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Son of Shamardal takes out French 2,000 Guineas
The Andre Fabre-trained Victor Ludorum (3 c ex Antiquities by Kaldounevees) showed his class when he took out the Poule d'Essai des Poulains (French 2,000 Guineas) (Gr 1, 1600m) at Deauville on Monday and in the process emulated his sire Shamardal (Giant’s Causeway) - who landed the Group 1 in 2005.
Unbeaten in three starts as a two-year-old, including taking out the Prix Jean-Luc Lagardere (Gr 1, 1600m) on his final start as a juvenile, he surrendered his unblemished record first-up this season, having finished a lacklustre third behind The Summit (Wootton Bassett) in the Prix de Fontainebleau (Gr 3, 1600m) on May 11.
On Monday, the three-year-old colt was settled at the back of the pack by Mickael Barzalona and he showed a brilliant turn of foot to beat The Summit by a length and a half with another neck back to his stablemate Alson (Areion) in third.
"He's a powerful horse and today he showed that his comeback run did him the world of good,” said Barzalona. “I was able to ride him the way I did at two. I didn't really drop him out, I just rode him for himself.
"He can be a little bit difficult during the preliminaries but he is so straightforward in a race. We went a good even pace and he was just in his racing bubble. He got there gradually and I never had to get serious."
The victory also handed Fabre his eighth win in the Classic.
Bred and raced by Godolphin, the colt is out of two time-winning Group 3-placed mare Antiquities (Kaldounevees), making him a half-brother to Listed winner and Group 1-placed Mary Tudor (Dawn Approach).
The colt’s second dam is Listed scorer Historian (Pennekamp), who is herself out of 1985 Irish Oaks (Gr 1, 1m4f) winner Helen Street (Troy).
Helen Street produced ten winners, including dual top-flight scorer and late sire Street Cry (Machiavellian) and Listed-placed Helsinki - the dam of Victor Ludorum’s sire Shamardal and Group 2 winner Geoffery Chaucer (Montjeu).
Further back this is the family of Group 1 winner Territories (Invincible Spirit) - who shuttles to Darley’s Kelvinside base, while Group 2 winner Thronum (Snitzel) - who stands at Sun Stud in Victoria - also appears further down the page.
Shamardal is the sire of 146 stakes winners, headed by 25 elite level scorers, including Blue Point, who will shuttle to Darley’s Northwood Park base in 2020 and his fee has been set at $44,000 (inc GST).
The son of Giant’s Causeway (Storm Cat) died in April.
Godolphin and Shamardal will be shooting for a win in the 2,000 Guineas (Gr 1, 1m) at Newmarket on Saturday when brilliant juvenile Pinatubo makes his reappearance in the British Classic.
