Shadwell Stable's TAJAAWEED drew post eight in the field of ten for today's Grade 1, $1,000,000 Arlington Million going a mile and one-quarter over the turf course at Arlington Park. TAJAAWEED was third last out in the Grade 3 Arlington Handicap and he will be ridden by Michael Baze. Post time is scheduled for 5:14 p.m. CDT.

Shadwell Stable’s TAQARUB earned the first graded stakes victory of his career with his frontrunning score in the $100,000 Maryland Sprint Handicap going six furlongs over the fast main track at Pimlico Race Course.
 
The speedy colt went to the front with an opening quarter in :23. He set down a second quarter of :22 2/5 and he cleared his closest competitor. He raced strongly to the wire, finishing up in 1:10 and winning by one length.

“Actually I was kind of surprised that somebody wasn’t after him," said winning rider Eibar Coa. "There were a lot of horses with speed in here on paper. I got out there and waited for someone to come by me, but they never did. I wanted to be close, but I just kind of inherited the lead.”

“He broke sharp and got right up there," said Andrew St. Lawence, the assistant to winning trainer Kiaran McLaughlin. "Speed seems to be holding pretty well today. I think it suits this horse. He’s a pretty talented animal. As a 2-year-old turning 3, he was very good on the dirt at Aqueduct, so we weren’t entirely surprised by this run today.”

TAQARUB is by Aldebaran out of the Honor Grades mare, Honor Bestowed. He has five wins and one second in nine starts and he has earned $232,437.

Shadwell Farm, LLC is pleased and excited to continue our relationship with the Emirates Racing Association by sponsoring the opening night racing card at the new Meydan Racecourse on January 28, 2010.

CLICK HERE for the entries and form guide for the eight race program.

HATHEER, our Shadwell Farm homebred 2-year-old filly will make her next start in the $1,000,000 Breeders' Cup Juvenile Fillies Turf on November 6, going one mile at Oak Tree at Santa Anita. Our Shadwell Farm homebred daughter of Storm Cat out of champion Golden Apples (IRE) drew post nine in the field of twelve and she will be ridden by Alan Garcia.

HATHEER was third in the Jessamine Stakes at Keeneland last time out.

Court Vision narrowly defeated Karelian to win the $600,000 Shadwell Turf Mile (G1) over the soft turf course at Keeneland.

Court Vision engaged early leader Karelian in midstretch and the two raced as team through the stretch of the Shadwell Turf Mile.  Court Vision prevailed by a nose under Robby Albarado with Mr. Sidney 5 ¾ lengths back in third place.

“He was very close (early) for him, within himself, doing it easy,” said Albarado.  “I figured the fractions were slow and I knew this horse would finish up big and he did.”

Court Vision ran the distance in 1:38.68 while posting his first victory since winning the Hollywood Derby (G1) on November 30.  Richard Dutrow Jr. trains the 4-year-old son of Gulch for IEAH Stables, who races the colt in partnership with John A. Roberts’ Resolute Group Stables.

The victory was worth $360,000 to Court Vision, who was winning for the sixth time in 18 career starts boosting his lifetime earnings to $1,477,430.  He paid $11.60 as the third choice and earned a berth in the $2 million TVG Breeders’ Cup Mile (G1).

Courtesy of NYRA

Shadwell Farm, title sponsor of Saturday’s 140th running of the Grade 1, $1 million Shadwell Travers Stakes at Saratoga Race Course, will again award a cash prize of $500 to the groom of the “Best Turned Out” horse in the race.

The award will be determined by a Shadwell representative in the paddock prior to the Shadwell Travers and presented in the winner’s circle before the race.

“We look forward to maintaining our tradition of sponsoring The Best Turned Out Award,” said Rick Nichols, Shadwell’s vice-president and general manager. “We began this tradition to mirror what I had seen done while I was visiting England. It is a way for us to pay tribute to the grooms that take such good care of our horses. These people behind the scenes play a special role in our industry and so often get overlooked. This is yet another avenue Shadwell enjoys and welcomes to the sport of racing.”

Last year, Nichols selected Belmont Stakes winner Da’ Tara, trained by Hall of Famer Nick Zito, as the most polished horse participating in the 139th running of the Shadwell Travers, awarding groom Jose Vega the $500 cash prize.

Courtesy of NYRA

by Jenny Kellner
For each of its seven participants, the 140th running of Saturday’s Grade 1, $1 million Shadwell Travers Stakes encompasses an array of possibilities beyond even the glamour and excitement of winning one of the most recognizable races for 3-year-olds in the United States .

Traditionally, the prestige and the purse alone guarantee a compelling event, but this year’s “Mid-Summer Derby” offers both veterans of the Triple Crown trail and late-bloomers the chance to step up and take their place as leaders in a divisional race that could go down to the wire.

Since the advent of naming champions in 1936, 17 winners of the Shadwell Travers have been named champion 3-year-old colt or gelding, most recently Bernardini in 2006. With the Kentucky Derby, Preakness and Belmont Stakes going to three different horses (one of them a filly) the race for year-end honors among 3-year-old males begins in earnest in the Shadwell Travers.

“It’s a tough race,” said Kiaran McLaughlin, trainer of William K. Warren’s Charitable Man, who came out of the Belmont Stakes to finish third in the Grade 2 Jim Dandy and who was installed at 6-1 on the morning line. “You have to have a lot of respect for these other horses.”

