While he may no longer be with us, the late great Shamardal’s legacy continues both with his direct progeny and increasingly more commonly with descendants of his daughters.

Entering stud in 2005, the four-time Group 1 winner made an impact worldwide having sired over 165 worldwide stakes winners and six champions including Australian Champion 3-Year-Old Filly Faint Perfume and Hong Kong Horse of the Year Able Friend. Striking at 11 per cent stakes winners to runners worldwide and with a series of sons now at stud to continue his legacy, Shamardal has well and truly stamped himself as one of the elite shuttle stallions of the modern era.

Sadly, euthanised in April 2020 at his Kildangan Stud base due to health complications, the then 18-year-old was well into the peak of his career and only just beginning to witness his daughters making their mark on the breeding world. Three years on, the champion racehorse and leading sire is creating waves as a broodmare sire. His daughters are responsible for 24 stakes winners which has him striking at an incredible seven per cent stakes winners to runners. This is better than current leading broodmare sires in Encosta De Lago, Flying Spur and Fastnet Rock who maintain rates of around five per cent stakes winners to runners. Of his 24 stakes winners as a broodmare sire, three are Group 1 winners including eight-time Group 1 winner Imperatriz (I Am Invincible), two-time Group 1 winner Converge (Frankel {GB}) and G1 Epsom H. winner Private Eye (Al Maher).

Table: Current top 10 Australian leading broodmare sires - data pulled at December 23

It has been a remarkable season for Shamardal’s daughters whose progeny have captured six feature-race wins this season across Australia. Included is the elite sprinting sensation Imperatriz who added three Group 1 victories to her illustrious CV this spring, while both Loch Eagle (Lonhro) and Doull (Snitzel) earned maiden stakes victories this campaign.

Shamardal’s daughters work with a range of stallions with 20 of the 24 stakes winners produced by different stallions with Dream Ahead (USA) and Sebring the only stallions represented twice. It is unsurprising that daughters of Shamardal have clicked in Australia with male descendants from the Danehill line who represent almost 30 per cent of all his stakes winners. They include Wild Vixon (Fowedge), Ranch Hand (Fastnet Rock) and Chains Of Honour (Redoute’s Choice). Sires from the Green Desert line also click well with daughters of Shamardal. Descendants of Green Dessert have also worked well with Shamardal mares with three stakes winners in Imperatriz, Al Aaabir (Ire) (Sea The Stars {Ire}) and Tamerlane (Golden Horn {GB}) all hailing from Green Dessert-line stallions.

The former Champion 2-Year-Old of Europe, Shamardal’s precocity has lived on through his descendants with his daughters responsible for six juvenile stakes winners including G1 JJ Atkins winner Converge. Over 60 per cent of his stakes winners have occurred at distances of 1400 metres or less while only 13 per cent have occurred at distances beyond 2000 metres. By sex his daughters have produced far better results with their colts rather than females. His male descendants have claimed stakes wins at a rate of nine per cent as opposed to his females who strike at four per cent stakes winners to runners.

With the average stakes-winning strike rate of the current top 10 broodmare sires hovering at around five per cent, by numbers Shamardal is performing at a rate far superior to his peers. With over 90 daughters active across Australia, it's only inevitable that Shamardal’s record as a broodmare sire will continue on an upwards trajectory.