Michael Banahan

It was another banner weekend for Godolphin as the stable swept the two Grade I races for 2-year-olds at Keeneland. The filly Immersive (Nyquist) won Friday's GI Darley Alcibiades Stakes and finished things off with a very impressive win by the colt East Avenue (Medaglia d'Oro) in the GI Claiborne Breeders' Futurity. Both will appear next in the Breeders' Cup where they could garner favoritism in their respective races. Leading the cheering section for Godolphin was its Director of Bloodstock, Michael Banahan, whose duties include overseeing the U.S.-based Godolphin runners....

After Godolphin scored an Alcibiades-Breeders' Futurity double at Keeneland, the operation's Director of Bloodstock joined this week's TDN Writers' Room to recap the weekend and look ahead to the Breeders' Cup.

Expectations were high for the three Grade I preps for the GI Breeders' Cup Juvenile run Saturday as the GI Claiborne Breeders' Futurity, the GI Champagne Stakes and the GI American Pharoah Stakes all included horses who seemed to have vast potential. And most came through. Chancer McPatrick (McKinzie) was the star performer in the Champagne, staying undefeated and adding a second Grade I to win to his resume. In the American Pharoah it all came down, as it so often does, to which Bob Baffert would win, and the...

In this continuing series, TDN's Senior Racing Editor Steve Sherack catches up with the connections of promising maidens to keep on your radar. How stacked exactly was this year's Travers day 2-year-old maiden? Even the fourth-place finisher should be on your radar. In a race completely dominated on the front end, Godolphin homebred Sovereignty (c, 2, Into Mischief--Crowned, by Bernardini) kicked home impressively from last of 10 on debut for Hall of Fame trainer Bill Mott to stamp himself as one to watch. The 11-1 chance broke on top from...

Unbeaten 'TDN Rising Star' Knightsbridge (c, 3, Nyquist--Tyburn Brook, by Bernardini), a jaw-dropping winner of his first two starts by a combined 19 1/2 lengths, has begun gearing up for a potential return to action this fall at Keeneland. The Godolphin homebred posted a double-digit victory going seven furlongs on debut at Churchill Downs Nov. 4, then fired fresh off the bench with another dominating decision in an optional claimer going a one-turn mile at Gulfstream Park last out Mar. 28. The latter performance earned him a 96 Beyer Speed...

In this continuing series, TDN's Senior Racing Editor Steve Sherack catches up with the connections of promising maidens to keep on your radar. Cornishman (c, 3, Curlin--Penwith, by Bernardini) came flashing home to finish a bang-up second sprinting on debut on the GIII Lecomte undercard at Fair Grounds Jan. 20. Off as the 3-1 second choice with his Brad Cox-trained stablemate Exploration (Curlin) receiving the bulk of the action at 3-2, the Godolphin homebred was bumped from both sides after exiting from post nine and trailed the field of 11...

Recently crowned champion 3-year-old filly Pretty Mischievous (f, 4, Into Mischief--Pretty City Dancer, by Tapit), off since finishing a rallying second in the GI Cotillion S. over a sloppy, sealed track at Parx Sept. 23, has begun to gear up for her 2024 campaign. The Godolphin homebred and 'TDN Rising Star' is currently in training with Brendan Walsh at Palm Meadows in South Florida and could potentially return to action over Kentucky Derby weekend. "She went back to Brendan a couple of weeks ago," Godolphin USA Director of Bloodstock Michael...

As the wide-reaching Godolphin operation has used the names of different arms throughout the years--for example, 2001 Juvenile Fillies winner Tempera (A.P. Indy) was bred by Darley Stud Management, LLC but raced for Godolphin, LLC--it may be a surprise to learn Essential Quality was the first official Godolphin homebred to win the Breeders' Cup. Remarkably, in the two renewals since his win, another seven Godolphin homebreds have added to that number. Undefeated at two, Essential Quality was a Belmont and Travers winner at three. His first foals were born this...

The mighty Godolphin stable leads all Breeders' Cup owners with 16 wins, a testament to both the quality of the horses owned by Godolphin and its commitment to the Breeders' Cup. Godolphin won four Breeders' Cup races last year and is sending a strong contingent of U.S. and foreign-based horses to Santa Anita for this year's event. To find out more about the Godolphin runners for this year's Breeders' Cup and why the event is so important to the stable, the TDN Writers' Room podcast presented by Keeneland called on...

Godolphin's Michael Banahan joins the TDN Writers' Room to discuss Godolphin's Breeders' Cup contingent.

David O'Farrell has been elected as chairman of the Thoroughbred Owners and Breeders Association's Board of Trustees. Also joining O'Farrell on the Board of Trustees to serve three-year terms as new members are Joe Appelbaum, Michael Banahan, Everett Dobson, Mandy Pope and R. Glenn Sikura. Re-elected to three-year terms were current trustees Shannon Arvin, Jeffrey Bloom, Marette Farrell, Brant Laue, Garrett O'Rourke, and Stephen Screnci. "It's an honor and a privilege to lead an organization that deeply cares about the economics and integrity of horse racing on behalf of owners...

It was a banner weekend for Godolphin homebreds during the Belmont Stakes Racing Festival. Cody's Wish (Curlin) added another chapter to racing's feel-good story with a powerful, come-from-behind victory in the stallion-making GI Hill 'N' Dale Metropolitan H. The GI Kentucky Oaks winner and 'TDN Rising Star' Pretty Mischievous (Into Mischief) validated her upset neck victory on the first Friday in May with a heart-stopping victory in the GI Acorn S. The up-and-coming Loved (Medaglia d'Oro)--a 4-year-old half-sister to MGISW and young Darley stallion Maxfield (Street Sense)--made it three straight...