Darley reflects on Dewhurst glory with superstar Shamardal
Group One winner went on to be Classic hero and world-class stallion.
Kevin Darley will forever have fond memories of the day he partnered Shamardal to victory in the Dewhurst Stakes. The son of Giant’s Causeway, whose death at the age of 18 was announced last week, was in training with Mark Johnston during his two-year-old days before going on to race in the Godolphin blue under the care of Saeed bin Suroor. Joe Fanning was in the saddle for his first two career starts, with Darley taking over at Newmarket on October 16, 2004, with the pair accounting for Aidan O’Brien’s Oratorio by a ready two and a half lengths. Darley – who was crowned champion jockey in 2000 – remembered: “He was a very athletic horse and wore his heart on his sleeve – he always did his best. His forte was his cruising speed.Mark Johnston says Shamardal is the best he has trained. Dazzling when winning the #Dewhurst in 2014. Who wins tomorrow’s renewal? pic.twitter.com/YAaWpaq77l
— Racing TV (@RacingTV) October 12, 2018
“That day at Newmarket they’d had rain and the ground was on the easier side and I’m always an advocate with a two-year-old that if you have a rail to follow, you should use it. “We discussed it beforehand, we were drawn there and Mark totally agreed we should stay where we were and don’t be afraid to make use of his speed. Thankfully his stamina kicked in where it mattered. “He was still a lit bit inexperienced at that point as well, early on he was just lugging off the rail a little bit, but when he was off the bridle he was in racing mode, head down and just galloped. “With a lot of Mark’s horses I didn’t really have a lot to do with them at home, but what I saw of him he’d always do his best for you. He wasn’t one of those horses that kept anything for himself.
One of Shamardal’s offspring – Pinatubo 🔵 pic.twitter.com/StDRvK7YRC
— Racenews (@RacenewsService) April 16, 2020
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