday, the one-time Godolphin champion will celebrate 13 years to the day that he landed Chantilly’s G1 Prix du Jockey-Club, run in 2005 for the first time over 2000m.
However, the weekend could be more than merely an historical point of reference as Shamardal is the sire of major G1 Investec Derby contender Hazapour, as well as being the sire of the dam of G1 Investec Oaks runner Perfect Clarity.
The countdown continues to the world’s most famous Flat race, run at Epsom on Saturday, and Shamardal fans will have been heartened to learn that one of the sire’s most famous sons, Pakistan Star, won Sunday’s G1 Champions & Chater Cup at Sha Tin.
It was a brilliant and timely win by the German-bred, Hong Kong-based gelding, who owes his grey colour mostly to the influence of his mother, the Peintre Celebre mare Nina Celebre.
Sitting second in behind leader Exultant most of the way, Pakistan Star then accelerated away at the top of the home straight to record a fine win in one of Hong Kong’s most historic races, which was open to foreign horses for the first time this year.
Pakistan Star is a reformed character, as he displayed a reluctance to race in several of his earlier Hong Kong runs, all the time, though, giving a glimpse of his racing brilliance by coming from many lengths off the pace.
Much credit should go to trainer Tony Cruz, who has completely turned around this highly-talented but sometimes quirky five-year-old.
Godolphin jockey William Buick was widely praised for getting a real tune out of Pakistan Star previously, but with Buick required in Ireland at the weekend, Cruz turned to Sydney jockey Tommy Berry, and with happy results.
Shamardal has passed on his class and great racing ability to Pakistan Star, and the stallion’s many fans will hope Hazapour and Perfect Clarity will also prove to be examples of his outstanding influence at Epsom at the weekend.
