Godolphin (Arabic: جودولفين) is the Maktoum family's private

Thoroughbred The Thoroughbred is a list of horse breeds, horse breed developed for Thoroughbred racing, horse racing. Although the word ''thoroughbred'' is sometimes used to refer to any breed of purebred horse, it technically refers only to the Thorough ...

horseracing stable and was named in honour of the Godolphin Arabian, who came from the desert to become one of the three founding stallions of the modern Thoroughbred. Godolphin is buried at Wandlebury Park in

Cambridge Cambridge ( ) is a List of cities in the United Kingdom, city and non-metropolitan district in the county of Cambridgeshire, England. It is the county town of Cambridgeshire and is located on the River Cam, north of London. As of the 2021 Unit ...

, where there is a stone to commemorate the horse in the passageway of the old buildings. Godolphin's headquarters are in

Dubai, United Arab Emirates Dubai (Help:IPA/English, /duːˈbaɪ/ Help:Pronunciation respelling key, ''doo-BYE''; Modern Standard Arabic, Modern Standard Arabic: ; Emirati Arabic, Emirati Arabic: , Romanization of Arabic, romanized: Help:IPA/English, /diˈbej/) is the Lis ...

. It operates two racing stables in Newmarket, UK, two in

Sydney, Australia Sydney is the capital city of the state of New South Wales and the most populous city in Australia. Located on Australia's east coast, the metropolis surrounds Sydney Harbour and extends about 80 km (50 mi) from the Pacific Ocean ...

, one in

Melbourne, Australia Melbourne ( , ; Boonwurrung/ or ) is the capital and most populous city of the Australian state of Victoria, and the second most-populous city in Australia, after Sydney. The city's name generally refers to a metropolitan area also known ...

, and also has horses in training with independent trainers in

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Australia Australia, officially the Commonwealth of Australia, is a country comprising mainland Australia, the mainland of the Australia (continent), Australian continent, the island of Tasmania and list of islands of Australia, numerous smaller isl ...

France France, officially the French Republic, is a country located primarily in Western Europe. Overseas France, Its overseas regions and territories include French Guiana in South America, Saint Pierre and Miquelon in the Atlantic Ocean#North Atlan ...

Japan Japan is an island country in East Asia. Located in the Pacific Ocean off the northeast coast of the Asia, Asian mainland, it is bordered on the west by the Sea of Japan and extends from the Sea of Okhotsk in the north to the East China Sea ...

, the

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, and

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. UAE Vice President, Prime Minister and Ruler of Dubai, Sheikh Mohammed bin Rashid Al Maktoum is the driving force behind Godolphin. The family's breeding operation, Darley, is named in honour of another of the three original Thoroughbred stallions, Darley Arabian. Darley breeds horses in Australia, France, Ireland, Japan, the United Kingdom, and the United States. Dubai Millennium, who won the Dubai World Cup at Nad Al Sheba, UAE and the Prince of Wales's Stakes at Royal Ascot, UK in 2000, stood at Dalham Hall. Godolphin has won over 5,000 races worldwide and numerous awards since its inception in 1992, marking their 5,000th win in August 2018. Its most successful years numerically are 2015 (650 wins), 2017 (607 wins), 2016 (597 wins), and 2014 (361 wins). Godolphin was the leading owner at the Dubai World Cup Carnival on eleven successive years from 2008 to 2018, and crowned British Champion Owner on twelve occasions - 1996, 1998, 1999, 2001, 2004, 2006, 2007, 2012, 2013, 2015, 2016, and 2017. Saeed bin Suroor trained his 200th Dubai World Cup Carnival winner when the aptly-named Very Special won the G2 Cape Verdi on 26 January 2017. Godolphin won an Eclipse Award for the top North American owner at the 39th annual Eclipse Awards ceremony in 2010. It was the first time that Godolphin won the award for top North American owner. The stable has had winners in 14 countries (Australia, Canada, France, Germany, Hong Kong, Ireland, Italy, Japan, Qatar, Singapore, Turkey, the UAE, the UK, and the USA). Godolphin would again win the award for top owner at the Eclipse Awards in 2012 and in five consecutive years from 2020 to 2024.

