Sheikha Hissa

Celebrating 40 Years of the Breeders' Cup When Sheikh Hamdan bin Rashid Al Maktoum passed away early in 2021 after decades of prominence in Thoroughbred racing and breeding, it was unclear in the sport what would happen to his vast bloodstock and farm holdings. Racing needn't have worried. His daughter, Sheikha Hissa, catapulted into the public eye as the head of Shadwell right at the same time the racing stable was seeing a resurgence. The bedrock laid over decades of success by Sheikh Hamdan was the perfect foundation for stunning...

by Jessica Martini & Christina Bossinakis The Keeneland September Yearling Sale opened with a packed pavilion and plenty of bidding from a diverse buying bench ultimately producing eight seven-figure sales led by a $2.3-million daughter of Into Mischief. At the end of the session, numbers were largely in line with the figures from the opening session of last year's record-breaking auction. "We were all biting our nails a little bit thinking about being measured up to last year's sale which was so phenomenal," said Keeneland President Shannon Arvin. "But the...

LEXINGTON, KY - The Keeneland September Yearling Sale, which produced gangbuster results in 2022, returns for its 2023 renewal Monday in Lexington. Perennially a bellwether of the industry's sales market, the 12-day auction opens with a pair of elite Book 1 sessions beginning at 1 p.m. and, with the Keeneland barns awash with activity Sunday, both sales officials and consignors were heading into the sale with plenty of optimism. "The traffic has been incredibly positive," said Keeneland Vice President of Sales Tony Lacy. "There are quite a few buyers here....

Shadwell Stud's Champion Sprinter Muhaarar (GB), who has stood the last two years at Haras des Faunes in the south of France, will now be owned by Shadwell and a consortium of French breeders and will be moved to Haras du Petit Tellier in Normandy, according to Eric Puerari. Puerari said that Muhaarar's stud fee would be announced at the end of the year. The group of breeders is comprised of Jean-Pierre Dubois and several generations of his family, Haras des Capucines, Haras de Saint-Pair, and several others. Sheikha Hissa...

Shadwell's Alflaila (GB) (Dark Angel {Ire}) may be supplemented to the Sept. 9 G1 Irish Champion S., sidestepping Shadwell-owned Mostahdaf (Ire) (Frankel {GB}) in next week's GI Juddmonte International at York. Trained by Owen Burrows, Alflaila is on a four-race winning skein, taking the July 29 G2 York S. over the same course and distance as the International. "It's unlikely at this stage that we would run the two against each other, I would think," said Shadwell's racing manager Angus Gold. "God willing, Mostahdaf stays in good shape--he'll be the...

Last week this column was led by Hukum (Ire) (Sea The Stars {Ire}). Now, for the same owner/breeder, Shadwell, it is the turn of Al Husn (Ire) (Dubawi {Ire}). It was quite the boost for Newcastle's all-weather G3 Hoppings Fillies' S. that both the winner Al Husn and runner-up Nashwa (GB) (Frankel {GB}) went on to win a Group 1 on the turf on their next start. With Nashwa having won the G1 Falmouth S. in emphatic fashion, she reopposed Al Husn in attempting to defend her crown in the...

Jockey Dane O'Neill, who was unseated from his mount in a Wolverhampton handicap on Tuesday, will undergo surgery for a fractured vertebrae and ribs but is expected to make a full recovery, O'Neill's wife Laura revealed on Facebook. O'Neill was aboard Eagle Eyed Tom (GB) (Gleneagles {Ire}) when that horse stumbled leaving the gate and appeared to clip heels before dislodging his rider, who was hospitalised following the voided race. "Following his fall at Wolverhampton, Dane was treated on the track before being transported by the racecourse ambulance to Queen...

Shadwell's Anmaat (Ire) (Awtaad {Ire}), winner of the G2 Prix Dollar at ParisLongchamp last out on Oct. 1, is due to make his first start of his 5-year-old campaign soon, trainer Owen Burrows confirmed on Wednesday. "He's good, he's in strong work. I've made an entry for him in the [G1] Tattersalls Gold Cup and he'll also have an entry for those two group races in France--the [G1 Prix] Ganay and the [G1] Prix d'Ispahan. One is at the end of April and one's at the end of May." The...

Shadwell's undefeated Baaeed (GB) (Sea The Stars {Ire}), who won the G1 Juddmonte International S. on Wednesday, was set for his career final in the G1 Champion S. at Ascot on Oct. 15, but trainer William Haggas has revealed that September's G1 Irish Champion S. and the G1 Prix de l'Arc de Triomphe in Paris at the beginning of October are also in the mix. Speaking to ITV Racing on Thursday afternoon, the trainer said, "I was thrilled to bits, I watched it home last night with Maureen [Haggas] and...

GOODWOOD, UK--Wearing a brooch bearing the image of her late father pinned to her robe, Sheikha Hissa Hamdan Al Maktoum greeted the horse who has become, for her, so much more than just the best racehorse in the world.  As the unbeaten Baaeed (GB) (Sea The Stars {Ire}) returned triumphant for the ninth time, she said, "[He's in] every conversation, every conversation. He's part of my life now. My father bred him. It's a 40-year, even longer, process so it just feels very homey and it's nice to have a...

"When you train you spend your whole life wanting a horse of this calibre, and then you get one and all you want to do is make sure that you get the very best out of him." So states William Haggas of his stable star, the Shadwell homebred Baaeed (GB) (Sea The Stars {Ire}), whose seasonal debut, which is likely to be in the G1 Al Shaqab Lockinge S. on May 14, will be one of the most anticipated returns of the season. At this stage last year, Baaeed hadn't...

The brilliant, undefeated miler Baaeed (GB) (Sea The Stars {Ire}) will return for a 4-year-old campaign, trainer William Haggas has confirmed. "Of course I'm looking forward to next year--as long as he stays right both physically and mentally--and he's been a delight to train so far," said Haggas of the Shadwell homebred. "He'll be a fun horse to have next year. "It's terrific to have one of the best 3-year-olds in Europe, probably." A winner at Leicester on June 7, Baaeed added a Newmarket novice on June 19 before cruising...