Set on a small estate outside Newmarket, Dullingham Park Stud is reminiscent of the major stallion centres across the world – the grandeur and splendour replicated in miniature, built with the precision and care of a mastercraftsman.

Every yard of the sixty-acre plot has been meticulously planned: from the sumptuous viewing gallery overlooking a stallion parade oval, to the ten-foot depth of rubber in the state-of-the-art covering shed.

Residing patiently amongst the splendour, a prince awaits. Only three miles from the scene of his greatest triumph, July Cup victor Shaquille has made an unassuming start to his stallion career, settling into the new routine with the same ease that saw him stroll to top-class sprint success.

Retirement suits Shaquille, who presides over his kingdom with a cool air of supremacy. For a stallion in his early prime, he's gratifyingly pleased to receive untold adoration over the box door and too bemused by a photo call on the manicured lawn to prick his ears without due consideration.

"It's very exciting to have a horse of his high racing calibre to be standing at Dullingham Park. We've joined at the start of the journey with him," said Paul Curran, Yulong's European representative.

"Shaquille is having his second season at stud, which is really exciting. He's had his first foals this year and the word of mouth has been very good. We're happy with how breeders are returning with mares from last year, on the basis of the 2025 foals, which is really encouraging."

The raw speed which embodied Shaquille's racing career was reflected in his first book. Shang Shang Shang, Wesley Ward's runaway Norfolk Stakes heroine, called on the homegrown hero alongside the dams of Group-winning two-year-olds Beckford, Dramatised and Simmering – the latter confirming her juvenile promise when placing third in the 1000 Guineas.

"He's in for a strong year. It was very important that there was a nice calibre of mares in that first book, especially in his first season. A horse of his racing profile to be covering a high calibre of mares – we'd like to think that these foals will turn into early yearlings at the sales, then to follow into their two-year-old year and be precocious on the track."

Shaquille's next assignment is forthcoming. The First-Season Leading Sire crown has been bestowed to top-class sprinters in the last five years and Shaquille arguably affords more depth for the fee – quick enough to score three times as a juvenile and progressive enough to win at the top level as a three-year-old.

His profile makes him an ideal candidate for the freshman sire race, a fact that Curran and the Yulong operation are instinctively aware of. It is a contest they're currently embroiled in with their own Irish National Stud-based Lucky Vega, who made a flying start to his stallion career in the Southern Hemisphere.

"As a July Cup winner and the high calibre of mares he has covered in the first two books, you'd like to think he'd have a lot of early precocious horses," confirmed Curran.

"You'd be looking at the early races such as Doncaster, the first few meetings at Newmarket and the Curragh. As a physical, he's a striking looking horse, so you'd expect him to be in the bracket of a precocious-producing stallion.

"We would hope the quality will continue to increase along with the numbers. From a European perspective, we've received mares from Ireland and France so far – it's a growing aspect, we'd like to welcome breeders from all around Europe for Shaquille."

Dullingham Park will be hoping Shaquille's reach, in time, extends beyond Europe. With a bespoke stallion centre in Australia, the idea of a cross-hemisphere tour would not be out of the question.

Aside from Yulong's own success with Lucky Vega, there is a precedent. Shaquille's sire Charm Spirit successfully shuttled to New Zealand, produced multiple Group 2 winners and was well-received by Australasian breeders.

"Shuttling is a possibility. Lucky Vega shuttled to Australia before standing his first season in Europe and enjoyed plenty of success. We've got a well-established base in both hemispheres and it's something we would definitely think about. His sire Charm Spirit stood in New Zealand, so we should have that option."

Back in Newmarket, Shaquille waits patiently. The early signs are positive, the books continue to be boosted; 2027 and the first-season sire race beckons with lazy promise. He can delight in his luxurious surroundings, afford to share a sly kiss with a delighted visitor, take the time to get the perfect shot. Things are looking up.