Activities

Godolphin's first runner and winner was Cutwater (GB) at Nad Al Sheba, Dubai on December 24, 1992 while Godolphin's international operation commenced in 1994. Godolphin's operations are based in Al Quoz, Dubai, UAE and in Newmarket,

United Kingdom The United Kingdom of Great Britain and Northern Ireland, commonly known as the United Kingdom (UK) or Britain, is a country in Northwestern Europe, off the coast of European mainland, the continental mainland. It comprises England, Scotlan ...

, at Godolphin Stables (former Stanley House Stables, built in 1903 by

Frederick Stanley, 16th Earl of Derby Frederick Arthur Stanley, 16th Earl of Derby (15 January 1841 – 14 June 1908), known as Hon. Frederick Stanley until 1886 and Lord Stanley of Preston between 1886–1893, was a Conservative Party (UK), Conservative Party politician in the Un ...

) and the historic Moulton Paddocks. Godolphin also has three stables in Australia, two in Sydney and one in Melbourne. Godolphin also operates the in Hidaka, Hokkaido, which manages a breeding farm and the Castle Park training facility for horses being trained in Japan. To date, Godolphin has won a total of 288 Group One races around the globe. Godolphin registered its 100th

Group One Group One, Group 1, Grade I or G1 is the term used for the highest level of Thoroughbred and Standardbred stakes races in many countries. In Europe, the level of races for Thoroughbred racing is determined using the Pattern races, Pattern race sys ...

win with Sulamani in the 2003 Arlington Million. Hunter's Light, trained by Saeed bin Suroor and ridden by Silvestre de Sousa, recorded Godolphin's 200th Group One success with an impressive victory in the Al Maktoum Challenge R3 Sponsored By Emirates Airline at Meydan, Dubai, on Saturday, March 9, 2013. Godolphin has won the Group One Dubai World Cup on ten occasions, thanks to Almutawakel (1999), Dubai Millennium (2000), Street Cry (2002), Moon Ballad (2003), Electrocutionist (2006), Monterosso (2012), African Story (2014), Prince Bishop (2015) and Thunder Snow (2018 and 2019). Numerous major North American wins include six at the Breeders’ Cup meeting, highlighted by the victories of Daylami (1999) and Fantastic Light (2001) in the Breeders’ Cup Turf and Outstrip (2013) in the Breeders' Cup Juvenile Turf; Wuheida in the Breeders' Cup Filly and Mare Turf (2017); Talismanic in the Breeders' Cup Turf (2017); and Cody's Wish in the 2022 and 2023 Breeders' Cup Dirt Mile. In keeping with its pioneering international outlook, Godolphin has gained four wins at the Cathay Pacific Hong Kong International Races and Heart Lake scored an early Japanese Group One win in the 1995

Yasuda Kinen The Yasuda Kinen (English: Yasuda Memorial, Japanese and Chinese language: 安田記念) is a Japanese Graded stakes race, International Grade I Thoroughbred horse race held at the Tokyo Racecourse in Tokyo. Raced annually each June, the Yasuda Ki ...

. In 2013, stable jockey Frankie Dettori departed the organisation. In the same year, the

British Horseracing Authority The British Horseracing Authority, also known as the BHA, is the regulatory authority for horse racing in Great Britain. It was formed on 31 July 2007, after the merger of the British Horseracing Board (BHB) and the Horseracing Regulatory Au ...

