"But even when he was a kid he would be out riding horses over country, jumping wire fences and all sorts of stuff.
"So he has been jumping horses as long as he has been riding."
The Duncan-Lammas combination technically already hold both National titles until 2.22pm today since they combined to win the Steeples with Shamal last season but winning both in the same week would be even more elite.
The last trainer to do it was jumps maestro John Wheeler with High Season and Bennyosler in 2009, and while trainers winning the double are rarer than you might think, horses defending the GN Steeples tend to come around every decade, with four since the 1980s.
And Duncan says Shamal has plenty of things in his favour as he attempts to do so today.
"He is definitely better than last season," he says.
"He is more relaxed and you can turn him on and off in his races a lot more now.
"He has just grown up and learned from all the racing last year."
While he has comprehensive victories this winter over key rivals in Gagarin and It's A Wonder he still meets both better at the weights today. He carried 3kg more than Gagarin when he won the Waikato Steeples (he only carries 1kg more today) while Shamal had a whopping 6kg more than It's A Wonder when he beat him at Te Rapa last month but carries 4kg more than him today, so meets him 2kg better off.
"I am happy with the weight and happy with the horse. He has travelled down a treat and the main thing I want now is the rain to hold off.
"They have done a good job with the track and like many steeples tracks it gets less traffic and isn't as wet as the main track.
"But I still want the rain to hold off because he can win on a better track whereas some of them might not like it as much."
While carrying 69kg is still not going to be easy, Shamal does have a rare turn of foot for a jumper, as you might expect from a son of Zabeel and a former Queen Elizabeth winner at Ellerslie in Mistrale.
"The only reason I got him and he is jumping is because his fetlocks are so bad you would never sell him," laughs Duncan.
Today's jumping classic almost has a grand final feel to it, with the reigning champions of the Great Northern, Waikato, Wellington, Manawatu and Koral Steeplechases all engaged.
It's A Wonder was so bold when winning the Koral last Saturday, albeit minus the top three in today's race, that he can win again, which would give trainer Harvey Wilson some revenge after he was nosed out with Bad Boy Brown in the Hurdles on Wednesday.
"He will be hard to beat because Harvey does a great job with his horses and you can't forget Chocolate Fish, he is a good horse too.
"And then you have Gagarin, who really made us work a few starts ago and he is trained by the king, Kevin Myers.
"So it won't be easy. The Grand National shouldn't be.
"But to have a chance at the double in the same week? I'm loving it, I'm living the dream."
By the clock
The timetable for your Saturday of racing
11.30am: First race at Riccarton
11.45: First race at Pukekohe.
2.22pm: Grand National Steeples
3.40pm: Missile Stakes, Rosehill.
