By Heather Anderson
Ghostzapper's Banishing capitalized on the early exertions of Commissioner King (Commissioner) to run out a 2 1/4-length winner of the G2 Godolphin Mile Sponsored by EMAAR at Meydan on Saturday. The David Jacobson trainee was coming off an eighth-place run in the G1 Saudi Cup for Sharaf Mohammed Al Hariri, Jacobson and Larry Roman. The final time for the 1600 meters was 1:38.23.
Finding space next to Mendelssohn Bay (Mendelssohn) just off the rail, the duo shadowing Commissioner King from the bell. The pacesetter scorched an internal quarter of :21.4 between the 1400 meters and 1000 meters and that split would prove telling late in the race. World Record (Gun Runner) was also forwardly placed.
With less than 700 meters to travel, that quartet had separated themselves from the rest of the field. Under Silvestre de Sousa who is the UAE Champion Jockey elect, Banishing improved dramatically with every stride leaving the bend and took dead aim on the leader. The eventual winner still had three lengths to make up 1 1/2 furlongs from home, but make them up he did, passing a rubber-legged Commissioner King 100 metres from the wire before forging clear. The longtime leader was game to the end, and held off Mendelssohn Bay by a length for second.
“I'm very excited, he ran a super race,” said Jacobson from his Kentucky base. “I knew he was doing good, he looked great and my assistant [Marino Carlos] has done a great job with him. It's indescribable.
“I wasn't sure about the trip. I knew Commissioner King had a lot of speed and was going to the lead. I was hoping we'd stalk, just like it worked out. Took him out, got him in the clear and Banishing ran one of his top races.”
De Sousa said, “My horse was coming back in trip and it suits him, he's a proper miler. There was a lot of pace in the race and I just held the horse where he wanted to be. He took the turn a bit wrong, with the wrong leg, but he responded well under pressure.”
MGSW Banishing sold for $80,000 during the Fasig-Tipton July Horses of Racing Age Sale in 2024 to Larry Roman. He would go on to win a quartet of races in 2025, including the GII Charles Town Classic in August and was placed in the GI Churchill Downs Stakes earlier in the year. Third in the GII Lukas Classic Stakes a month later, he could only manage 12th in the GI Breeders' Cup Sprint after a troubled passage. He bounced back with a second-place run at Oaklawn Park in the Ring The Bell Stakes in December. A rough trip in the GI Pegasus World Cup Invitational Stakes resulted in an sixth-place finish in January.
Al Hariri purchased a major percentage of Banishing a few days before his eighth to G1 Dubai World Cup favorite Forever Young (Real Steel) in Riyadh on Valentine's Day. Alhariri has previously enjoyed racetrack success with a temporary lease of 2024 Saudi Cup hero and current Lane's End stallion Senor Buscador (Mineshaft). He also part-owned Rattle N Roll (Connect), who won the Custodian of the Two Holy Mosques Cup last January.
Pedigree Notes:
One of two winners on the night bred by Godolphin alongside G2 Dubai Gold Cup heroine Fairy Glen (Farhh), Banishing is one of 108 stakes winners and 61 graded/group winners worldwide for the 2004 U.S. Horse of the Year, the pensioned Ghostzapper. A.P. Indy mares have foaled eight of those stakes winners, including GI Whitney Handicap winner Moreno and G1 Dubai World Cup hero Mystic Guide. The latter stands under the Darley umbrella in the U.S.
A winner at four at Aqueduct, Dowager is also the dam of the SP Nonsensical (Street Sense). Her latest foal is a yearling colt by Speaker's Corner and she was covered by Good Magic last spring.
Granddam Marietta (Machiavellian) claimed the GIII Iowa Oaks and GIII Arlington Oaks. GII Demoiselle Stakes heroine Minister Wife (Deputy Minister), the third dam of Banishing, also produced stakes winner Thousand Island (GB) (Dubai Millennium {GB}), herself the dam of GII Ben Ali Stakes hero Watershed (Bernardini) and the GISP Footbridge (Street Cry {Ire}).
Saturday, Meydan, Dubai
GODOLPHIN MILE SPONSORED BY EMAAR-G2, $1,000,000, Meydan, 3-28, 3yo/up, 8f, 1:38.23, fs.
1–BANISHING, 126, g, 6, by Ghostzapper
1st Dam: Dowager, by A.P. Indy
2nd Dam: Marietta, by Machiavellian
3rd Dam: Minister Wife, by Deputy Minister
($80,000 HRA '24 FTKHRA). O-Sharaf Mohammed Alhariri,
David Jacobson, Lawrence Roman; B-Godolphin (KY); T-David
Jacobson; J-Silvestre De Sousa. $580,000. Lifetime Record:
MGSW & GISP-US, 29-10-6-3, $2,998,409. Werk Nick Rating:
B+. Click for the eNicks report & 5-cross pedigree, or the
free Equineline.com catalogue-style pedigree.
2–Commissioner King, 126, h, 6, Commissioner–Ek Haseena, by
Songandaprayer. ($9,000 Ylg '21 KEEJAN). O-Faisal
Mohammed A Alqahtani; B-Paul Tackett Revocable Trust, Phil
Tackett Estate et al. (KY); T-Bhupat Seemar. $200,000.
3–Mendelssohn Bay, 126, g, 5, Mendelssohn–Reiki Baby, by
Curlin. ($125,000 Ylg '22 KEESEP; $85,000 2yo '23 FTSMAY).
O-Suited & Booted Racing Syndicate; B-Cuyathy, LLC (KY); T-
Bhupat Seemar. $100,000.
Margins: 2 1/4, 3/4, 2 3/4.
Also Ran: Diamond Dealer, Hypnus, Generous Tipper, Telemark (Ire), Zandvoort, Masmak, World Record, The Camden Colt (Ire), David Of Athens. Click for the ERA chart. VIDEO.
Banishing takes out the Godolphin Mile! @SilvDSousa times his challenge to perfection, finishing strongly to take out the Group Two contest at Meydan… pic.twitter.com/Kbg2lvk5Qr
— At The Races (@AtTheRaces) March 28, 2026
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