Godolphin

NEWMARKET, UK -- "Awesome, awesome, awesome," chanted William Buick after galloping off across Newmarket Heath with Desert Flower, beyond the winning post, into history. When Good Cheer slipped through the slop at Churchill Downs on Friday evening, few could have predicted how many more cheers were to come for the global Godolphin team, in the Kentucky gloom and the chilly Suffolk sunshine.  A Classic double double, the breadth of which has surely not been seen before, despite the extraordinary achievements of some of Godolphin's regular rivals among the vast owner-breeder...

Completing an unprecedented Classic quadruple on the first weekend in May, Desert Flower left Team Godolphin in dreamland with her G1 1,000 Guineas triumph on Sunday. Keeping it simple on the even-money favourite, William Buick was always in control of the main group racing far side away from the three fillies sticking near the stands. It was from that trio that the unbeaten TDN Rising Star's main threat emerged in Siyouni's Flight, but Desert Flower was in no mood to spoil the transatlantic party for the Boys In Blue and...

Godolphin's weekend of all weekends also had a key support act on Sunday as Cinderella's Dream added more glitter dust to proceedings in Newmarket's G2 Betfred Dahlia Stakes. With all the momentum, the operation had the 11-8 favourite for this nine-furlong test by one of their key sires of recent times and on her first British start since last year's 1,000 Guineas she provided the latest reminder of just what a force Shamardal has been. Switched off in a detached last with William Buick oozing confidence throughout, the homebred sliced...

LOUISVILLE, Ky. - Sovereignty (Into Mischief), the winner with authority of the 2025 GI Kentucky Derby. The Godolphin homebred launched from the clouds and powered by favored Journalism (Curlin) after a flawless ride from Junior Alvarado to secure the 151st Run for the Roses before a rain-soaked crowd of 147,406 at Churchill Downs. The blue-blooded Baeza (McKinzie) rallied for third. Sovereignty completed the Classic distance of 1 1/4 miles in 2:02.31 over a sloppy-and-sealed track. The victory completed a monumental weekend for Sheikh Mohammed's global operation, which also won Friday's...

Not even 24 hours since their big win in the GI Kentucky Oaks, Think Big kept the momentum rolling for Godolphin Saturday with a late rallying-score in the GII Twin Spires Turf Sprint Stakes at Churchill. Undefeated on the turf since changing surfaces for trainer Michael Stidham late last year, the Twirling Candy gelding put in a career-best effort at Keeneland last out Apr. 8 to take the GII Shakertown Stakes, defeating several rivals who were lined up to challenge him once more Saturday. Kept comfortably off the speed as...

NEWMARKET, UK -- "Well that was good timing," said a beaming Freddy Powell, a man with a sale to sell next week. The work had just been done for him.  Ruling Court was known only as Oak Tree Farm's Justify colt at this time last year - a colt that would soon top the Arqana Breeze-up Sale at €2.3 million. Next year, he will be the sale catalogue's cover star. Big prices, however, are not always a guarantee of big results, but this horse had on his side the fact...

LOUISVILLE, Ky. - In the weeks leading up to the GI Kentucky Oaks, you can't blame trainer Brad Cox if he wasn't quite ready-- at least yet--to compare the unbeaten Good Cheer (Medaglia d'Oro) to either of his two previous winners in the most important race for 3-year-old fillies. Think he may be ready now. Off as the 6-5 favorite over a surface turned sloppy and sealed by torrential rains that ripped through the Louisville area around 4 p.m. and pushed back the start of the Oaks by 13 minutes,...

There were four with promising Derby credentials contesting Friday's Listed Newmarket Stakes and ultimately a clear-cut winner in Godolphin's improver Alpine Trail (Fr) (Dubawi {Ire}). Sent off the 10-11 favourite for the 10-furlong Blue Riband pointer, the Wolverhampton and Yarmouth winner had it all his own way in front under William Buick and made straightforward work of registering a three-length verdict over the Gosdens' TDN Rising Star and fellow Dubawi, Nebras (GB). Still unbeaten 🤩 Alpine Trail makes it three from three for Charlie Appleby and @WilliamBuickX in the Listed...

In what is teed up to be a potentially stellar renewal of Newmarket's G1 Betfred 1,000 Guineas on Sunday, Godolphin's TDN Rising Star Desert Flower and Ballydoyle's TDN Rising Star Lake Victoria head a cast of ten. As in the 2,000 Guineas, Aidan O'Brien has just one contender in the unbeaten triple top-level-winning daughter of Frankel, having withdrawn his other three entries including Bedtime Story and Exactly, and her meeting with the Charlie Appleby-trained G1 Fillies' Mile-winning daughter of Night Of Thunder is one to relish. Other notables include another Frankel special in Juddmonte's...

LOUISVILLE, Ky. - After last year's Breeders' Cup, it wouldn't have come as much of a surprise to see an unbeaten, Godolphin homebred trained by Brad Cox bringing a perfect record into the GI Kentucky Oaks at Churchill Downs. But with last year's champion 2-year-old filly Immersive (Nyquist) unraced since capping her brilliant four-for-four season in the GI Breeders' Cup Juvenile Fillies--she's recently returned to training--it will instead be her unbeaten stablemate Good Cheer (Medaglia d'Oro) that will be in the spotlight for those same connections on the first Friday...

Godolphin's homebred Victory Queen (GB) (Kingman {GB}) backed up a half-length debut triumph at Newmarket's Craven meeting with a narrow victory, racing under a six-pound penalty, in Wednesday's Darley British EBF Fillies' Novice Stakes on the Royal Ascot trials undercard. The February-foaled half-sister to the ill-fated dual Group 1 winner Coroebus (Ire) (Dubawi {Ire}), whose Apr. 15 debut success came over the same one-mile distance at HQ, broke sharply and made an immediate impact on the front end. Enjoying a soft lead at a moderate tempo for the most part,...

Charlie Appleby has got off to a flyer with his two-year-olds and Wednesday's Royal Ascot Two-Year-Old Trial EBF Conditions Stakes saw one who could be for the future as well as now. A half-brother to the G1 Commonwealth Cup and G2 Norfolk Stakes winner Perfect Power (Ire) (Ardad {Ire}) who cost 1million gns at Tattersalls October Book 1, Godolphin's Wise Approach (Ire) (Mehmas {Ire}) had a lot to live up to on this debut but as the 16-5 joint-favourite was expected to put up a bold show. Tracking the leaders...