Godolphin

Observations on the European Racing Scene turns the spotlight on the best European races of the day, highlighting well-pedigreed horses early in their careers, horses of note returning to action and young runners that achieved notable results in the sales ring. Today's Observations features a seven-figure grandson of champion Attraction. 5.05 Newmarket, Nov, £9,000, 2yo, f, 6fT Floors Stud's JOKING (GB) (Time Test {GB}) is a Hugo Palmer-trained half-sister to MG1SW Hong Kong Horse of the Year Viva Pataca (GB) (Marju {Ire}) and GI Diana S. and GI Flower Bowl...

Godolphin's New Science (GB) (Lope de Vega {Ire}) is bound for the Aug. 21 G3 Solario S. at Sandown after pleasing trainer Charlie Appleby since winning the Listed Pat Eddery S. over seven furlongs at Ascot on July 24. A first out winner at Yarmouth on May 28, the bay colt tired to seventh in the Listed Chesham S. at Royal Ascot on June 19. Appleby, who won the 2017 Solario with subsequent Derby hero Masar (Ire) (New Approach {Ire}), said, "The Solario is very much the target for New...

Intangibles make good horses great horses. Consigned to the widest trip of any of the five runners left for Saturday's GII Jim Dandy S. at Saratoga, Godolphin's 'TDN Rising Star' and reigning 2-year-old male Eclipse Award winner Essential Quality (Tapit) was under the pump fully a half-mile from home, but--as he has demonstrated on more than one occasion during a season that appears again to be on a championship trajectory--the gunmetal gray colt looked a rival straight in the eye, wagged his finger Dikembe Mutumbo-style and willed himself to the...

Godolphin's once-beaten Maxfield (Street Sense) tuned up for next Saturday's GI Whitney S. at Saratoga Saturday morning, breezing a five-eighths of a mile in 1.01.61 (16/34) before turning in a strong gallop out. Working in the company of the commonly owned Churchill maiden winner Business Model (Candy Ride {Arg}), Maxfield covered his opening quarter-mile in :24 3/5 and the half in :48 2/5 and pulled up six furlongs in a shade over 1:13, according to trainer Brendan Walsh. "I just wanted the company to take him to the wire," Walsh...

As the leader in a contentious 3-year-old division, all eyes will be on Godolphin's champion Essential Quality (Tapit) Saturday at Saratoga, but the race itself may lack for drama, as the gray lays over his five rivals in the GII Jim Dandy S., the Spa's traditional prep for the Aug. 28 GI Runhappy Travers S. Then again, stranger things have happened at the "Graveyard of Favorites". Sewing up his Eclipse Award as the top 2-year-old male via a three-for-three campaign that culminated with a score in the GI TVG Breeders'...

Saturday's G1 King George VI and Queen Elizabeth Qipco S. at Ascot may have been whittled down to just five following the withdrawal of Wonderful Tonight (Fr) (Le Havre {Ire}), but it will be remembered as one of the finest renewals since the turn of the century as the G1 Epsom Derby hero Adayar (Ire) (Frankel {GB}) became the first since Galileo (Ire) to bring up the cherished double. Placed prominently and racing freely early for William Buick as the slow-starting Broome (Ire) (Australia {GB}) was gradually cajoled to the...

Godolphin's €260,000 Arqana Select yearling New Science (GB) (Lope de Vega {Ire}) backed up a May 28 debut success going a shade over seven furlongs at Great Yarmouth with a seventh-of-10 effort when contesting a stellar renewal of Royal Ascot's June 19 Listed Chesham S. last time. He was sent postward with crowd support for Saturday's Listed Pat Eddery S. tackling the Berkshire venue's same seven-furlong strip and delivered a game display to register a career high. Steadied to settle off the pace in fifth until taking closer order approaching...

In a virtual repeat of last month's GI Just A Game S. going Belmont's one-mile turf configuration, Godolphin's Althiqa (GB) (Dark Angel {Ire}) and Summer Romance (Ire) (Kingman {GB}) proved too strong for their American counterparts, this time in the nine-furlong GI Diana S. at Saratoga. As she did downstate, Summer Romance cut out the running Saturday afternoon, tracked closest by GIII Eatontown S. victress Vigilantes Way (Medaglia d'Oro) through a solid opening couple of furlongs in :23.57 as Althiqa raced with just two rivals behind turning up the backstretch....

Leading Horse-of-the-Year candidate Mystic Guide (Ghostzapper) is scheduled to have surgery to remove a chip in his knee, his owner, Godolphin LLC, announced Saturday morning. The surgery will be performed by Dr. Larry Bramlage at the Rood and Riddle Clinic. According to the Godolphin statement, Bramlage expects that the surgery will be straightforward and uncomplicated. It remains unclear whether or not the 4-year-old 'TDN Rising Star' will race again or head off to stud. Addressing that question, Godolphin President Jimmy Bell said: "Mystic Guide is in great hands with Dr....

Unbeaten other than when losing both front shoes in the G1 Epsom Derby, Godolphin's Hurricane Lane (Ire) (Frankel {GB}) continued his rampage through the European calendar with an emphatic six-length success in Wednesday's G1 Grand Prix de Paris at Longchamp. Given a tow to the two-furlong marker by Ballydoyle's The Mediterranean (Ire) (Galileo {Ire}), the impressive G1 Irish Derby hero set sail by that rival there and powered to the line as Wordsworth (Ire) (Galileo {Ire}) followed him at almost the same distance as he had when third in the...

The Godolphin racing team has been the envy of many so far in 2021, headed by reigning juvenile champion Essential Quality (Tapit), who took the GI Belmont S. last month. And while the organization can usually be counted on to turn out top-tier performers year after year, some of the hopefuls don't quite make it to the highest levels. As is generally the case with many of the largest players on the racing scene, decisions must be made and as a result, the racing division pared down. Case in point,...

It was a case of another G2 Superlative S., another win for Godolphin and Charlie Appleby as Native Trail (GB) (Oasis Dream {GB}) managed to overhaul Dhabab (Ire) (No Nay Never) and hold on from Masekela (Ire) (El Kabeir) in a pulsating renewal of the seven-furlong Newmarket juvenile staging post on Saturday. Looking more of a stayer than the stable's prior three winners of this since 2016 when scoring by four lengths on debut over this trip at Sandown June 11, the 210,000gns Tattersalls Craven Breeze-Up purchase needed excess stamina...