Godolphin

Reigning Eclipse Award-winning turf male Yibir (GB) (Dubawi {Ire}) took to the Belmont turf course Thursday morning for some light work ahead of his appearance in Saturday's GI Man o' War S. With rider Shane Fetherstonhaugh aboard, the 4-year-old schooled a bit in the Belmont paddock before heading out to the track around 9 a.m., where he was allowed to stretch out through the final stages. "He went out to the turf so he could have a light canter and then he just had a little blowout down the straight...

Nominations for the 2022 Thoroughbred Industry Employee Awards (TIEA) are open now through Friday, July 15. The TIEAs were held in America for the first time in 2016. Godolphin, the global racing stable founded by Sheikh Mohammed bin Rashid Al Maktoum, is the principal sponsor of the awards in association with The Jockey Club, the National Horsemen's Benevolent and Protection Association (NHBPA), the Thoroughbred Owners and Breeders Association (TOBA) and the Breeders' Cup. Godolphin also sponsors the equivalent Stud and Stable Staff Awards in Ireland, Australia, Great Britain and France....

Two legends of Irish racing will join forces for the first time this season after Jim Bolger revealed that he has a 2-year-old filly by Holy Roman Emperor (Ire) in training with Kevin Prendergast. Bolger gave €31,000 for the recently named Roman Moon (Ire) after Prendergast recommended the filly at the Goffs Orby Sale last September and she is set to break new ground by becoming his first runner with the Friarstown operator. Roman Moon will carry the white and purple colours of Bolger's wife Jackie, once carried to major...

The Brad Cox barn was perhaps a bit quieter than usual for most of Saturday's GI Kentucky Derby card, but it unveiled one in the finale who could very well play a role in major races later this season with a 'TDN Rising Star'-worthy unveiling. Backed down to 8-5 favoritism off of sharp-looking works, Godolphin homebred Strobe (Into Mischief) zoomed out of the gate from his high draw and quickly cleared. He zipped along through strong splits of :21.73 and :45.34, and never looked back to run up the score...

Adding blinkers proved quite fruitful two days in a row for Brendan Walsh. 'TDN Rising Star' New Year's Eve (Kitten's Joy) donned blinkers for the first time Friday when registering an upset score in the GII Edgewood S. The additional equipment was even more lucrative for Walsh Saturday when Santin became the latest Grade I winner for his timeless sire Distorted Humor with a gutsy victory in the GI Old Forester Bourbon Turf Classic S. at Churchill Downs. Away alertly from the outside post in this 10-horse affair, the 7-1...

Ascot's five-furlong Jemima Howden Novice S. looked a likely race to produce an exciting prospect on paper on Saturday and that proved to be the case as Godolphin's newcomer Noble Style (GB) (Kingman {GB}--Eartha Kitt {GB}) dashed to TDN Rising Stardom. Sent off the 6-4 favourite under James Doyle, the 525,000gns Book 1 graduate travelled with elan behind the leading duo and when delivered to tackle Walbank (Ire) (Kodiac {GB}) with 150 yards remaining surged by for a 1 3/4-length success. There was a further three-length margin back to the long-time...

Godolphin's progressive Matareya (Pioneerof the Nile) parlayed a perfect inside trip into a facile success in Friday's $500,000 GII Eight Belles S. at Churchill Downs, the third winner of the event in the last six years for trainer Brad Cox. The homebred filly was away without incident and raced worse than centerfield through the opening exchanges, as Pretty Birdie (Bird Song) set what appeared to be a strong early tempo in advance of Marissa's Lady (Violence). Racing well off the rail down the chute, Matareya was deftly maneuvered by Flavien...

Sponsored by Alex Nichols Agency FULL TO VINO ROSSO DEBUTS IN NY 6th-BEL, $90K, Msw, 3yo/up, 1 1/16mT, 3:13 p.m. John Gunther homebred NEWS CARVER (Curlin), a full-brother to champion Vino Rosso, makes his career bow Saturday at Belmont for trainer Jorge Abreu. Ending his career on a high note with a win in the GI Breeders' Cup Classic and an Eclipse award, Vino Rosso now stands stud at Spendthrift Farm. News Carver is also a half to GSP So Alive (Super Saver). Their dam Mythical Bride (Street Cry {Ire})...

Sponsored by Alex Nichols Agency 12th-CD, $127K, Alw/OC, 3yo, f, 6 1/2f, 6:25 p.m. ET Just a mid-May foal, WISH YOU WELL (American Freedom) was purchased by Redwings for $160K at the 2020 Fasig-Tipton Selected Yearlings Showcase and improved into a $550K Fasig-Tipton Gulfstream juvenile after working a furlong in :10 flat (see below). The most expensive of her sire's 39 first-crop 2-year-olds reported as sold last year, Wish You Well made a giant impression in her career debut at Gulfstream Apr. 2, defeating the well-meant Inventing (Union Rags) by...

Sponsored by Alex Nichols Agency 6th-BEL, $90K, MSW, 3yo/up, 7f, 3:37 p.m.    Owner/Breeder Godolphin debuts 3-year-old homebred SHREVEPORT in this elongated sprint at Belmont Thursday. The son of leading sire Tapit is out of the MGISW Seventh Street (Street Cry {Ire}) who took both the GI Apple Blossom H. and the GI Go for Wand H., making him a full-brother to GII Demoiselle S. winner and GI Ketel One Ballerina H. runner-up Lake Avenue. Trainer Bill Mott has prepared the gray colt for debut with a pair of Payson...

The first Classics of the year are in the book: four in total, in Britain and Italy. Charlie Appleby sends out major winners with such metronomic regularity that it is easy to forget that there was a time when the Godolphin blue silks were a scarcity in Classic fields.  Having gone so close in last year's 2000 Guineas with Master Of The Seas (Ire) (Dubawi {Ire}), who was narrowly denied by the Jim Bolger-trained Poetic Flare (Ire) (Dawn Approach {Ire}), Appleby left nothing to chance this year when aiming both...

A Godolphin-Charlie Appleby one-two in Saturday's G1 QIPCO 2000 Guineas at Newmarket seemed highly plausible, but as the dust settled on the sun-blessed Rowley Mile it was Coroebus (Ire) (Dubawi {Ire}) and not Native Trail (GB) (Oasis Dream {GB}) who held the Moulton Paddocks bragging rights. Despite arriving here in his stablemate's shadow, the G3 Autumn S. winner received due respect and support at 5-1 attempting to navigate from the one draw on the far side. As the 5-4 favourite charged down the other wing with William Buick animated, Coroebus...