Breeder Focus - Shadwell Arabians The 2019 Stallion Guide is happy to honor Shadwell Arabians as our International Breeder in the Breeder Focus special. Shadwell Stud Director Richard Lancaster comments for Shadwell.
Sheikh Hamdan has won the Kahayla Classic eight times as well as the Sheikh Zayed bin Sultan Al Nahyan Jewel Crown in 2017 with MURAAQIB and the President Cup in Abu Dhabi five times.
We are all grateful to Sheikh Hamdan bin Rashid Al Maktoum for his support throughout the Arabian horse racing world. Can you speak about the future for Arabian racing support by Sheikh Hamdan? Sheikh Hamdan has always been very enthusiastic about getting people interested in the Arabian horse. The Arabian horse is very much part of the Arabic culture, and it has always been his wish that people should get involved in the racing and breeding of the Arabian horse.
Any chance to bring any runners to the USA? At present I can’t see it happening in the near future, but you never know in the future.
We now have a full program of supported races across Europe, which culminates in the Dubai International Arabian Races at Newbury. Putting this program together has really enhanced the importance of this meeting, which takes place annually at Newbury Racecourse at the end of July in England. There has also been support given to some of the enthusiastic Arabian race followers in South America. The program that has been set up in Chile is totally down to the inspired sponsorship of Sheikh Hamdan. This is now extending to Brazil. What is the size and scope of the Shadwell Arabian racing program? The main emphasis on the racing is still in the United Kingdom where Sheikh Hamdan has been leading owner for the last fifteen years. There are always approximately thirty horses in training split between James Owen and Phil Collington, since Gill Duffield’s retirement three years ago. There is always a boutique string in France split between François Rohaut and Damien de Watrigant. The whole emphasis in both places is to find top performers to race in the UAE during the winter.
We understand that under the guidance of HH Sheikh Hamdan bin Rashid Al Maktoum, Shadwell began racing horses as early as 1980. Was Shadwell racing Thoroughbreds and Arabians at that time, or did Arabians come later? The Arabians definitely followed the Thoroughbreds. Sheikh Hamdan had his first Thoroughbreds as you say in the early 80’s, but the Arabians didn’t follow until a few years later. There had been a few Arabians in training, but the real breakthrough came when we bought BENGALI D’ALBRET. What percent of the Shadwell racing is geared towards Arabians today? The Arabians are a very small percentage compared with the Thoroughbreds. You have to remember that the Thoroughbred operation spreads around the world including Australia, South Africa, as well as the USA. The main emphasis for the Thoroughbreds though is in Europe, which includes the UK, Ireland and France, and also of course, in the UAE. How large a band of broodmares does Shadwell keep and where? The broodmare band tends to always hover around the 25 mark. We have been fortunate to have a nucleus of good mares which have produced some outstanding racehorses. The two that spring to mind are ZIVA, bought from JeanMarc de Watrigant, and homebred TASHREEFAT, by BENGALI D’ALBRET out of SEGLAOUI, a very good
28 • Arabian Finish Line • 2019 Stallion Guide
