[published Bluebloods July/August 2021]
The Champion 2Y0 Colt of Europe, Great Britain and Ireland, what a horse Pinatubo is! One of the best representatives of the Shamardal (Champion Sire of 154 stakes winners) breed and from an outstanding family to boot.
Having so easily won his first two starts at Wolverhampton and Epsom in May 2019, the Godolphin home-bred was one of the favourites stepping up to stakes class for the first time, justifying the support with a dominant Chesham Stakes-Listed,7f victory.
A month later heading to Goodwood, Pinatubo gave his rivals a galloping lesson when taking out the Vintage Stakes-Gr.2, 7f by five lengths and he was all the more impressive winning the National Stakes-Gr.1, 7f at The Curragh by nine lengths, leaving in his wake last year’s W.S Cox Plate-Gr.1, 2040m runner up Armory.
Rounding off his unbeaten juvenile season with a two length victory in the Dewhurst Stakes-Gr.1, 7f, Pinatubo kicked off his three-year-old year with a close-up third in the 2000 Guineas-Gr.1, 1m and a game second to Palace Pier in the St James’s Palace Stakes-Gr.1, 1m before dropping back to the 1400m of the Prix Jean Prat-Gr.1 at Deauville; too good as an odds-on favourite.
At his final start only just beaten by Persian King in the Prix du Moulin de Longchamp-Gr.1, 1600m, Pinatubo headed to stud with a stellar record; seven wins and three placings from ten starts. The highest rated European juvenile for 25 years and the highest rated son of Shamardal, he is from a sire line popular in this part of the world and he gains extra admiration through the considerable strength of his family with his stakes winning dam Lava Flow being a granddaughter of El Jazirah, sister to the French Oaks-Gr.1, 2100m winning Rafha, dam of Invincible Spirit.
