Horse racing: Godolphin are getting back to their winning ways

Before he made trip to Singapore, jockey Silvestre De Sousa secured maiden Group 1 victory aboard Farhh while Willing Foe also triumphed in England, writes Geoffrey Riddle.

Winning jockey Silvestre De Sousa, left, rides Farhh to victory Saturday in the Lockinge Stakes in Newbury, England. Alan Crowhurst / Getty Images

Newbury, England// In terms of scripting, it was right up there with Dubai Millennium's win in the World Cup in 2000. After everything that has happened to Godolphin over the past few weeks Farhh's effortless victory in the Lockinge Stakes here could not have been better timed for the Dubai-based operation.

Farhh had been running in the long shadow of Frankel last season but finally stepped into the limelight on Saturday and handed Silvestre De Sousa his maiden Group 1 victory in Britain.

For trainer Saeed Bin Suroor, his fifth win in the mile race augmented an already successful afternoon after Willing Foe had won the Listed Park Stakes to give him another option for the Ascot Gold Cup next month alongside Cavalryman and last year's winner Colour Vision.

As Bin Suroor led Farhh back into the winners' enclosure, a cry from the crowd of "Well done Godolphin!" pierced the generous applause.

"It's nice to hear people support the stable and obviously we are very much hoping to put all that [Mahmoud Al Zarooni's ban for doping horses] behind us as quickly as possible and move on," Simon Crisford, Godolphin's racing manager, said. "This horse has put us back in pole position which is where we like to be."

Farhh's job was made slightly easier two hours before the race when Beauty Parlour, last season's French 1,000 Guineas winner, was scratched due to unsuitable going.

De Sousa had Farhh positioned just off the lead set by Penitent and Reply, but once Farhh entered the final quarter of a mile any semblance of a contest was put to bed. The official margin back to Sovreign Debt was four lengths, with Sheikh Hamdan Bin Rashid's Aljamaaheer was a neck back in third. Cityscape, the 2012 Dubai Duty Free hero, was last.

Farhh could now follow in the hoofprints of Dubai Millennium and run in the Prince Of Wales's Stakes at Royal Ascot next month over ten furlongs, although Godolphin are also considering running against Animal Kingdom, the Dubai World Cup winner, in the Queen Anne Stakes over yesterday's distance.

"The pressure is off," De Sousa said of his maiden British Group 1 success." He added, before rushing off to fly to Singapore: "It is brilliant for the horse and brilliant for Godolphin. He is a great horse but has just been unlucky."

De Sousa rides Hunter's Light in today's International Cup at Kranji Racecourse where the form of this year's Dubai World Cup meeting comes under close scrutiny.

Red Cadeaux and Meandre join the Godolphin challenger in a field of 13 for the 2,000m race.

Hunter's Light was the first of the three to arrive in Singapore this month, and alongside Meandre will be making his first start since finishing seventh, one behind Meandre, in the world's most valuable race.

Red Cadeaux, who was runner-up in Dubai, increased his air miles haul by flying to Japan to finish third in the Tenno Sho in Kyoto last month.

Kranji also hosts the International Sprint and Meydan form is represented by Ireland's Balmont Mast, who was second to Reynaldothewizard in the Dubai Golden Shaheen, Mike De Kock's Kavanagh, who was sixth, and Dux Scholar, who was seventh to Shea Shea in the Al Quoz Sprint.

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