The biggest name in the Shadwell Travers is one which was on top of everyone’s Derby list before he was sidelined with hoof problems: Quality Road, who was made the 8-5 favorite after coming back with a vengeance in the Grade 2 Amsterdam here on August 3 in a track record of 1:13.74 for 6½ furlongs, his second straight track-record performance.

And while going from a sprint to the classic distance of 1¼ miles might be a stretch for some, trainer Todd Pletcher, who won the 2005 Travers with Flower Alley, feels it is well within Quality Road ’s scope.

“He’s a special horse,” said Pletcher of Edward P. Evans’ Florida Derby winner, who set a Gulfstream Park record of 1:47.72 in the race. “It takes a special kind of horse, with both speed and the ability to carry that speed over a distance of ground, and I think he’s that kind of horse.”

With Kentucky Derby winner Mine That Bird skipping the race to recuperate from surgery to repair an entrapped epiglottis, and Preakness winner Rachel Alexandra heading into the Grade 1, $750,000 Woodward here on September 5, Grade 1 Belmont Stakes hero Summer Bird is the lone classic winner representative in the Shadwell Travers.

More Belmont winners have run in – and won – the Travers than Derby and Preakness victors combined, with Summer Bird’s sire, Birdstone, the 29th and most recent to do so in 2004.

“To follow Birdstone and win the Belmont and come back and win the Travers would be a great accomplishment,” said Summer Bird’s trainer, Tim Ice, of Kalarikkal and Vilasini Jayaraman’s handsome colt, the second choice on the morning-line at 3-1. “I am really happy with the way he’s coming into the race.”

With Rachel Alexandra’s connections opting for her to try and become the first of her sex to win the Woodward, her stablemate, Kensei, will carry the colors of Jess Jackson’s Stonestreet Stables in the Shadwell Travers. The son of Mr. Greeley broke his maiden at the Spa last spring, but did not come around in time to make any of the classics.

In his third start at age 3, Kensei finished third at 30-1 to Munnings in the Grade 2 Woody Stephens on Belmont Stakes Day, then appeared to come into his own with impressive victories in both the Grade 2 Dwyer and the Grade 2 Jim Dandy, the traditional prep for the Shadwell Travers.

Three of the last four winners of the Travers prepped in the Jim Dandy, most recently Street Sense in 2007.

“This is the defining moment for him,” said Jackson of Kensei. “It won’t be the final moment, but it will be the defining moment.”

One who knows about defining moments is Hall of Fame trainer Nick Zito, who saddled his first Shadwell Travers starter in 1980 and reached the winner’s circle in 2004 with Birdstone. That year, he also saddled The Cliff’s Edge to finish second; this year, he will send out a son of the 2004 runner-up in Robert V. LaPenta’s Our Edge, a winner of three straight, most recently the Grade 3 Barbaro at Delaware Park .

“The horse is working great and he’s coming off three big wins in a row,” said Zito of Our Edge, who, along with WinStar Farms’ Hold Me Back is listed at 15-1. “Don’t get me wrong, I told Bob LaPenta, we’re really taking an enormous shot. But we always take a shot, that’s been our deal. We either make it, or we don’t. It’s a blessing to be in it. His father, running second to Birdstone, we’ll see what happens.”

Both A. Stevens Miles, Jr.’s Warrior’s Reward and Hold Me Back have shown they can be competitive in the division as well, with Warrior’s Reward no worse than third in six of his seven lifetime starts and Hold Me Back having won the Grade 2 Lane’s End at Turfway and finishing second in the Grade 1 Blue Grass at Keeneland, both over synthetic surfaces.

“I hope the Travers is (Warrior’s Reward’s) breakthrough race,” said trainer Ian Wilkes. “He’s really improving. He’s a slow-maturing horse, and I think he’s finally coming into his own.”

Said Hall of Fame trainer Bill Mott of Hold Me Back: “We’re trying him back on the dirt and we’ll see what happens. It’s a big race and we want to give him a chance to show himself. Obviously we think he’s a good horse with a lot of quality. There will be a lot of good horses in there, but a lot of times the favorite doesn’t win.”

Shadwell Farm, the presenting sponsor for last year’s Travers, became the title sponsor of the race in 2009.

“Shadwell Farm is proud to continue its partnership with The New York Racing Association, Inc., by sponsoring the Grade 1 Travers Stakes,” said Rick Nichols, Shadwell’s vice-president and general manager. “Shadwell has always been supportive of New York racing and the opportunity to be involved at Saratoga is a wonderful honor and an exciting experience.

“The history surrounding the Travers and the fact it still remains a dirt race going 1¼ miles makes it a special privilege for us, especially with the Travers approaching its 140th year,” he added. “In 2008, Colonel John’s electrifying victory by a nose illustrated how these athletes create the thrill for both the owners and fans. Being a part of this race continues to bring another realm of energy for Shadwell.”
 

Breeders’ Cup Juvenile Fillies Turf winner MARAM made her 2009 debut and the daughter of SAHM remained undefeated with her victory in the $74,000 John Hettinger Stakes going one mile over the inner turf course at Saratoga.

MARAM settled four lengths off the pace for the first half-mile. She launched her bid three wide around the turn and she was poised to strike at the top of the stretch. Drawing even passing the eighth pole, she battled to the wire and edged away late to win by a half-length.

