Kiaran McLaughlin didn’t win the Eclipse Award as Outstanding Trainer at the Eclipse award’s dinner Monday night in Beverly Hills, but that was of little consequence when looking at the big picture. Sheikh Hamdan’s Shadwell Stable was voted Outstanding Owner of 2007 and the announcement was just as satisfying as any personal award McLaughlin has ever received.

 

“It was just a fabulous night. Sheikh Hamdan is such a great man, and lot of people can’t put a face to a name, so it was nice for him to get that kind of recognition in America,” McLaughlin said. “He’s a wonderful man and to bring an award like that to him is pretty special. To win an Eclipse speaks for the whole organization itself. My relationship with Sheik Hamdan goes far beyond the horses; he’s almost like a fatherly figure or a big brother to me. He’s a true friend.”

 

Shadwell and McLaughlin also partnered in another award when Lahudood won the Eclipse for Outstanding Turf Filly. The daughter of Singspiel closed her season, and her career in fine fashion, taking the Grade I Flower Bowl and the Grade I Breeders’ Cup Filly and Mare Turf.

 

“She really had a great year and defeated the best competition around in her last two starts,” McLaughlin said. “We went into the Breeders’ Cup race not knowing if she would handle the soft ground but Sheikh Hamdan always said she was an exceptional filly and he was right. He told me from day one that she was better than Makderah, but I just never saw it. But once Makderah went down this filly really came to hand in the fall.”

 

It was little more than one year ago that Shadwell Stable’s reigning Horse of the Year Invasor made his seasonal debut in the Grade I Donn Handicap. After some tense moments turning for home Invasor proved his determination and went on to an easy victory, in the penultimate start of his career. He would go out with style a month later when he was a convincing winner of the Grade I, 6 million dollar Dubai World Cup.

 

While Invasor has gone on to greener pastures in Kentucky, Shadwell is back in the spotlight again in this year’s Donn with the morning-line favorite and the streaking Daaher. A full brother to multiple grade-I winner Spun Sugar, Daaher has been scintillating in his last three starts; open-length scores in a Saratoga allowance, the Grade II Jerome Handicap, and the Grade I Cigar Mile, over Breeders’ Cup Sprint and Eclipse Award winner Midnight Lute. He enters the Donn off a brief freshening but on top of his game.

 

“We’re ready; he’s doing great. I’m not sure who is going in there, but we’re ready,” McLaughlin said. “On paper it’s not an extremely tough race, but it might tougher on the others. Todd Pletcher has a few nice horses in there but we are ready.”

 

Since adding blinkers for the Saratoga allowance Daaher has been on the lead in every start. While there is some other speed signed on for the Donn, McLaughlin is confident Daaher will be up to the task, with an eye towards a repeat in the World Cup as well.

 

“I’m hoping to be uncontested on the lead with him but he doesn’t have to be. He’s the type that’s going to be close regardless. He doesn’t want to settle and make a run; it’s just not his style,” McLaughlin said. “I think he wants to go 9 or 10 furlongs, but you never know. That’s a little weird to say as he has obviously won two big races at a mile, but I do think he wants to go further. Usually the farther they run the easier pace or slower pace, and that would allow him to just gallop them into the ground. We’re pointing for the Dubai World Cup right now and the Donn will tell us if that’s where we should go, or if we should look at the Godolphin Mile.”

 

Wincat will make his second career start on the Donn undercard in the Grade II, $150,000 Swale Stakes at 6 ½ furlongs. A son of Hold That Tiger, Wincat was an easy winner of his career debut at Philadelphia Park on December 28. He broke in front and widened at every call to win under wraps by almost 7 lengths in the field of 12. The effort was hardly surprising.

 

“He’s had just the one start at Philadelphia Park, but he’s a really nice colt and has been since day one, so I think he can handle the step up in competition,” McLaughlin said. “He always trained like a good horse and we ran him at Philly for the purse bonus because he is a Pa-bred. The race on Saturday is coming up with a short field and he has a world of talent, so we should run very well.”

 

Divine Park has returned from a disappointing finish in the Grade I Malibu at Santa Anita in good order and McLaughlin is eagerly awaiting his return to the races. Off since a setback after the Grade III Withers Stakes in May at Aqueduct, Divine Park stalked the pace in the Malibu before tiring on the far turn. It was visually apparent that he didn’t handle Santa Anita’s Cushion surface and McLaughlin is looking forward to getting Divine Park back over a conventional dirt surface.

 

“It was a funny track out there and we broke from the 14-hole, so we’re going to look past it and throw the race out,” McLaughlin said. “The horse is doing fabulous; he’s a really good horse. If I didn’t have Daaher, I might run him in the Donn, but instead we’ll look at the Grade II General George at Laurel on February 18. That race could set us up for the Godolphin Mile or the Grade I Carter at Aqueduct in April, depending on how he runs.”

 

A son of Chester House, Divine Park started his career with three consecutive wins prior to being injured after the Withers, and has $149,475 in career earnings.

 

Lear’s Princess is back on the worktab and nearing her seasonal debut. The daughter of Lear Fan, who knocked heads with the best of her division throughout her 3-year-old season, including a stirring defeat of Rags To Riches in the Grade I Gazelle at Belmont, is pointing for the Grade III, $100,000 Endeavor Stakes at Tampa Bay Downs on February 16. She worked over the Palm Meadows turf in a sparkling 46.60 on January 28.

 

“She worked great on turf the other day and we are pointing her to Tampa Bay Downs on February 16^th. We think we can make it, time-wise,” McLaughlin said. “We’ll have two or three more works and see. On the turf you don’t have to be as fit to run off a layoff, and she comes from off of it anyway, so we won’t have to take much time getting her ready. We decided to try it (the turf), and if she wins, we might stay with it. There just wasn’t much down here to get her started on dirt except the Rampart, and coming back going 9 furlongs on the dirt isn’t a great way to start.”

 

Make The Point made his Team McLaughlin debut one to remember on January 24, when he wired an entry-level allowance for 3-year-olds by a decisive 3 ¼ lengths in a effort that will see the son of Menifee up for some bigger assignments down the road. Off since a sixth-place finish in the Grade II Saratoga Special last August when trained by George Weaver, Make The Point came to the barn in November and has been on the fast-track ever since.

 

“What a really nice horse. George Weaver had him last year at Saratoga and pin-fired his shins after his start in the Special. He did a great job with him,” McLaughlin said. “We took him over on the first of November and he’s come to hand quickly. We’ll point him to the Fountain of Youth and hope he can get two turns. With his pedigree, we feel like he can. He’s just a beautiful horse. He doesn’t look like 10-furlong horse necessarily, more like a 7-furlong to a miler, but he has a real strong stride to him. I think will get the distance.”