Ankle injury ends Shamardal career
The Godolphin three-year-old suffered the setback on Thursday and will now be retired to stud.
Shamardal, winner of the French 2000 Guineas and Derby, was set to face his Epsom counterpart in front of a sell-out crowd at Sandown today and connections had been confident of a good show.
“Everyone is very sad, especially Sheikh Maktoum as he was very fond of this colt and he was very much looking forward to the Eclipse tomorrow,” Godolphin’s racing manager Simon Crisford told At The Races.
“He worked on Wednesday morning and had a very easy blow out after which we expressed great satisfaction at the way he moved and the way he worked.
“He was clinically absolutely fine afterwards and it was only at evening stables last night when he came out for a pick of grass that he took just one lame step.
“As a consequence we put him straight back in his box. The vet immediately went to work to try to establish what the problem was.
“At that time it looked as though he had a possible foot condition but X-rays on his ankle revealed a fresh chip which would require surgery if he was to continue to race so the decision was taken.
“Sheikh Maktoum has taken the view that he should really retire to stud. He’s had a very illustrious career and this is the right thing to do.”
Connections of Motivator offered their sympathy to Shamardal’s camp after the long-awaited clash between the pair had to be called off. The Derby winner is now a very short price to follow up at Sandown, but Harry Herbert, racing manager to Motivator’s owners the Royal Ascot Racing Club, said: “It’s an absolute tragedy, it really is and a reminder to us that anything can happen.
“It has robbed the public of a wonderful racehorse. We wanted to take on the best and were all looking forward to a fantastic contest between the two.
“I am desperately sorry for Sheikh Mohammed and his team, it reminds us how fragile these beautiful creatures are. He was one of the best three-year-olds around.”
Crisford explained where it was felt the colt suffered the injury, described on Godolphin’s official website, www.godolphin.com, as an osteochondral fracture fragment of his right fore fetlock.
“We don’t really know if it occurred during his last piece of work but it seems likely that’s what happened,” he went on.
“It was a very easy bit of work but it’s more than likely that it occurred at that time.
“All along we have been happy with his condition. He had come out of his York race incredibly well, he hadn’t lost any weight, he was very fresh. This is a completely new injury which has obviously put paid to it all.
“The prognosis for a full return to training and racing following surgery would be favourable, but this colt has achieved so much. Don’t forget he won the Dewhurst, he was champion two-year-old of Europe, he’s a dual Classic winner, he won the St James’s Palace. There’s not a lot more a colt can achieve and the fact of the matter is he will be a very big addition to Sheikh Maktoum’s stud.”