“I didn't know how fit the other ones were, but I knew I had her ready for a prime effort,” said Chad Brown, who trains MARAM for Karen Woods and Saud bin Khaled.

MARAM was bred in Kentucky by Palides Investments N. V., Inc. and Hair 'Em Corporation. She was produced by the Quest for Fame (GB) mare, American Dreamer.

Courtesy of Sporting Life

GHANAATI, the 1000 Guineas heroine, followed up in scintillating fashion by thundering clear in the Coronation Stakes at Royal Ascot in course record time.

The filly's trainer, Barry Hills, made a triumphant return to the big time earlier this year following treatment for throat cancer by scooping the Newmarket Classic with the Hamdan Al Maktoum-owned superstar.

His stable were in red-hot form through the opening weeks of the campaign, but events took a turn for the worse after the veteran handler was admitted to hospital with a life-threatening blood disorder.

But having returned to good health, and on the day he was released from hospital, his sons Charlie and Richard combined to claim the feature race on day four of the Royal meeting in record-breaking time.

Charlie Hills has been tasked with running his father's Lambourn yard in his absence, and produced the filly looking immaculate as she clashed with French 1000 Guineas winner Elusive Wave and Again, who landed the Irish Guineas.

But the meeting of the nations turned into a one-sided contest once Richard Hills asked the 2-1 favourite to take charge two furlongs from the finish.

The market leader needed minimal assistance from the saddle to skip past the winning post two lengths clear of Reggane, with Rainbow View finishing to good effect in third.

GHANAATI joins Attraction (2004) and Russian Rhythm (2003) as recent fillies to complete the 1000 Guineas-Coronation double, with Hills' only other winner of the latter arriving courtesy of Maids Causeway four years ago.

Her jockey said: "There are only two women in my life - my wife (Jaci) and this filly.

"We nearly lost my dad but thank God we didn't, and what a way to cheer him up.

"I'm very pleased for my father as there was plenty of emotion going in, but she performed beautifully.

"Dad hasn't been very well and we just wanted to get this filly here right.

"There were a lot of people telling Charlie what he should and shouldn't do, but he has listened to the right people and prepared her beautifully.

"She's aptly named because in Arabic GHANAATI means 'My Love' and she's certainly that today.

"She's the best filly I've ridden without a doubt. My dad never lets me take the handbrake off her at home, and for a very good reason.

"I have watched the Coronation from a young age and to break the track record like that is an honour."

Charlie Hills, who will eventually take control at Faringdon Place, said: "She's so professional. She is a beautiful stamp of a filly and is just getting better and better.

"She's still relatively inexperienced and that is only her fourth run so hopefully she has the right attitude to improve again.

"I doubt very much that my father has ever had a filly as good as her, even after 40 years.

"It has been a fantastic opportunity to look after so many good horses over the last few weeks. Dad is on his way home today and I am sure he will have this recorded.

"There are some wonderful races to go for during the rest of the season. There is the Falmouth, Nassau and the Champion Stakes all to consider."
 

Story below courtesy of Sportinglife.com

Barry Hills registered his 11th Classic success just weeks after clocking up 3000 career wins as GHANAATI caused a 20-1 upset in the stanjames.com 1000 Guineas at Newmarket.

Much of the pre-race focus surrounded ante-post favourite and eventual 8-11 market leader Rainbow View, but the hitherto unbeaten filly never landed a blow and could only finish fifth.

A little over two weeks ago, Rainbow View blew away the cobwebs with a gallop before racing on the historic Rowley Mile and Ghanaati had done likewise when working with two stablemates.

But while Rainbow View continued to contract in the market, the Hamdan Al Maktoum-owned daughter of Giant's Causeway was virtually ignored - especially having just an all-weather maiden win to her name.

But 72-year-old Hills was brimming with confidence and his faith translated into a length-and-a-half blitz under the trainer's son, Richard.

The rider had the filly in the front rank from the moment they jumped from the stalls, and she pulled away in the final two furlongs of the mile Classic to hold the challenge of the rallying Cuis Ghaire.

Hills nominated the general health of his sting as the reason for his amazing start to 2009, which has seen him amass 21 individual winners.

The trainer, who last tasted Classic success with Hamdan Al Maktoum's Haafhd five years ago, said: "I have always thought she is very good and I was hoping for a very big run. I think she will be much better over a mile and a quarter, but I do not know how far she will stay. She has got size and scope and has a great temperament. She is in the Oaks and we will have to talk to Sheikh Hamdan and his racing manager Angus Gold, but I really don't know where she will go after this," continued Hills. "It is too early to say about the Breeders' Cup but at the back of my mind I could see her winning the Champion Stakes, although there a few more races before that."

Talk of retirement often circles Hills, with his son and assistant Charlie waiting in the wings to take over.

The veteran trainer added: "One day I will say that is it and stop. That won't be too long away and I want Charlie to be successful, but it won't be easy."

For the jockey, it was a sixth Classic victory and a third in the 1000 Guineas.

He said: "I haven't seen a replay but it went very straightforward. I was on a filly who can gallop and I used that to my advantage. She has got a great cruising speed and a mile was well within her scope so I made it a proper test. It is special to win this for dad, and he just said 'I told you so' when I came back in."