disclosed that Godolphin employee Mahmood Al Zarooni (who had joined Godolphin as a trainer a few years earlier) had been charged with doping after 15 Godolphin horses he was training had tested positive for anabolic steroids. Sheikh Mohammed declared he was "appalled and angered" and would 'lock down' the stables with 'immediate effect'. Al Zarooni was quickly dismissed, and all 15 horses were later cleared to race. Godolphin commissioned an independent inquiry into Al Zarooni's activities, and subsequently a major reorganisation took place within Godolphin's UK operations On account of the scale of Godolphin's operations, and as doping activity is generally extremely rare in flat horse racing (robust anti-doping procedures mean detection is highly probable), the incident was described by

The Economist ''The Economist'' is a British newspaper published weekly in printed magazine format and daily on Electronic publishing, digital platforms. It publishes stories on topics that include economics, business, geopolitics, technology and culture. M ...

as "the biggest doping scandal in racing history". In late 2014, it was announced that Godolphin is to have a permanent presence in Australia. William Buick and James Doyle were appointed stable jockeys in early 2015, joining Mickael Barzalona, who joined the team in March 2012, and is Godolphin's retained rider in France. In September 2016, Saeed bin Suroor reached a landmark 2,000 winners worldwide when Sky Hunter won the Listed Foundation Stakes at Goodwood. From Saturday, 17 March 2018, all horses currently racing in the JRA in the name of His Highness Sheikh Mohammed bin Rashid Al Maktoum, will race in the name of Godolphin. The racing silks carried in Japan will change to royal blue with a lighter blue band on the sleeve. In October 2023, James Doyle announced that he would be leaving Godolphin to become the retained jockey at Wathnan Racing. Godolphin won the Thoroughbred Owners and Breeders Association awards for National Breeder of the Year and National Owner of the Year in 2023. In May 2025, Godolphin won the Kentucky Oaks with the undefeated filly Good Cheer, and then won the Kentucky Derby the following day with

Sovereignty Sovereignty can generally be defined as supreme authority. Sovereignty entails hierarchy within a state as well as external autonomy for states. In any state, sovereignty is assigned to the person, body or institution that has the ultimate au ...

. The Kentucky Derby victory was the first for Godolphin after twelve unsuccessful tries in the past. Godolphin became the first owner to win the Kentucky Oaks and Kentucky Derby in the same year since Sol Kumin's Head of Plains Partners in 2018, and the first sole ownership to do so since Calumet Farm won both races in 1952. On the same day that Sovereignty won the Kentucky Derby, Godolphin's three year old Ruling Court won the Group 1 2000 Guineas Stakes at

Newmarket Racecourse Newmarket Racecourse is a British Thoroughbred horse racing venue in Newmarket, Suffolk, Newmarket, Suffolk, comprising two individual racecourses: the Rowley Mile and the July Course. Newmarket is often referred to as the headquarters of ...

in England. The day after the Kentucky Derby and 2000 Guineas, Godolphin-owned Desert Flower won the

1000 Guineas Stakes The 1000 Guineas Stakes is a Group races, Group 1 Flat racing, flat Horse racing, horse race in Great Britain open to three-year-old Filly, fillies. It is run on the Rowley Mi ...

Personnel

* Godolphin has three principal retained trainers; Saeed bin Suroor (UK & UAE), Charlie Appleby (UK & UAE) and James Cummings (Australia), along with numerous horses in training with external independent trainers in Australia, Japan, France, Ireland, the United Kingdom and the United States of America. * Godolphin has William Buick and Mickael Barzalona as their retained jockeys.

Horses

Some of Godolphin's top horses include: * Adayar * African Story * Alizee * Aljabr * Almutawakel * Anamoe * Astern * Bachir * Balanchine * Barney Roy * Belardo * Benbatl * Bivouac * Blue Bunting * Blue Point * Broadsiding * Campanologist * Cape Cross * Cape Verdi * Cascadian * Castle Lady *

Cavalryman Historically, cavalry (from the French word ''cavalerie'', itself derived from ''cheval'' meaning "horse") are groups of soldiers or warriors who Horses in warfare, fight mounted on horseback. Until the 20th century, cavalry were the most mob ...

