Shadeed

Shadeed
Racing colours of Maktoum Al Maktoum
Sire	Nijinsky
Grandsire	Northern Dancer
Dam	Continual
Damsire	Damascus
Sex	Stallion
Foaled	1982
Country	United States
Colour	Bay
Breeder	Cherry Valley Farm Inc. & The Gamely Corp
Owner	Maktoum bin Rashid Al Maktoum
Trainer	Michael Stoute
Record	7:4-0-2
Major wins
Craven Stakes (1985) 2000 Guineas (1985) Queen Elizabeth II Stakes (1985)

Shadeed (1982–2005) was an American-bred, British-trained Thoroughbred racehorse and sire. In a career that lasted from October 1984 to November 1985 he ran seven times and won four races. In the 1985 he was the highest-rated three-year-old in Europe over one mile when he won the 2000 Guineas and the Queen Elizabeth II Stakes. On his final start he became the first winner of a British Classic to compete in the Breeders' Cup when he took third place in the Breeders' Cup Mile at Aqueduct Race Track.

Shadeed was a big, rangy bay horse with a small white star bred in Kentucky by Cherry Tree Farm. He was sired by the Triple Crown winner Nijinsky out of the American-bred mare Continual, making him a close relative of the Kentucky Derby winner Swale. As a yearling he was consigned to the Keeneland Select sale in July 1983 where he was bought for $800,000 by a representative of Maktoum bin Rashid Al Maktoum. He was sent into training with Michael Stoute at Newmarket, Suffolk. "Shadeed" (شديد) is an Arabic word meaning "strong".

Shadeed made his first appearance in the Westley Maiden Stakes at Newmarket in October, where he started favourite on the basis of his home reputation. He finished third, beaten one and a half lengths and a short head behind the 33/1 outsider Kala Dancer and Al Riyadh. The form of the race was boosted when Kala Dancer won the Group One Dewhurst Stakes, Britain's most prestigious race for two-year-olds at Newmarket later in the month. At the same meeting, Shadeed ran against fourteen opponents in the Houghton Stakes. He tracked the leaders in the early stages before moving into the lead two furlongs from the finish and pulling clear to win easily by two and a half lengths from Tiber Creek. Although he had not contested a Group race he was made favourite for the following season's 2000 Guineas and Epsom Derby. In the International Classification he was given a rating of 76, eight pounds below the top-rated Kala Dancer.