Bookmakers slashed her for the Oaks, but her owner poured cold water on that prospect with doubts over her staying a mile and a half.

Sheikh Hamdan said, "The trainer has kept quiet about her. I asked him about her at the Craven meeting as she is one of my best-bred fillies and he said not to worry and that she was going the right way. I do not think she will stay a mile and a half. She has now won a Guineas and I don't see much point in winning another, so she will maybe go for the Coronation."

Gold expanded on Hills' recent bullishness, saying: "I said to Barry 'are you sure you want to run in the Guineas' and he said 'yes'. I said 'she could be third or fourth', and Barry said 'or she could win'. He doesn't often say things like that and during this week he got quieter and quieter, which is always a good sign. Fairy play to Barry and his team - they have done a great job with her.

"Last year I thought she would be a mile-and-a-quarter filly and wouldn't have the speed for the Guineas," continued Gold. "I am sure she will be best at a mile and a quarter and all options are open to her. The Coronation would be a fabulous race to aim at, and we also have John Gosden's Mooakada to run in the Oaks."

Shadwell Farm is proud to once again announce its partnership with the New York Racing Association by sponsoring both the Grade 1 Metropolitan Mile and the Grade 1 Travers Stakes. 

"Shadwell has been supportive of New York racing and anxiously look forward to our involvement both at Belmont Park and Saratoga Race Course as a wonderful honor and we are excited about continuing this experience,” said Rick Nichols, Shadwell Farm Vice President and General Manager.

The 116th running of the Grade 1, $600,000 Metropolitan Mile will be contested on Monday, May 25 at Belmont Park. The 140th running of the Grade 1, $1,000,000 Travers Stakes will take place Saturday, August 29 at Saratoga.

 March 18, 2009:

MAFAAZ reserved a place in the final line-up for the Kentucky Derby on May2 with a determined victory at Kempton.

The John Gosden-trained three-year-old showed a willing attitude to take top honours in the inaugural running of the Kentucky Derby Challenge Stakes.

Kempton's nine-furlong event was a trial contest for the first leg of the US Triple Crown at Churchill Downs, for which the Medicean colt (11-2) is now guaranteed a starting berth after this triumph.

MAFAAZ was prominent turning into the home straight as Sohcahtoa endeavoured to make all the running, and he assumed control inside the final 50 yards under Richard Hills before holding the flying finish of Spring Of Fame by a neck.

Gosden, whose charge was sporting first-time blinkers, revealed the Kentucky Derby is now firmly on Mafaaz's agenda.

He said: "Obviously we'll have to discuss it, but Sheikh Hamdan Al Maktoum is a great supporter of American racing and he now has the opportunity to go to Kentucky.

"I've got an eye on the Blue Grass Stakes in Keeneland in the middle of April, which would provide him with a big opportunity ahead of the Derby. If we don't get in that race, he'll go straight to Churchill.

"He's a nice, solid horse who has been working well and the blinkers have helped - he's always lacked a bit of focus. He's a tough cookie and is arrogant - he's not a pussycat and has got the right attitude."

SHADWELL TO SPONSOR 2009 MET MILE AND TRAVERS STAKES
Shadwell Farm is proud to once again announce its partnership with the New York Racing Association by sponsoring both the Grade 1 Metropolitan Mile and the Grade 1 Travers Stakes. 

"Shadwell has been supportive of New York racing and anxiously look forward to our involvement both at Belmont Park and Saratoga Race Course as a wonderful honor and we are excited about continuing this experience,” said Rick Nichols, Shadwell Farm Vice President and General Manager.

The 116th running of the Grade 1, $600,000 Metropolitan Mile will be contested on Monday, May 25 at Belmont Park. The 140th running of the Grade 1, $1,000,000 Travers Stakes will take place Saturday, August 29 at Saratoga.

Courtesy of Thoroughbred Times
by Jeff Apel
ALBERTUS MAXIMUS was purchased privately by Sheikh Hamdan bin Rashid al Maktoum’s Shadwell Stable following his win in the TVG Breeders’ Cup Dirt Mile in his previous start on October 25 at the Oak Tree meeting at Santa Anita Park. Vladimir Cerin previously trained the Albert the Great horse, who made his first start for trainer Kiaran McLaughlin in the Donn.

“He’s a very professional racehorse,” McLaughlin said. “We’re just grateful Sheikh Hamdan bought him after he won the Breeders’ Cup at Santa Anita and sent him to us.”

McLaughlin said ALBERTUS MAXIMUS will be pointed to the $6-million Emirates Airline Dubai World Cup (UAE-G1) on March 28 at Nad al Sheba Racecourse. McLaughlin and Shadwell Stable previously teamed to win the 2007 Emirates Airline Dubai World Cup (UAE-G1) with Invasor (Arg), the ’06 Eclipse Award winner as Horse of the Year and champion older male.

The Donn was the third career start on a dirt track for ALBERTUS MAXIMUS, who has made 12 of his 16 career starts on synthetic surfaces. ALBERTUS MAXIMUS has two wins and one runner-up finish on dirt surfaces.
 
“There was no question he liked the track today,” winning jockey Alan Garcia said. “He was happy and comfortable the whole time and really enjoyed himself out there. He gave me everything he had and, when I turned him loose, he went on and won the race.”

