GODOLPHIN
***Introduction ***
The brainchild of the Maktoum Family, with HH Sheikh Mohammed bin Rashid Al Maktoum the driving force behind it, Godolphin is a racing stable that was born a team of excellence, not a dream.
Following its inception in 1994, extreme goals were set and Godolphin has gone in pursuit of these goals with unwavering determination, the like of which has never been witnessed before in a thoroughbred racing stable. The Maktoum family wanted to break away from the tried and tested methods of training horses for the European Flat season and, more importantly, wanted Dubai incorporated as a major influence alongside their inventive ideas.
The Maktoum’s homeland is ideally situated on a global point to send runners to Hong Kong, Singapore, Japan, Australia, Europe and America. The ruling family of Dubai was the first to recognize this and Godolphin has developed into the most international of all stables.
Each winter a select team of horses is brought to the Emirate of Dubai and based at Al Quoz Stables, from where they first acclimatize and then begin their preparation for the year ahead with trainer Saeed bin Suroor. Dubai’s clement weather from October to April allows for uninterrupted training schedules, giving the horses an advantage when sent to compete for top honors around the world and in Europe, with Moulton Paddocks in Newmarket then becoming the main base.
Godolphin is one of the most powerful forces in the horseracing world. Many of racing’s top prizes from all corners of the globe have already been won. Eighty-three Group One races in eleven countries (Canada, Dubai, England, Ireland, France, Italy, Germany, Hong Kong, Japan, Singapore and America) are forever etched in racing history as being won by Godolphin. HH Sheikh Mohammed bin Rashid Al Maktoum has said, “No barrier can withstand strength of purpose” and new goals are still being set by Godolphin.
David Loder is in charge of the two-year-olds at Desert Stables in Dubai and Godolphin Stables in Newmarket with the aim of preparing the graduation of the best to Godolphin at the end of their juvenile season. Eoin Harty is Godolphin’s two-year-old trainer in the USA, supervising a select band of American bred two-year-olds at Grandstand Stables, Dubai, before moving to the USA, again with the main purpose of bringing horses forward for Godolphin.
America’s Triple Crown, the Japan Cup and Melbourne Cup are very much on the agenda of races to be won as Godolphin rises to the challenge of unprecedented achievement.
[This message has been edited by GODOLPHIN (edited June 01, 2002).]