Shamardal’s Sasparella takes the G3 Prix Eclipse

The feature race of the day on 21 September at Chantilly was the G3 Prix Eclipse, which was won in convincing fashion by two-year-old Shamardal filly Sasparella on just her third start.

Settled in second under Maxime Guyon, Sasparella responded brilliantly once asked to quicken inside the final two furlongs and was never troubled from then on as she took the six-furlong contest by a length and a quarter.

Owned and bred by the Wertheimer Brothers, Sasparella won by four lengths on her racecourse at Deauville at the end of July, before being beaten by less than two lengths when fourth in the G3 Prix du Calvados last month.

She is out of the winning Green Desert mare Desertiste, a daughter of multiple G1 winner Occupandiste and a full sister to multiple Group winner Only Answer. Desertiste also has a G1-winning half-brother in Mondialiste.

Shamardal now has six Stakes-winning or placed juveniles to his name this year, including the exciting G2 Champagne Stakes winner Emotionless who is currently favourite to extend his unbeaten record to three in next month’s G1 Dewhurst Stakes at Newmarket.