Grade 3 winner Finallymadeit set a determined pace near the inside rail and led ALBERTUS MAXIMUS by a half-length through a half-mile in :47 and by a head through six furlongs in 1:11.75. ALBERTUS MAXIMUS seized command on the outside of Finallymadeit and opened a head lead in early stretch.

ALBERTUS MAXIMUS and Finallymadeit, a 30.30-to-1 longshot ridden by Eduardo Nunez, dueled for the lead through the stretch. Albertus Maximus turned back a determined Finallymadeit in the closing strides to win the 1 1/8-mile race in 1:50.96 on a track rated as fast.

“That horse inside me kept fighting,” Garcia said. “I thought he would be [exhausted] by the quarter pole, but he just kept coming back and never gave up.”

Finallymadeit finished 1 3/4 lengths clear of third-place finisher Einstein (Brz), a multiple Grade 1 winner. Multiple Grade 2 winner Arson Squad, the 2.40-to-1 favorite in the field of ten four-year-olds and older, finished fourth.

ALBERTUS MAXIMUS earned $711,380 last season while winning three of his seven starts for previous owners Brandon and Marianne Chase, who are also the breeders of the five-year-old horse. ALBERTUS MAXIMUS set a one-mile track record for Del Mar’s synthetic Polytrack surface while winning the 2008 Windy Sands Handicap in 1:35.37.

ALBERTUS MAXIMUS finished third in the 2008 Goodwood Stakes (G1) at the Oak Tree meeting prior to winning the Breeders’ Cup Dirt Mile.

ALBERTUS MAXIMUS posted his sixth win in 16 starts and increased his earnings to $1,208,230. Bred in Kentucky, Albertus Maximus is a half brother to Grade 3-placed winner Chasethegold and is one of three winners from as many starters out of the winning Forty Niner mare Chasethewildwind.

Courtesy of NYRA
By easily winning Monday afternoon’s Martin Luther King Jr. Day feature at Aqueduct, the 25th running of the $70,045 Jimmy Winkfield for three-year-olds at six furlongs, Shadwell Stable’s TAQARUB has pretty much served warning that he is ready for greater challenges.

He has now won all three of his career starts, and this was his first race of 2009. All three wins have come at six furlongs, all at Aqueduct, two on the inner dirt track and one over a sloppy strip.

The Aldebaran colt is full of promise and has everyone eager to see how he will handle more distance and two turns.

Certainly jockey Alan Garcia is among these. New York’s leading jockey in 2008, Garcia came up from Florida specifically to ride TAQARUB in the Jimmy Winkfield.

It was an effortless turn around the Big A. Despite a slight bobble at the start, TAQARUB quickly gathered himself and went to the lead that he would never relinquish.

“He stumbled at the break and re-positioned himself very quickly,” said Garcia, who left immediately after the race to catch a flight back to Florida.

Never seriously challenged, TAQARUB set a pace of 22.81, 45.78 and 57.23, got stronger as the race went on and was an 8 ¼-length winner in 1:09.26.

“Alan (Garcia) did a great job recovering when he bobbled at the start,” said Art Magnuson, assistant to trainer Kiaran McLaughlin, who is also wintering at Gulfstream Park . “We’re pointing him toward the Fred “Cappy” Capossela next ($65,000, six furlongs, 3yos, February 15), but he could go to Florida at any time.”

Magnuson said that the race reminded the winning connections of BobWitham, a verteran horseman who worked for Shadwell until his death on December 17. The 65-year-old Witham, who helped develop such horses as 2006 Belmont Stakes winner Jazil, died as the result of injuries suffered in a spill from his pony.

“With the Shadwell connection, we’re all thinking about Bob Witham,” Magnuson said.

HABAYA, trained by Kiaran McLaughlin, covered one mile on turf in 1:37.07 while rewarding backers with payoffs of $6.80, $4.20 and $3.20. Internallyflawless paid $4.60 and $3.80, while the show payoff on Eloquently was $4.80.

HABAYA, a winner of two of three races, broke her maiden in her career debut in September at Belmont Park, then finished second in the Jessamine at Keeneland in October. All of her starts have been on turf.

"We're going to space out her races a little bit, look after her, and have big goals in mind next summer like the American Oaks," said Neal McLaughlin, assistant trainer to his brother. "I really feel like she is a filly that wants to go a mile and one-quarter. Our main worry was the mile might be a little short for her because she really is bred to go a mile and one-eighth or a mile and one-quarter."

HABAYA, a daughter of Storm Cat out of champion Golden Apples, banked $73,800 to raise her earnings to $135,000.

Courtesy of the Thoroughbred Times
by Jeff Lowe
ALWAJEEHA, winner of the Queen Elizabeth II Challenge Cup Stakes (G1) on October 11 at Keeneland Race Course, has been retired to owner-breeder Sheikh Hamdan bin Rashid al Maktoum's Shadwell Farm in Lexington.

The three-year-old filly by Dixieland Band out of Ridaa, by Seattle Slew, came out of a workout on October 24 at Keeneland with filling in an ankle, Shadwell General Manager Rick Nichols said.
(read the rest of the story)

Courtesy of the Thoroughbred Times
by Steve Bailey
Trainer Chad Brown, co-owner Karen Woods, and jockey Jose Lezcano all made the most of their first trips to the Breeders' Cup World Championships.

