1990: two-year-old season Sheikh Albadou made one start as a two-year-old, contesting a
maiden race at
Newmarket. He started slowly and made no impression in the race, finishing eighth of the eleven starters.
1991: three-year-old season Sheikh Albadou won his first race on his 1991 reappearance, leading a furlong out and pulling clear to win a
Pontefract maiden race "very easily" by seven
lengths. He was narrowly beaten in a seven
furlong handicap, but when brought back to sprint distances he won a valuable handicap at
York by four lengths. In late June he was again tried over seven furlongs, finishing fourth in the
Group Three Criterion Stakes at Newmarket, before being switched exclusively to sprinting. In the Group One
Nunthorpe Stakes Sheikh Albadou was made
6/1 third favourite behind the French-trained Divine Danse and the
King's Stand Stakes winner Elbio.
Pat Eddery tracked the two-year-old Paris House before taking the lead inside the final furlong and winning by one and a half lengths. Sheikh Albadou then took second place in two more Group one sprints, the
Sprint Cup at
Haydock, and the
Prix de l'Abbaye at
Longchamp, before being sent to
Churchill Downs for the
Breeders' Cup Sprint.
Breeders' Cup Sprint Scott had prepared the Sheikh Albadou by training him on
synthetic surfaces and had been convinced to run by the times the colt had recorded. Another point in his favour was that he was set to carry considerably less weight than he had been doing in Europe. Although the British-trained
Dayjur had narrowly failed to win the race in 1990 after jumping his shadow, European sprinters were not highly regarded, and Sheikh Albadou was given little chance against the
Eclipse Award winner
Housebuster, starting at odds of 26/1. Media Plan led the race and ran the opening quarter mile in 21 seconds, with Sheikh Albadou settled by Eddery in the middle of the field. Entering the straight, Housebuster challenged Media Plan for the lead, but Sheikh Albadou was traveling easily in fourth. Eddery sent the colt into the lead a furlong out and as Housebuster faded, having suffered an injury, Sheikh Albadou pulled away to win by an easy three lengths from the fast-finishing
Pleasant Tap.
1992: four-year-old season After his win in America, Sheikh Albadou was off the racecourse for seven months, finally returning at
Royal Ascot for the
King's Stand Stakes. Ridden by
Walter Swinburn, He was held up in the early stages before quickening to lead a furlong out and winning in a tight finish from
Mr Brooks and Elbio. Sheikh Albadou was made favourite for the July Cup, in which he was matched against the season's other leading sprinter Shalford. Swinburn employed the same tactics as at Ascot, but Sheikh Albadou was overtaken in the closing stages and finished third, beaten a head and a neck by Mr Brooks and Pursuit of Love. In his next race he was tried over a mile, but finished only fourth in the
Sussex Stakes behind Marling. Sheikh Albadou returned to sprinting and a third meeting with Mr Brooks in the Haydock Sprint Cup. He produced what was probably his best performance in Europe, taking the lead a furlong out and pulling clear for an "impressive" two and a half length win. Sheikh Albadou returned to America for his final two starts in October. At
Belmont Park he finished three quarters of a length second to Rubiano in the
Vosburgh Stakes before moving to Florida for the Breeders' Cup Sprint. Confidence in his challenge was reported to be high in what was to be his final race, although there was some discussion about the decision to run the colt on
bute. He started at 3/1 but could never reach the lead, finishing fourth behind
Thirty Slews. ==Race record==