Shamus Award

Shamus Award_Sean Buckley Ultra Racing

Shamus Award produces excellent progeny due to a combination of pedigree strength, performance class, physical attributes, and the ability to transmit versatility and stamina to his offspring.

Here’s a breakdown of the key factors:

🧬 1. Elite Pedigree

  • Sire Line: By Snitzel, a champion sire and son of Redoute’s Choice, one of Australia’s most influential stallions.

  • Dam Line: From the Success Express/Last Tycoon line, contributing both speed and depth to his bloodlines.

  • This blend offers speed and stamina, which are rare to combine effectively.

🏇 2. Top-Class Race Record

  • Cox Plate winner at 3 – the only maiden to ever win the race.

  • Also won the Australian Guineas (G1), proving his ability at 1600–2040m.

  • Demonstrated toughness, early maturity, and the ability to perform at the highest level.

💪 3. Strong Physical Type

  • Shamus Award is a well-balanced, athletic horse with excellent conformation.

  • He passes on good bone strength, size, and stride length—important for durability and racing success.

🌟 4. Progeny Traits

  • His offspring consistently show:

    • Versatility (winning from 1200m up to 2400m+)

    • Soundness and longevity

    • Ability to handle pressure in big races

  • Notably, many of his top progeny are Group 1-winning fillies (Duais, Media Award, El Patroness), suggesting he is a filly-producing stallion of value.

💰 5. Strong Strike Rate

  • He has a high ratio of winners to runners.

  • Continues to improve in reputation with each crop, as his progeny mature and win elite races.

Notable Progeny of Shamus Award:

🐴 Mr Quickie

Highlights:

  • Winner of the Group 1 Queensland Derby (2019)
  • Known for strong finishes over middle to staying distances.

🐴 Duais

Highlights:

  • Winner of multiple Group 1s, including:
  • Australian Cup (2000m)
  • Tancred Stakes (2400m)
  • Queensland Oaks
  • One of his most decorated and versatile progeny.

🐴 Swats That

Highlights:

  • Multiple Group race wins and placings
  • Runner-up in the Coolmore Stud Stakes (G1)
  • Known for sprinting talent.

🐴 Soul Patch

Highlights:

  • Winner of the Moonee Valley Vase (G2)
  • Ran third in the 2019 Victoria Derby (G1).

🐴 Media Award

Highlights:

  • Winner of the Australasian Oaks (G1) in 2021.

🐴 El Patroness

Highlights:

  • Dominant winner of the ATC Oaks (G1) in 2022
  • A key staying filly by Shamus Award.

Shamus Award combines blueblood genetics, elite race performance, and physical soundness, making him a standout stallion. His ability to sire both sprinters and stayers, especially high-performing fillies, gives him broad appeal in the breeding arena.

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shamus-award-cox-plate-chad-schofield

A fantastic interview with jockey Chad Schofield who won the Cox Plate in 2013 with maiden Shamus Award. Chad was only an apprentice at the time and Shamus Award just a maiden. Together they created a unique part of Australian racing history. Shamus Award went on to win the Australian Guineas in 2014 and was also Three-Year Old Colt/Gelding of the Year in the same year. Chad Schofield has gone on to much success and is currently in Hong Kong where he is enjoying international racing life.

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Sean Buckley Shamus Award

• Time-form Champion Australian 3yo 2013/14.

• The first horse in history to win the Gr 1 VRC Australian Guineas after winning the Gr 1 W.F.A W.S Cox Plate.

• His Gr 1 Cox Plate victory was one of the fastest ever run by a 3yo including 1.7sec’s quicker than successful sire Savabeel.

• His heroic, front running victory in the Gr 1 Australian Guineas saw him defeat Criterion, Eurozone etc.

• A multiple Group performer at Two and was an eye-catching third in Gr 1 Caulfield Guineas.

• A sale-topping son of one of Australia’s hottest young stallion’s Snitzel from successful dam-sire of sires Success Express.

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Champion sprinter Shamus Award has won the Herald Sun Champion Three-Year-Old Colt or Gelding of the Year award.

Sean Buckley_ Shamus Award

Shamus Award was trained by Danny O’ Brien and had great success this year.  The son of Snitzel won the Sportingbet Cox Plate (2040m), and became the first horse to also win the Group 1 Australian Guineas (1600m) in the same season. Read more at Racing.com  http://www.racing.com/news/2014-10-02/shamus-award-wins-3yo

Watch Shamus Award win the Cox Plate:

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Sean+Buckley+Ultratune

SURPRISE Cox Plate winner Shamus Award has been retired from racing and will stand at Widden Stud in Australia next season for a fee of A$27,500 (£15,080/€18,360).

The son of young sire Snitzel defied odds of 20-1 when breaking his maiden in the Group 1 event, besting such top-class runners as Foreteller, Fiorente, It’s A Dundeel and Seville in the process. The Danny O’Brien-trained colt returned later in the season to land the Australian Guineas – becoming the first horse to complete the double.

On Thursday, O’Brien tweeted: “Very pleased to announce Shamus Award off to Australia’s leading Stud. Over to you Widden!”

Widden Stud, in New South Wales, will stand 11 stallions for the coming season. Making the announcement, stud owner Antony Thompson said: “Shamus Award is the first three-year-old ever to win the Cox Plate/Australian Guineas double and we are thrilled to have him join our roster alongside our other new addition, the brilliant dual Group 1-winning sprinter Zoustar – who also made history as the first three-year-old to win the Group 1 Golden Rose/Coolmore Stud Stakes double.

“To be honest, it feels a little like déjà vu, starting off two young stallions together that we believe are the best sire prospects in the land.

“We did it a few years ago with Sebring and Northern Meteor, which proved incredibly successful, so I had no hesitation in seizing the opportunity to do the same again this year.”

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