Maram made a powerful move in late stretch and then held off a determined Heart Shaped in the final strides to capture the $1,035,080 Grey Goose Breeders' Cup Juvenile Fillies Turf on Friday at the Oak Tree meeting at Santa Anita Park.

The SAHM filly out of the Quest for Fame (GB) mare American Dreamer,
(read the rest of the story)

Courtesy of Keeneland:

Jockey John Velazquez returned to action Saturday at Keeneland after being injured in a fall eight days ago and guided Alwajeeha to an upset victory in the $500,000,  Grade 1 Queen Elizabeth II Challenge Cup.

The daughter of Dixieland Band caught Storm Mesa, the pacesetter, with a quarter of a mile remaining and then fought off the on-rushing Backseat Rhythm and My Princess Jess for the win.

“The filly did it great,” said Velazquez.  “We wanted to be close to the lead.  After that, every time I asked her for a little more she kept giving it to me.  I was very, very impressed with her.”

Alwajeeha finished  1 ¼ lengths in front of runner-up Backseat Rhythm, winner of the Garden City (G1) in her previous start.  It was a neck back to third-place My Princess Jess.

Both Backseat Rhythm and My Princess Jess had finished in front of Alwajeeha in the Garden City, which was run on a yielding turf course.  The turf was firm Saturday and Alwajeeha ran the 1 1/8 miles in 1:48.09.

Alwajeeha is owned by Sheik Hamdan al Maktoum’s Shadwell Stable and is trained by Kiaran McLaughlin.  She showed her affinity for the Keeneland turf course in the spring by winning the Appalachian (G3) at one mile.

The winner improved her record to three wins in nine starts and increased her earnings to $486,927 with the winner’s purse of $310,000. 

Courtesy of NYRA

Shadwell Stable's Shakis got a flawless ride from red-hot jockey Alan Garcia to run past unsuspecting War Monger and go on to a repeat victory in the 50th running of the Grade 2, $200,000 Bernard Baruch Handicap at nine furlongs on the inner turf course at Saratoga Race Course.

The Bernard Baruch was part of a 12-race card, featuring the 139th running of the Grad 1, $1 million Traver Stakes presented by Shadwell Farm.

With his one-length victory, the 8-year-old, Irish-bred Machiavellian horse became only the third horse to win back-to-back runnings of the Bernard Baruch, joining Win (1984-1985) and Hap (2000-2001).

"He's very sound and he trains good," said trainer Kiaran McLaughlin of his third winner on the Travers Day card. "We just wish they ran the Bernard Baruch twice a year."

"He's really been unlucky. His first race back, he was 10-wide at Keeneland. Then, we went to Pimlico and he had a rough trip. He ran back in three weeks on short rest going 10 furlongs. (But) this is what he wants to do. Alan did a great job."

If Shakis had been unlucky before, that wasn't the case on Saturday.

With Thorn Song on the lead, the timer went in 23.40, 48.17, 1:11.67 and 1:35.26. But War Monger was a strong second throughout and took the lead easily. He just never saw Shakis, who had come from eighth to win in 1:46.78.

"I didn't think we had any chance at the top of the stretch," McLaughlin said. "I was afraid that they weren't going fast enough up front; I was looking for a faster pace."

"This just worked out great. This is very special because so many people from Shadwell are here because they are sponsoring the Travers. That makes it special. They are great people to work for. There are like 30 people from Shadwell, and for many of them, this is there first (Saratoga) experience. Sheikh Hamdan (bin Rashid al Maktoum) is a great owner and it is nice to win for people who are so good to you."

Another who was good to McLaughlin was Garcia. Shakis was his fourth winner of the afternoon.

"I'm very happy," Garcia said. "Mr. McLaughlin has done a wonderful job with this horse. He gave me the instructions and told me to forget about his last two races. He's in better form. He was flying at the end. Everything went as planned."

Courtesy of NYRA

He didn’t want to make Saturday afternoon’s 24th running of the Grade 2, $250,000 Alfred G. Vanderbilt look too easy.

So, he didn’t.

Instead, the favorite tested the patience of Saratoga Race Course’s 27,297 fans as well as jockey Alan Garcia’s resolve before finally getting his act together to win the six-furlong sprint by 2 ½-lengths over First Defence in 1:10.23 on the fast main track.

The 5-year-old Carson City colt, benefitting from the absence of undefeated Bustin Stones, who was forced to scratch in the morning because of a deep stone bruise, recorded his fifth win in 13 starts, and automatically earned a berth in the $2 million Breeders’ Cup Sprint at six furlongs at the Oak Tree at Santa Anita meet on Saturday, October 25.

It was no surprise that Garcia would take ABRAAJ back off of Sammarco’s pace of 22.06, 44.57 and 56.98, and the majority of Saratoga’s fans eagerly waited for a big run.

And waited. . . and waited. . .

“I wasn’t worried about the first quarter,” said 'ABRAAJ's trainer, Kiaran McLaughlin. “At the three-eighths pole, because Alan had to scrub on him a little bit to kick him in, I was worried. Once he started running, I thought the leader had to slow down. I felt good at the quarter-pole.”

Most of the fans felt better, too, as ABRAAJ kicked clear and returned $5.40 to win.

