Darley

Godolphin's Ghaiyyath (Ire) (Dubawi {Ire}) had proven capable of scintillating performances at times during his 2019 campaign and he pulled out another tour de force at Newmarket on Friday when dominating the G1 Hurworth Bloodstock Coronation Cup. Left in no man's land after his imperious 8 1/2-length success in the Feb. 20 G3 Dubai Millennium at Meydan, the 5-year-old who had spreadeagled his opposition in the G1 Grosser Preis von Baden made up for a missed opportunity on World Cup night in some fashion here. Quickly to the head of...

Who has been the biggest inspiration in your career? JO: Josephine Abercrombie took a big chance in appointing me (aged 22) as manager of Pin Oak Stud, Kentucky in the mid-1980s. Some trusted older and wiser mentors guided me through that part of my career, but the biggest inspiration came from someone even younger than I was. Clifford Barry joined the Pin Oak team a few years after me. He came with strong recommendations from his Irish employers. From day one he brought a work ethic, attention to detail and...

The victory of Night Of Thunder (Ire)'s 3-year-old daughter No Limit Credit (Ger) in the G3 Schwarzgold Rennen propelled her young sire clear of all second-season sires since pattern racing began in 1970. His nine stakes winners by mid-May of his second season-taking into account Northern Hemisphere runners only; he has had two first-crop stakes winners in Australia--hasn't ever been matched before and although a good start doesn't necessarily mean we have a top-class stallion on our hands, you just have to look at the quality of stallions contained on...

The 12 Godolphin Flying Start Trainees for 2020-2022 were announced on Tuesday. Split evenly between the sexes and hailing from Australia, France, Ireland, the UK and the USA, the dozen students will participate in the Thoroughbred Industry Management and Leadership Programme where they will study and work in Ireland, the UK, the USA, Australia and Dubai. The course is accredited by University College Dublin Michael Smurfit Business School as a Graduate Certificate in Management. The trainees are as follows: George Broughton, UK Samantha Bussanich, USA Devon Dougherty, USA Solène Hudbert,...

Gestut Karlshof's No Limit Credit (Ger) (Night of Thunder {Ire}) entered Sunday's G3 Karin Baronin von Ullmann - Schwarzgold-Rennen with more than a small measure of currency from her 2-year-old days and duly emerged from the Cologne feature with enhanced profitability. Successful by 5 1/2 lengths in Baden-Baden's valuable Ferdinand Leisten-Memorial in October before finishing a distant sixth behind the imperious Wonderful Moon (Ger) (Sea the Moon {Ger}) taking on the colts in the G3 Herzog von Ratibor-Rennen at Krefeld in November, the chestnut was always well placed tracking the...

If there is one adjective that embodies everything about Shamardal, it would have to be 'class.' That magic yet highly elusive ingredient that separates a great Thoroughbred from the field has permeated every aspect of his being from the time his blue chip mating was planned, through to his own quartet of Group 1 successes on the racecourse and on to his sons and daughters, who made an immediate impact on the track with Classic winners in Europe and Australia in his first crop and whose dominance was emphasized last...

Dual French Classic winner and leading sire Shamardal (Giant's Causeway--Helsinki {GB}, by Machiavellian) has been euthanised at the age of 18 after dealing with "a range of health issues." Announcing the news on Thursday, Joe Osborne, managing director of Godolphin Ireland, paid tribute to Kildangan Stud's flagship stallion. "Shamardal embodied mental and physical toughness—as a racehorse and as a stallion," he said. "As the racing world has seen over the past 15 years, he passed those qualities on to his progeny. "He contended with a range of health issues over...

When Sheikh Mohammed purchased Stonerside back in 2008, trainers previously employed by Bob McNair's massive operation, such as Mike Stidham, were kept on board provisionally as the acquired stable of runners transitioned to carry the famed maroon-and-white silks of Darley. "The deal was that we were able to stay in with the horses that we had at the time," said Stidham, who saddled the Stonerside-bred Tizaqueena (Tiznow) to a pair of graded tallies as well as Grade I placing at Keeneland for Darley. "And once those horses were retired, we...

Champion sprinter Blue Point (Ire) (Shamardal-Scarlett Rose {GB}, by Royal Applause {GB}) and champion 2-year-old Too Darn Hot (GB) (Dubawi {Ire}-Dar Re Mi {GB}, by Singspiel {Ire}) will shuttle to Darley Australia for the Southern Hemisphere breeding season later this year. Alastair Pulford, Darley's Head of Sales in Australia, said, "To be able to offer Australian breeders these two prospects is a huge privilege. We've seen what the Darley shuttle stallions have done for Australian racing with horses like Street Cry (Ire), Teofilo (Ire), Medaglia d'Oro and recently Night Of...

Even if most racing is delayed, we're all hoping it will get underway sometime this spring or early summer, if for no other reason than so we can all find out the answer to our annual favorite question. We surveyed some top judges on who their leading first-crop sire is, and to give us some under-the-radar picks as well. I want to disclose my opinion by saying that most of it is based on the two-year-olds I have seen this past week at the OBS sale. Most of my clients...

Even if most racing is delayed, we're all hoping it will get underway sometime this spring or early summer, if for no other reason than so we can all find out the answer to our annual favorite question. We surveyed some top judges on who their leading first-crop sire is, and to give us some under-the-radar picks as well. Frosted would be my top pick for freshman sire, but I would also have Exaggerator and Not This Time close behind. We have two Frosteds on the farm right now, both...

As the start of the flat season dawns, all eyes will be on Night Of Thunder (Ire). Can the champion first season sire maintain the dizzying momentum with which he rolled through 2019? Will the Guineas winner's first-crop train on as 3-year-olds, and will his second crop pick up the baton? Reflecting back on Night Of Thunder's performance last year-which placed him among the best first-season sires in recent memory-a glaring trend is apparent among his progeny: all four of his pattern-race winners, and six of his nine stakes winners,...