Swain among six pensioned Shadwell sires to move to Old Friends Retirement Farm

Swain and five other pensioned stallions from downsizing Shadwell Farm have been donated to Old Friends Thoroughbred Retirement Farm.

Albertus Maximus, Kayrawan, Intidab, Mustanfar, Dumaani and Swain were relocated in recent weeks from Shadwell's Nashwan Stud complex to the non-profit organisation's Georgetown farm.

They join its 143 other residents, including 1997 Kentucky Derby and Preakness Stakes winner Silver Charm and Belmont Stakes winners Birdstone, Touch Gold and Sarava.

The reunion of Swain and Silver Charm will bring memories of their great international clashes of 1998 flooding back for those of a certain vintage, especially this week.

In March that year at Nad Al Sheba the Bob Baffert-trained Silver Charm denied the Saeed bin Suroor star Swain by a short head in one of the most thrilling Dubai World Cup finishes there has been, while the pair met again in an infamous Breeders' Cup Classic later in the campaign, in which Silver Charm this time finished a neck in front of Swain, who hung right over to the stands' side in the straight under a frenzied Frankie Dettori.

Both horses were denied at Churchill Downs, however, by Awesome Again.

Following the death of Shadwell founder Hamdan Al Maktoum in March 2021, Shadwell has undergone a reorganisation of operations in both the US and Europe.

This restructuring has included relocating some stallions and selling a substantial number of its racing and breeding stock. A couple of its farm divisions in Kentucky have also been placed on the real estate market.

"We are flattered and privileged that Shadwell would trust us with their magnificent stallions," said Old Friends president and founder Michael Blowen.

"Their support, both financially and in their appreciation of the farm, speaks volumes about their generosity. We accept it as a great tribute to the late Sheikh Hamdan bin Rashid Al Maktoum and his irreplaceable legacy to thoroughbred racing and breeding."

Shadwell's farm manager Gregory Clarke added: "We are so honoured that Michael Blowen and his dedicated staff have elected to bring our retired stallions to Old Friends, where they join an array of former superstars.

"In this wonderful facility, they will be available to the public, where adoring fans can get up close and personal."

The new residents are:

Albertus Maximus, age 18, a son of Old Friends retiree Albert The Great. Winner of the 2009 Donn Handicap and the 2008 Breeders' Cup Dirt Mile, he was retired from racing for stallion duty in 2012

Kayrawan, 30, took the 1996 Tom Fool Handicap. He has sired 52 winners, including stakes winner Dubai Sheikh and four stakes-placed runners

Intidab, 29, was stakes-placed in Britain and the UAE before going to the US, where he posted Graded wins in the 2000 A Phenomenon Handicap and the 2000 True North Handicap

Mustanfar, 29, earned $625,010 by winning or placing in nine Graded races on dirt, turf, and synthetic surfaces. He won the 2004 Sycamore Breeders' Cup and Lexington Stakes, and has sired winners on both dirt and turf

Dumaani, 31, scored back to back-back victories in the 1995-96 Keeneland Breeders' Cup Mile, a race Shadwell later sponsored for many years that rose to become a Grade 1

Swain, 30, was a Group 1-winning champion in Britain and Ireland, and also ran third in the 1996 Breeders' Cup Turf as well as that 1998 Breeder's Cup Classic

Kayrawan, Intidab, Mustanfar, and Dumaani are Shadwell homebreds.

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