Since running eighth in the Vanderbilt in 2007, ABRAAJ has benefitted from time off and a spacing of races. He came back to the races in May, posted a win, and then was a game third in the Grade 2 True North at Belmont Park on June 7. Now, he automatically qualifies for the Breeders’ Cup Sprint at Santa Anita on October 25 because he won the A.G. Vanderbilt.

“ABRAAJ needed time off from the Vanderbilt last year,” McLaughlin said. “The time off did him good. He put on weight, he looks great and sound. We have two nice sprinters for the same owners; we are glad to have Lucky Island in the same barn waiting for the Forego (Grade 1, $250,000, seven furlongs, Saratoga, August 30). We might run them both in the Forego, we don’t know. It’s great for a trainer and owner to know that they are in (for the Breeders’ Cup Sprint). They don’t have to worry about points or graded earnings. When you’re in, you can adjust your schedule accordingly.”

Said Garcia: “I am very proud of my horse. He finished very strong. I don’t know why he wasn’t running smooth early. When I started riding him, he finally started to get going. Then, he just kept going and ran very, very good.”

First Defence, who won the Grade 3 Jaipur on the grass back at Belmont Park by a head, gave a solid accounting of himself in his return to dirt.

“I had a perfect trip,” said jockey Javier Castellano. “I had a beautiful trip. I was right where I wanted to be today - right off the speed.

“They went pretty fast and they came back to me. I think he ran a pretty good race. I think he was second -best today. I got the jump at the quarter pole and the other horse was just much the best. He went around me four- or five- wide on the turn and still he got to the wire in front.”

Sammarco held for third by a nose over Thor’s Echo, the 2006 Breeders’ Cup Sprint champion, Black Seventeen and E Z Warrior.

Courtesy of Woodbine Entertainment

NORTHERN KRAZE rallied gamely in the final furlong to capture Saturday’s $250,000 Wonder Where Stakes at Woodbine.

The 1 ¼-mile turf event is the third jewel of the Triple Tiara series for three-year-old fillies, foaled in Canada.

NORTHERN KRAZE wore down 15-1 shot Roses ‘n’ Wine in the final 40 yards to tally her first career added-money event by three-quarters of a length. Money My Honey, the 3-1 favorite, finished third, almost 11 lengths behind the runner-up.

The running time, over a ‘yielding’ course, was 2:06.78.

Jockey Chantal Sutherland said she was concerned early that the Mark Frostad trainee was too eager.

“Around the hairpin, I was concerned,” said Sutherland. “I had a good hold and she was responding to me.”

Up the backstretch, Roses ‘n’ Wine was the clear leader in the 12-horse field. NORTHERN KRAZE made a quick move to the front-runner’s inside. The early bid was quickly repelled by Roses ‘n’ Wine, who cantered away from her rival.

Late on the second turn, Sutherland guided NORTHERN KRAZE to the outside for a second shot at the Dave Bell-trained leader. She needed most of the stretch to pass the stubborn runner-up.

The Wonder Where was the second consecutive victory for the filly, who is owned by Frostad and Anderson Farms.

The filly’s stock is on the rise, considering one month ago, the daughter of ALJABR was still a zero-for-6 maiden. On July 1, after three straight defeats over Woodbine’s Polytrack, NORTHERN KRAZE broke her maiden in style. The event proved to be a perfect confidence-booster heading into the Wonder Where.

“She’s turf and proved it today,” said co-owner Bob Anderson. “We tried her on the Poly and she really didn’t want any part of it.”

Frostad said she won’t be returning to the synthetic surface.

“We’re not going to go back to the Poly,” affirmed Frostad. “Chantal did a great job relaxing her. She came on strong at the end and ran a great race.”

Anderson, who bred the filly, said the victory was special.

“It’s very special. I’ve been friends with (Mark Frostad) since we were kids,” he said. “I couldn’t get a bid on this one at the sale. I threw my arm up, trying to get it started. I ended up with it. (Mark) said, ‘I quite liked her. I’ll take half.’ Early on, he said this filly is special.”

The bay filly showed flashes of greatness on the turf as a two-year-old. In her second career start, she finished a close fourth against seasoned colts and geldings, defeated just one length, in the Cup & Saucer.

NORTHERN KRAZE increased her earnings to $238,635.

July 5, 2008:
ALJABR TO STAND IN CANADA IN 2009
ALJABR will stand the 2009 season at Ascot Stud at Berkshire Stables in Ontario, Canada. His stud fee will remain $3,500.

Courtesy of NYRA

Lucky Island’s development as one of the nation’s top sprinters continued Friday afternoon at Belmont Park as Shadwell Stable’s 4-year-old Argentina-bred ran away from four rivals and easily won the 34th edition of the Grade 2, $200,000 Tom Fool Handicap for three-year-olds and up at seven furlongs.

The co-feature on an Independence Day card at Belmont – Any Limit won the Grade 2 First Flight one race earlier -- the Tom Fool became Lucky Island’s fourth straight victory and fifth in six starts. Getting a great jump at the start under jockey Alan Garcia, Lucky Island kept a length ahead of Tasteyville on the muddy track through splits of 22.84; 45.37 and 1:09.58.

When Garcia asked for a bit more, Lucky Island obliged by opening up for a 4 ¼-length victory in 1:22.73

“You know, he broke so sharp, that was the key,” said winning trainer Kiaran McLaughlin. “We thought we might be cleared, but Alan (Garcia) did a great job of getting him away from there. He always had a lot of horse. He’s a very, very VERY nice horse. We are so happy with him.”

