SHEA Shea (Christophe Soumillon) has been accepted to race in Friday’s Gr 1 Coolmore Nunthorpe Stakes over 1000m at York.
Bred by recently crowned Champion Breeders, Klawervlei, Shea Shea will be making his first appearance since Royal Ascot back in June. The son of National Emblem, who was a R550 000 purchase at the 2009 Emperors Palace National Yearling Sale, has been an excellent advertisement for the South African bred thoroughbred.
Shea Shea, who is owned by Brian Joffee and Myron Berzack, has won or placed in 19 of his 25 outings. To date, the 7yo gelding has earned over GBP 850 000 in prize money – or the equivalent of over R14.6 million. He won the Gr1 Computaform Sprint and Gr1 Golden Horse Casino Sprint in South Africa, the Gr1 Gr1 Al Quoz Sprint and the Meydan Sprint (twice) in Dubai.
He has also been placed in three of Britain’s top sprint races – namely the Group 1 King’s Stand Stakes, Group 1 July Cup and indeed the Gr 1 Nunthorpe Stakes – beaten half a length by outsider Jalwa in the 2013 renewal.