Shady Heights was a "lengthy, angular"[2] bay horse with no white Markings bred by the Duke of Roxburghe at his stud at Floors Castle, near Kelso, Scotland.
The colt was immediately stepped up in class for the Group Two Mill Reef Stakes over the same distance at Newbury Racecourse later that month and started the 7/2 second favourite behind the outstanding filly Forest Flower.
Ridden by the American jockey Steve Cauthen he was briefly outpaced when the filly accelerated two furlongs out before staying on to finish second, beaten half a length.
Cauthen was again in the saddle when Shady Heights contested Britain's most prestigious race for two-year-olds, the Dewhurst Stakes over seven furlongs at Newmarket Racecourse on 17 October.
[2] Shady Heights began his second season in the Easter Stakes over one mile at Kempton Park Racecourse and won impressively by four lengths from the Prix Thomas Bryon winner Glory Forever.
[7] After a three-month break, Shady Heights returned to the track and was matched against older horses for the first time in the Group One International Stakes at York Racecourse on 18 August.
He was then dropped in class and was beaten by Lockton in the Strensall Stakes at York in September before being sent to France to finish third behind Waajib in the Prix du Rond Point at Longchamp Racecourse on 4 October.
He returned to England to run third behind the filly Asteroid Field in the Supreme Stakes at Goodwood before being sent to Doncaster for the Listed Breeders' Cup Prep Mile.
In early spring he finished fourth to Rose Or No in the Prix Edmond Blanc at Saint-Cloud Racecourse, third to Media Starguest in the Earl of Sefton Stakes and second to Soviet Star in the Sandown Mile.
Ridden by Tony Ives he produced one of his best performances a he led for most of the way before being overtaken in the final strides and beaten a neck by Mtoto in what was described as a "knock-down drag-out affair".
Carson settled Shady Heights just behind the leaders and turned into the straight in third place behind Kefaah and Fijar Tango before beginning to make progress on the inside in the last quarter mile.
Indian Skimmer's jockey, Steve Cauthen lodged an objection to the winner and the racecourse stewards decided that the interference at the furlong marker had cost the mare second place.
After a break of almost four months he made his third and final appearance in the International Stakes and produced his best performance of the season as he finished third behind Ile de Chypre and Cacoethes at odds of 20/1.