Horse Racing: Shamardal Wind Dewhurst Stakes

Champions' Day at Newmarket produced a performance of true championship quality from Shamardal in the Dewhurst Stakes. A commanding all-the-way victory propelled the unbeaten two-year-old to favouritism for next year's 2,000 Guineas - a remarkable achievement by a colt who is fortunate to be racing at all.

Due to be sold as a foal for $485,000, Shamardal was led away to an uncertain future, having been diagnosed as a "wobbler" - a condition which affects the spine.

Shamardal survived, and flourished, to be bought for a mere 50,000gns at the Tattersalls Yearling Sales. He looked set to become the bargain buy of all time for owner Abdulla Buhaleeba, but early last week the ownership of the colt was suddenly transferred to Maktoum Al Maktoum's Gainsborough Stud.

No explanation was forthcoming for the switch, but that was of little concern to Shamardal's trainer, Mark Johnston, who admitted to being taken aback by the quality of the colt's finishing burst on Saturday.

"I can't say I expected him to win like that. I said to Kevin [Darley] just let him bowl along because he has so much speed," said Johnston. "I was surprised that two of them could lie up with him and I was equally surprised that he found so much under pressure. Obviously, when you win the Dewhurst you go home and think about the Guineas."

In beating Oratorio, himself a Group One winner, by two and a half lengths, Shamardal clocked an impressive time for the seven furlongs, fractionally bettering the five-year-old Firebreak's figures in the Challenge Stakes.

Recent Dewhurst winners do not have much of a record as winter Classic favourites, but Shamardal certainly deserves his position in the betting. He is 5-1 with Coral for the Guineas, only 3-1 with Hill's and Ladbrokes.

Few would dispute the view of Joe Mercer, racing manager to Gainsborough Stud, that Shamardal is "very probably one of the best two-year-olds we have seen in a long time."

Despite also winning the Cesarewitch with Contact Dancer, the Johnston stable was dealt a severe blow when Mister Monet fractured a hind leg in the Champion Stakes and had to be destroyed.

Stable companion Lucky Story trailed in a long way last, failing abjectly to handle the soft ground, but the conditions did not trouble Haafhd, whose return to top form was a notable training performance by Barry Hills.

The winner of the 2,000 Guineas at the track in May, Haafhd's two subsequent performances had proved bitterly disappointing and he was allowed to go off at 12-1. But the Hills' team are back in form and, after hitting the front a furlong out, Haafhd pulled away from Chorist.

"It's been a painful three or four months, but now the horses are running out of their skin," said Hills. "I've always been looking forward to running Haafhd over a mile and a quarter and this victory gives us a few options for next year," he said.

Doyen, 3-1 favourite for the Champion Stakes, again disappointed. "It was just too soft," said trainer Saeed Bin Suroor. Doyen's rider Frankie Dettori added: "I was thinking 'great' because I was the last one still on the bridle, but he didn't handle the ground."

Smart German colt Shirocco, who missed the Arc owing to fast ground, found rich consolation when landing the Group One Gran Premio del Jockey Club in Italy yesterday. The Johnston runner, Bandari, was down the field, and stable-mate Hearthstead Wings could only finish third behind another German raider, Konigstiger, in the Gran Criterium for two-year-olds.