It is four years since Sheikh Hamdan bin Rashid’s blue-and-white Shadwell Racing silks were last seen crossing the line to victory in a European Classic. Bethrah’s Irish 1,000 Guineas win in 2010 remains Sheikh Hamdan’s last major Group 1 winner.
Since he became champion owner in Britain in 1990 – the first time of four – never has he experienced such a drought at the top table in the northern hemisphere, with at least one horse securing honours at Group 1 level every year up to Bethrah’s success.
It is understandable that breeding and racing operations ebb and flow but for a man who, before this slump, had enjoyed nothing but success for the best part of two decades, it must be a frustrating period.
Yet, this could all come to a glorious end at Epsom tomorrow where Sheikh Hamdan will be represented in the English Oaks by Taghrooda and Tarfasha.
The duo are widely considered two of the best chances in the 2,400-metre classic and headed the final field of 17 after yesterday’s final declarations.
If one of those two fillies fails to prise open the gates to the winners’ enclosure, Sheikh Hamdan has ample opportunities to secure Group 1 honours later this month at Royal Ascot, which he is expected to attend for all five days.
There, at the world’s most lavish race meeting, Sheikh Hamdan has a strong chance of snapping the losing sequence with Soft Falling Rain, who worked at Newmarket racecourse this week in preparation for the Queen Anne over a mile on June 17.
Mukhadram, the Dubai World Cup runner-up, is slated for a clash with Treve in the Prince of Wales’s Stakes the following day, while Aljamaaheer, who was second in the Queen Anne last season, bookends the meeting on June 21 when he drops in distance to contest the Diamond Jubilee Stakes over 1,200m.
Sheikh Hamdan again was named champion owner at the end of the UAE season, and his trainers in Britain are sending out horses at a winning rate of 23 per cent.
With six of the top 20 juveniles, according to English rating service Timeform, in his stables it appears that the good times are just around the corner.
Angus Gold, who has Richard Hills ably assisting him in his role as racing manager to Sheikh Hamdan, was upbeat at the prospect of a strong European season.
“We have had three quiet seasons and this season is already better than the last three,” Gold said.
“I don’t think anybody could put their hand on their heart and say why we have had a few lean years.
“You are always looking for the Classic winners and the Group 1 winners; it is what the sport is all about. We have a better spread of horses this year, unlike in previous years when we have relied on a flag-bearer.
“When you are producing a lot of home breds there is always going to be a few quiet years.”
Of the six juveniles that have made Timeform’s cut, the four that have Gold dreaming of glory at Ascot include Mukhmal, who made the running from the worst draw at Chester a month ago and looks tailor-made for the Norfolk Stakes, the unbeaten duo of Adaay and Muhaarar, and John Gosden’s Kasb.
“This year’s two year olds are much the best lot I have seen since I have been here,” Gold said.
“When I first saw them in March they were – to look at and combined with their pedigree – much the best ever. And they are by the sires that give you a chance: Teofilo, Shamardal, Dansili, Oasis Dream and Dubawi.
“We have got more decent chances at this stage before the Royal meeting than we have had for a very long time.
“Ascot is the biggest stage; it is amazing how the meeting has grown.
“Everybody wants to have winners at Ascot, and with the Qataris now involved, it seems to have gone to another level.”
Gold joined Sheikh Hamdan’s racing operation in 1987 as it was really beginning to soar.
Shadwell Farm, in Lexington, Kentucky, had just been built; Queen Elizabeth’s exceptional brood mare Height Of Fashion had been acquired; and two years later Nashwan sliced through the British Classics with ease, picking up the English 2,000 Guineas, the Derby, the Eclipse Stakes and the King George VI and Queen Elizabeth Stakes.
With the considerable help of Hills, Gold oversees about 320 horses in Europe for Sheikh Hamdan, as well as horses in America, South Africa and those scheduled for Dubai.
Last season, Sheikh Hamdan had horses lodged with John Gosden, Mark Johnston, William Haggas, Marcus Tregoning, Richard Hannon, Sir Michael Stoute, Roger Varian, Brian Meehan, Charles Hills, Ed Dunlop and Mike de Kock in England, with Dermot Weld and Kevin Prendergast in Ireland and Jean-Claude Rouget, John Hammond, Freddy Head, Francois Rohaut and Carlos Laffon Parias in France.
That was in addition to the roster of trainers in Dubai. It is no wonder, then, that Gold needed Hills’s help with calling the trainers every day for updates.
Sheikh Hamdan and Gold speak almost daily by phone and Hills takes care of collating the feedback after each day’s racing from Paul Hanagan, who has been the retained rider since 2012 and is based in Newmarket, and Dane O’Neill, who is Hanagan’s deputy and is based 225 kilometres away in Lambourn.
Also read: Angus Gold’s picks for Epsom
Hills may no longer run four miles a day as he did when he was a jockey, but he rides out every day in Newmarket and, every two weeks, makes the trip to Lambourn with Hanagan to ride Sheikh Hamdan’s horses based in the area.
“I have a very good working relationship with Paul,” said Hills, looking no different to the day he hung up his boots.
“I don’t think he needs my advice or anything, but I think it is good to be able to talk through races – I used to talk to my brother Michael all the time. It is good to get another perspective on races, who is possibly going to be on the pace or whatever.”
Having Hills to provide his opinion after riding work puts Gold in a stronger position. In debates with trainers his words have greater gravitas and his updates for Sheikh Hamdan are more deeply informed.
Hills, who won the Oaks for Sheikh Hamdan in 2005 with Eswarah, has ridden Taghrooda in work and feels that she has all the qualities to provide Sheikh Hamdan with a third victory in the fillies’ Classic. The first was Salsabil in 1990.
“She goes about her work and is not flashy,” Hills said. “She only does what you ask of her.
“You get these horses that want to win every gallop but she’s much more laid back. She has won both of her races, which is all you can ask of her.
“People forget that Eswarah had only two runs before she won the Oaks. I never compare generations but she has done everything right, and is showing the right signs and feels right.
“She is a well-balanced and strong filly – you wouldn’t want to get a kick from her.
“At Epsom you need to travel. Lack of speed can put you into trouble and she has the right blend of speed and stamina.”
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