* Certify * Cezanne * Classic Cliche * Cloth of Stars * Cody's Wish * Colette *

Coroebus In Greek mythology, Coroebus (Ancient Greek: Κόροιβος) may refer to two distinct characters: * Coroebus, son of King Mygdon of Phrygia is a character of Greek legend. He came to the aid of Troy during the Trojan War out of love for Pri ...

* Creachadoir * Creative Force * Cross Counter * Dawn Approach * Daylami *

Diktat A diktat (, ) is a statute, harsh penalty or settlement imposed upon a defeated party by the victor, or a dogmatic decree. The term has acquired a pejorative sense, to describe a set of rules dictated by a foreign power or an unpopular local power ...

* Discreet Cat * Dubai Millennium * Dubawi * Electrocutionist * Encke * Essential Quality *

Exosphere The exosphere is a thin, atmosphere-like volume surrounding a planet or natural satellite where molecules are gravitationally bound to that body, but where the density is so low that the molecules are essentially collision-less. In the case of ...

* Fantastic Light * Farhh * Flit * Fly to the Stars * Frosted * Ghaiyyath * Grandera * Halling * Harry Angel * Hartnell * Hawkbill * Hurricane Lane *

Ibn Khaldun Ibn Khaldun (27 May 1332 – 17 March 1406, 732–808 Hijri year, AH) was an Arabs, Arab Islamic scholar, historian, philosopher and sociologist. He is widely acknowledged to be one of the greatest social scientists of the Middle Ages, and cons ...

* In Secret * Island Sands * It's Tricky * Jack Hobbs * Kayf Tara * Kazzia * Kiamichi * Lammtarra * Lemon Pop *

Lyre The lyre () (from Greek λύρα and Latin ''lyra)'' is a string instrument, stringed musical instrument that is classified by Hornbostel–Sachs as a member of the History of lute-family instruments, lute family of instruments. In organology, a ...

* Lyric of Light * Mamool * Marienbard * Mark of Esteem * Masar * Mastery * Maxfield * Medaaly * Mezzo Soprano * Modern Games * Moon Ballad * Moonshell * Music Note * Mutafaweq * Nations Pride * Native Trail * Naval Crown * Nedawi * Night of Thunder *

Old Persian Old Persian is one of two directly attested Old Iranian languages (the other being Avestan) and is the ancestor of Middle Persian (the language of the Sasanian Empire). Like other Old Iranian languages, it was known to its native speakers as (I ...

* Outstrip * Papineau * Paulele * Persian King * Pinatubo * Poet's Voice * Prince Bishop * Punctilious * Questing * Quorto * Ramonti * Rebel's Romance * Refuse To Bend * Rewilding * Ribchester * Royal Marine *

Rule of Law The essence of the rule of law is that all people and institutions within a Body politic, political body are subject to the same laws. This concept is sometimes stated simply as "no one is above the law" or "all are equal before the law". Acco ...

* Sakhee * Savatiano *

Shamardal Shamardal (27 March 2002 – 16 April 2020) was an American-bred Thoroughbred horse racing, racehorse who competed in the United Kingdom and in France. He was the 2004 Cartier Champion Two-year-old Colt, European champion two-year-old and a doub ...

* Space Blues * Street Cry * Sulamani * Swain * Talismanic *

Thunder Snow Thunder Snow (foaled 24 March 2014) is an Irish-bred Thoroughbred horse racing, racehorse, the only two-time winner of the Dubai World Cup (2018, 2019). In 2016 he won a minor race on his track debut but was then beaten in his next four races al ...

* Trekking * Victor Ludorum * White Moonstone * Wild Illusion * Wuheida * Yibir * Zahrat Dubai

References

{{reflist

External links

Godolphin website
Racing stables in the United Kingdom Newmarket, Suffolk British racehorse owners and breeders Emirati racehorse owners and breeders Equestrian sports in the United Arab Emirates Eclipse Award winners Owners of Kentucky Derby winners Owners of Prix de l'Arc de Triomphe winners Doping cases in equestrian sports