Next, McLaughlin said he would point Lucky Island to Saratoga Race Course’s Grade 1, $250,000 Forego Handicap for three-year-olds and up at seven furlongs on Saturday, August 30.

“My horse was so sharp and he broke so good,” Garcia said. “I had a ton of horse all the way around. When I asked him at the end, he acted like the race was just starting again. I was so confident with him. He had a little adjusting to do from Argentina, but now he loves it here.”

Tasteyville held for second, with Premium Wine, Starforaday and Council Member trailing. Not For Money was scratched.

Courtesy of NYRA

Shadwell Stable’s LUCKY ISLAND, an Argentina-bred with a promising future, became a graded stakes winner Saturday afternoon, catching up to front-running Man of Danger in mid-stretch and then accelerating for a 2 1/4-length victory in the 33rd running of the Grade 2, $109,100 Bold Ruler Handicap for three-year-olds and up at six furlongs on Belmont Park’s fast main track.

In winning for the third straight time and fourth time in five lifetime starts, the 4-year-old Lucky Roberto colt turned in a professional performance that figures to be the building block on big career.

Under jockey Alan Garcia, LUCKY ISLAND sat off of Man of Danger, who broke from the rail to set a pace of 21.95, 45.06 and 56.79 But when LUCKY ISLAND challenged the pacesetter, he took the lead without a fight and went on to win in 1:09.14 on a track that started off “good” and was “fast” by midafternoon.

 “He’s a nice horse,” Garcia said. Kiaran (McLaughlin, trainer) did a great job with this horse. I thought he was the best horse coming into the race, and the race set up for me really, really good. My horse was a little slow early, but I managed to save ground. Turning for home, I knew I had the best horse.”

LUCKY ISLAND’s only loss came in December at Calder, when he stumbled and lost all chance in a 6 ½-furlong sprint. He ran seventh.

“The first time we ran him, he bled,” said McLaughlin, who took over the training of LUCKY ISLAND from Argentine trainer Jorge Myansky Neer.

“We were thinking of sending him to Dubai, which is why he ran without Lasix. Now, he is 3-for-3 for us on Lasix. This was a big step up from a `two other than.’ He proved he belonged. He looked great in there. By the fall, we could stretch him out. We’ll keep him sprinting for now.”  

One leading breeding farm and two venerable stakes will be linked in 2008 as Shadwell Farm becomes the presenting sponsor for the New York Racing Association’s Travers Stakes (G1) and Suburban Handicap (G1) through 2009.   The two races account for 259 runnings and boast stakes histories crowded with champions, classic winners and Hall of Fame horses.

“Shadwell Farm is proud to announce its partnership with the New York Racing Association by sponsoring both the Grade 1 Suburban Handicap and the Grade 1 Travers Stakes.  Shadwell has been supportive of New York racing and anxiously look forward to our involvement both at Belmont Park and Saratoga Race Course as a wonderful honor and an exciting new experience,” said Rick Nichols, Shadwell Farm Vice President and General Manager.

Gavin Landry, NYRA Senior Vice President, Sales and Market Development, said, “Beyond the seven-figure investment that Shadwell has made in New York racing, what is most important is Shadwell’s commitment to a partnership with NYRA and the desire to associate with the NYRA brand, representing the best racing in the world.”

Oldest of the country’s three-year-old races and centerpiece of the prestigious Saratoga Race Course season, the $1 million, mile-and-a-quarter Travers Stakes presented by Shadwell Farm,  will be run for the 139th time on Saturday, August 23 and be televised nationwide on ESPN.

First run in 1884, the Suburban Handicap has long been one of the signature handicap races in America and figured prominently in the resume of Shadwell Stable’s 2006 Horse of the Year Invasor.  The 122nd running of the $400,000, mile-and-a-quarter Suburban Handicap presented by Shadwell Farm will be at Belmont Park on Saturday, June 28.

Located in the limestone rich soil of the Bluegrass Region of Central Kentucky, Shadwell Farm has produced a remarkable array of talented runners, including winners of nine classic races, as a result of assembling all the necessary ingredients for a top-notch program worldwide. Shadwell is home to many of the world's top broodmares as well as a roster of leading stallions at its nearby Nashwan Stud.  Last year Shadwell Stable’s Daaher won the Hill ‘N’ Dale Cigar Mile, the final Grade 1 stake on the NYRA calendar. 

Courtesy of the NTRA

Although Jazil’s Belmont Stakes (gr. I) victory and Invasor’s Horse of the Year campaign in 2006 resulted in a banner year for Sheikh Hamdan’s Shadwell Stable, 2007 had more than its share of triumphs as well. Three of the stable’s stars posted grade I victories, and SHADWELL STABLE earned the ECLIPSE AWARD for OUTSTANDING OWNER..... click here for more, including video

SHADWELL'S LAHUDOOD NAMED CHAMPION TURF FEMALE!

Expectations for LAHUDOOD in 2007 were relatively low, but the filly soared above them to become a grade I winner and a turf champion. The homebred daughter of Singspiel, out of Rahayeb (by Arazi), captured 188 first-place votes to claim the female turf crown.....click here for more, including video