Shadwell Hopes Regional Markets Can Boost Young Sires

Shadwell Farm will be relocating two of its Kentucky stallions to Louisiana and Indiana for the 2022 breeding season to put them in markets where they have improved chances to thrive. Second-crop sire Tamarkuz, an 11-year-old son of Speightstown that won the 2016 Las Vegas Breeders' Cup Dirt Mile (G1), will be relocated to Blue Ridge Farm near Opelousas, La., where he'll stand next year for $5,000. Multiple grade 1-placed, grade 2 winner Qurbaan, an 8-year-old son of Speightstown, will stand next year at the Indiana Stallion Station near Anderson, Ind., for $2,500. Shadwell's four-time grade 2 winner Mohaymen, a 8-year-old son of Tapit, will remain in Kentucky, standing at the farm's Nashwan Stud facility for $7,500. "We've had a relationship with both of those farms for several years," said Rick Nichols, president of Shadwell. "They are well-run, so they were an obvious choice. "These are both nice horses, and Tamarkuz is off to a good start, but we needed to get some place where he would get more mares than he'd get in Kentucky," Nichols continued. "Louisiana has probably a little stronger breeding fund program and more mares available than Indiana, but we also thought Qurbaan was a better fit in Indiana." Tamarkuz, bred by John Gunther and raced initially by Godolphin then later by Sheikh Hamdan's Shadwell Stable, was first or second in six graded stakes. He won the $1 million Godolphin Mile Sponsored by Meydan Sobha (G2) at 5 and was runner-up in the Priority One Jets Forego Stakes (G1) and Kelso Handicap (G2) before winning the Breeders' Cup Dirt Mile. He retired with an 8-4-0 record from 20 starts and earned $1,840,444. As a stallion, Tamarkuz has sired 17 winners from 29 to race that include Bob Hope Stakes (G3) winner Red Flag and stakes-placed winner Kartano. Tamarkuz, who stood for $7,500 this year, bred 31 mares this year. Qurbaan won or placed in nine graded/group stakes that included consecutive wins in the 2018-19 Bernard Baruch Handicap (G2T) at Saratoga Race Course. He also was runner-up in the Old Forester Turf Classic Stakes (G1T) and third in both the Shadwell Turf Mile Stakes (G1T) and Maker's 46 Mile Stakes (G1T). He retired to stud in 2020 with a 7-3-6 record from 22 starts and earnings of $854,408. Qurbaan has 12 foals in his first crop of 2021 and bred 16 mares this year. Mohaymen was a top contender along the 2016 Road to the Kentucky Derby, picking up victories in the Lambholm South Holy Bull Stakes (G2) and the Xpressbet.com Fountain of Youth Stakes (G2) before finishing a respectable fourth in the Kentucky Derby Presented by Yum! Brands (G1). Out of Clearsky Farms' blue hen mare Justwhistledixie, Mohaymen is a top 10 freshman sire with 11 winners that include multiple stakes winner Mowins and Sorrento Stakes (G2) winner Elm Drive. His progeny have earned more than $690,000 as of Oct. 22. Nichols said Shadwell has reduced its broodmare band but plans to breed around 50 mares in 2022. Two fillies not quite ready to join the paddocks are three-time grade 1 winner Malathaat and Mother Goose Stakes (G2) winner Zaajel. "Depending on how things go at the Breeders' Cup, I think we'll leave Malathaat and Zaajel in training as 4-year-olds," Nichols said. "Malathaat is fantastic and worked well this morning." Malathaat worked at Belmont Park Oct. 22, going five furlongs in 1:01.63, which was the second-fastest of eight working that distance. She is trained by Todd Pletcher. A daughter of Curlin out of grade 1 winner Dreaming of Julia, Malathaat is a leading contender for the Longines Breeders' Cup Distaff (G1). She has won three of four starts this year all in grade 1 company. An undefeated graded stakes winner at 2, she won her debut at 3 in the Central Bank Ashland Stakes (G1) before taking the Longines Kentucky Oaks (G1). She would next finish a head behind Maracuja in the Coaching Club American Oaks (G1) and then bounced back to win the Alabama Stakes (G1) by 1 1/2 lengths. Zaajel is a homebred daughter of Street Sense out of the stakes-placed Daahar mare Asiya. She's won three of seven career starts, which include the Mother Goose and Forward Gal Stakes (G3). Also trained by Pletcher, she has earned $243,640 to date.