Godolphin have embarked on what can only be described as a thoroughbred spending spree these past few months in Europe.
Whatever the raft of new acquisitions has cost, there is no doubt that the international stable now has a strong hand at Royal Ascot, which starts tomorrow.
On Saturday Mark Johnston revealed that Buratino, who won the Woodcote Stakes on Derby day by six lengths, would become a first Godolphin runner for him.
The son of Australian sprinter Exceed And Excel was already owned by Sheikh Hamdan bin Mohammed, Crown Prince of Dubai, but the move to the Royal Blue brings the figure to six new horses that could compete at the five-day meeting in Godolphin’s silks.
When you take into account Belardo, last season’s champion juvenile in whom Godolphin bought a half share in October and who runs in tomorrow’s St James’s Palace Stakes, it is a magnificent seven.
Buratino was among 18 declared yesterday for tomorrow’s Coventry Stakes, a Group 2 race for juveniles that Godolphin have never won.
Buratino will be joined by Round Two, a colt that Irish trainer Jim Bolger could barely contain his enthusiasm for when he won a Listed race at the Curragh last month. The colt will also run in Godolphin’s silks.
Bolger’s County Carlow stables have a long history of acting as a feeder for Godolphin and last week it was announced that his Irish 1,000 Guineas winner Pleascach had been bought with the intention of using the daughter of Bolger’s unbeaten Teofilo as a broodmare.
For now, though, she runs in Thursday’s Ribblesdale Stakes.
Although recent purchase Birchwood misses the royal meeting – as does another addition, Log Out Island, who most likely goes for Thursday’s Norfolk Stakes – he is by Dark Angel, a young sire who was a speedy juvenile retired at the end of his two-year-old career.
Dark Angel has produced Mecca’s Angel, who is likely to serve it up to Sole Power in Tuesday’s King’s Stand Stakes.
Other performers of note include Sheikh Hamdan’s Estidhkaar, who won two Group 2 races last season, and Dark Emerald, one of the finds of the Dubai World Cup Carnival, who is burdened with top weight in Thursday’s Royal Hunt Cup.
Dark Angel is not a sire that Godolphin have had much to do with and, although Godolphin’s bloodstock adviser John Ferguson said Dark Angel’s bloodlines were not a factor in either the investment in Birchwood or Log Out Island, it cannot be a coincidence.
Add in the purchase of Lightning Moon, who was bought in April with Saturday’s Diamond Jubilee Stakes in mind, and the fact that tomorrow’s Queen Anne Stakes runner, Night Of Thunder, was absorbed in February from Saeed Manana and the picture looks rosy for the week.
Godolphin needed these horses for the biggest racing week of the year.
Last year was a poor Royal Ascot for the Dubai operation with only 25 runners.
Saeed bin Suroor registered his 35th Royal Ascot win with Elite Army in the King George V Handicap 12 months ago, but that was Godolphin’s sole success across the 30 races and Bin Suroor’s first since Tha’ir won the Chesham Stakes in 2012.
Both Bin Suroor and Charlie Appleby are in fine form in Britain this season, but both of their Royal Ascot cupboards are threadbare.
Bin Suroor is operating at a strike rate of 25 per cent here this season while almost one out of every three horses that Appleby saddles wins. However, in the eight Group 1 races at Ascot this week, neither trainer is likely to have an impact.
On the Sheikh Zayed Road there is a large Godolphin hoarding, urging you to follow #TeamGodolphin on Twitter during Royal Ascot.
With Godolphin having runners entered across the week from the stables of Bin Suroor, Appleby, Bolger, Hannon, Johnston, John Gosden, Michael Halford, Willie McCreery, Roger Varian and Ed Vaughan the composition of the Dubai-based operation’s Royal Ascot team, both human and equine, has changed considerably these past few months – and just in time.
Possible prominent Godolphin runners at Royal Ascot this week (tabled under as Horse, Trainer, Race):
Tuesday
Night Of Thunder – Richard Hannon – Queen Anne Stakes
Buratino – Mark Johnston – Coventry Stakes
Round Two – Jim Bolger – Coventry Stakes
Belardo - Roger Varian - St James’s Palace Stakes
Latharnach – Charlie Appleby - St James’s Palace Stakes
Wednesday
Toscanini – Michael Halford – Jersey Stakes
Devonshire – Willie McCreery – Jersey Stakes
Thursday
Maftool – Saeed bin Suroor – Tercentenary Stakes
Pleascach – Jim Bolger – Ribblesdale Stakes
Entertainment – John Gosden – Ribblesdale Stakes
Friday
Lucida – Jim Bolger - Coronation Stakes
Sperry – John Gosden – Coronation Stakes
Local Time – Saeed bin Suroor – Coronation Stakes
Jungle Cat – Charlie Appleby – Commonwealth Cup
Saturday
Answered – Jim Bolger – Hardwicke Stakes
Romsdal – John Gosden – Hardwicke Stakes
Pretend – Charlie Appleby – Diamond Jubilee Stakes
Lightning Moon – Ed Vaughan – Diamond Jubilee Stakes
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