Shadow Of Light, outstanding Champion two-year-old and only the third horse to complete the Middle Park/ Darley Dewhurst G1 double since the Pattern began, has been retired from racing and will stand at Kildangan Stud in Ireland next year.
He joins the Darley roster as the best juvenile colt by Shamardal’s Lope de Vega, following a two-year-old campaign that began with two impressive victories on his first two starts, including a very comfortable win at Newmarket. Shadow Of Light lost little in defeat in the Gimcrack next time out, running on all the way to finish second by less than a length.
Sticking at six furlongs for his next start, Shadow Of Light confirmed his promise in the G1 Middle Park where he beat a high-class field, powering up the hill to win by four clear lengths.
The decision was then made to supplement him for the G1 Dewhurst two weeks later, where he rewarded that faith in spades. Despite the field splitting in two and Shadow Of Light initially needing to make his challenge away from the eventual second and third, he took the step up to seven furlongs in his stride and joined an elite group of horses to have won both the Middle Park and the Dewhurst.
Shadow Of Light returned at three with a creditable third in the 2,000 Guineas, beaten only a length and finishing just half a length behind Field Of Gold. He was also fourth in a blanket finish in the G1 Prix Jean Prat, with just half a length separating him from the winner.
Shadow Of Light boasts an outstanding pedigree, with four European G1-winning juveniles under his first two dams – a figure that cannot be bettered by any other family this century.
His dam, Winters Moon, was herself third in the G1 Fillies’ Mile and is also dam of fellow Champion two-year-old Earthlight, plus Too Darn Hot’s hugely exciting 2025 juvenile Wild Desert. Winters Moon is also a half-sister to two G1 winners in Wavering and Mandaean.
Sam Bullard, Director of Stallions said, “Shadow Of Light hails from an extraordinary family packed with precocious G1 performers and his own record at two is simply outstanding. We are very excited to show him to breeders in the coming weeks.”
