Shaman (Ire) represents the first of his sire line to stand at Yeomanstown Stud, being a son of the late Shamardal. The Group 2 winner and Classic-placed 3-year-old was raced by his owner/breeders Wertheimer et Frere, and Robert O'Callaghan of Yeomanstown tells TDN why he is an exciting acquisition for the Irish stud.
TDN: Robert, Shaman is the first son of Shamardal to stand at Yeomanstown Stud. Why was it important for you to have a son of his join the roster?
ROC: Shamardal has been such a sensational sire for a number of years and obviously has some very good sire sons like Lope de Vega (Ire). We have been trying hard for a number of years to acquire a son of Shamardal, but it hasn't been easy. That's why we are extremely excited to get Shaman. The sire line is just so prolific.
TDN: He was a sound, tough racehorse. What were some of his best races?
ROC: He was a top-class performer at two, three and four. He won his debut at two and was third in a Group 3 before running a credible race in the Prix Jean-Luc Lagardere. As a 3-year-old he won two Guineas trials, including the G3 Prix la Force. That was when he really caught our attention. He went on to finish second in the [Poule d'Essai des Poulains]–which is a real stallion-making race–behind Persian King (Ire) (Kingman {GB}). It was a huge turning point and really made us try hard to acquire the horse.
At four, he got even better again, with a win in the G2 Prix d'Harcourt, beating future Arc winner Sottsass (Fr) (Siyouni {Fr}). He was a very consistent racehorse, running at the highest level and running with credit in every race.
TDN: How has he settled in at Yeomanstown and what can you tell us about his conformation?
ROC: He is settling in great and he is so easy to deal with. He hasn't put a foot wrong since he came, nothing fazes him. He's getting to know his new stablemates, Dark Angel (Ire), Camacho (GB), El Kabeir and Invincible Army (Ire). He walks like a pure champion and he is a beautiful-looking horse. He's just shy of 16.2hh. He is very correct, has a great shape and great hindquarter to him. If he breeds them like himself, it will make life very easy for us.
TDN: How do you think he fits into the Irish stallion ranks?
ROC: I think he fits in very well to the Irish stallion ranks. He is well priced at €6,000 which gives all breeders a chance to use him. Everyone loves Shamardal and wants to use a son of his and add to that Shaman's exceptional pedigree and I think he is probably Shamardal's best value son out there.
TDN: What support have you had from breeders so far?
ROC: He has been going down really well. There are a lot of breeders across Europe keen to use him, with a lot of French breeders booking nominations to him already. A number of high-profile Irish breeders have bought breeding rights in the horse and they're all very excited to use him. We have a strong broodmare band here too and we will support him strongly with some good mares. We have acquired a few more mares from the sales in the last couple of weeks which will visit him also. Wertheimer et Frere have kept a percentage in the horse and will support him. They've got some of the best broodmares in the world and it is a huge advantage for a young stallion going to stud to have their support. Naturally, we are very excited for the season ahead.
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