Shakeel is a bay horse with no white markings bred in France by his owner, Aga Khan IV.
[4] On his three-year-old debut Shakeel third behind Plumatic in a maiden at Saint-Cloud in March and then started 1.7/1 favourite for a similar event over 2000 metres at Chantilly Racecourse on 20 April in which recorded his first success as he won by three quarters of a length from Malkoboy.
In the Group 2 Prix Hocquart at Chantilly in June he took the lead in the last 600 metres but was caught by Ice Breeze in the closing stages and beaten a head into second place.
On 14 July Shakeel was one of nine three-year-old colts to contest the Grand Prix de Paris, which was run that year at Saint-Cloud rather than Longchamp as the latter track was closed for improvements.
Although the favourite rallied in the final strides Shakeel prevailed by a nose with the Irish-trained outsider Venice Beach a length away in third.