Not to mention Cigar, of course!
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Thanks - I remembered his name and couldn’t quiiiite place it as I don’t follow racing as close as I used to. I still watch the Triple Crown races every year and do remember Country House but forgot Mott was the trainer.
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Honestly I feel like at that level of racing there are very few owners one can like/feel good about supporting aside from some of the huge groups of just, ordinary folks, but there’s not usually many of those w/Derby caliber horses.
Yeah, Baeza was flying there at the end. If the race had been a little longer, he would’ve zipped right on by and won, I think!
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Yep.
What you can support about Godolphin is the fact that it employs some of the best horsemen on the planet from every continent. Everything they do is top notch. The horses receive the absolute best of everything.
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And I believe Godolphin does a lot of aftercare for their horses.
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It is, apparently, a great outfit to work for.
Their unbeaten filly Desert Flower is co-favorite with Lake Victoria for tomorrow’s 1000 Guineas to wrap up this weekend’s classics.
Victoria Lake was the winner of the 2024 Breeder’s Cup Juvenile Fillies Turf. This will be a first start this year for both.
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It’s more than just Mohammed’s culture–he is terrifyingly controlling and abusive: Dubai’s Sheikh Mohammed abducted daughters and threatened wife - UK court
A few years ago when he had the favorite, it posed an ethical quandary: Dubai sheikh’s missing daughter casts shadow over Derby favorite | Hot Springs Sentinel Record
I recently read a really intriguing article that went into the whole ethical dilemma that is the whole Godolphin operation. It detailed many the abuses and offenses of the Shiek and how horrific they are, and how very differently he’d be handled if he were a small time player. But, as the article described, Godolphin IS horse racing in the UK, and his money funds not just workers but entire communities. Removing his influence (and his wealth) would have a massive devastating effect on innumerable folks who’ve never interacted with him or anyone close to him. Those people I support, and of course the horse doesn’t know or much care who his owner is.
I have noticed the Godolphin has avoided the American public eye for a long time–used to see him at the big races his horses ran in for years. (I’m sure 9/11 was a huge part of that at least for a few years.) Probably best he stay invisible–helps us not think of the atrocities he’s done and celebrate the visible connections. 
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Team Cigar will always be #1 in my heart. 1995 was a terrible year for me mental health wise. And one day I was hiding away in my favorite bookstore and picked up a copy of The Blood-Horse with Cigar on the front. I fell instantly in love, renewed my subscription and my love of racing. I really think that’s when I first thought “I can get through this.”
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Yep. They treat their people well. They treat their horses well. They support aftercare. Heck, they support everything- global horse racing would collapse without them.
If you just focus on their thoroughbred racing and breeding, while there are some black marks on them in the past (notably the big doping scandal in the 2010s), all in all, they run an upstanding program.
Like I said before, I fully understand why many people won’t get behind Sheikh Mo. He has done some abominable things. But his racing and breeding operations employ hundreds of very good people. And Godolphin gives back far more than some of their peers with similarly large financial endowments.
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Heh, the comments posted while I was typing highlight more of the good things Godolphin does for racing and the horses themselves, which are indeed very good and huge positives. At least some of them are also in the article in the discussion of the dilemma.
But I don’t want to derail this thread–I am happy for Mott, Alvarado, and all the folks who are a part of Sovereignty’s wonderful team.
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Would you be able to share?
I don’t know the article @Lauruffian has seen, but ignoring the human rights stuff, there has still been horse scandals tied to them. There were big controversies with their practices in camel racing and endurance riding. There was there was the big British doping scandal in 2013, but allegedly, that was the sole actions of trainer Al-Zarooni. And honestly, show me a consistently top racing stable that hasn’t had a doping scandal… unfortunately you can count them on one hand. (Which isn’t me excusing cheating, it’s just an unfortunate reality that there are a lot of cheats at the top of most sports)
But also, they run aftercare and education programs. They are allegedly among one of the best outfits to work for and they will take care of you. And if you can’t give them some bonus points for the Cody’s Wish story, you have no heart.
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Yeah, sorry, I thought I had it bookmarked on my phone but it was gone so I couldn’t link it at first. I want to say this is it: Racing’s shame | Stephen Pollard | The Critic Magazine
…but it’s shorter and more of a pointed opinion than I remember it being. It might be a similar piece to the one I found; it’s been a frequently discussed topic, especially regarding the whole international hunt for his adult daughter who tried to escape his control. (That is a horrific story–the High Court found that after she was found and returned, she was imprisoned and tortured, to say the very ugly least.)
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I went back to rewatch the break frame by frame since NBC couldn’t be bothered, heh. What I’m seeing: the 1 (Citizen Bull) and 2 (Neosquos) come out very fast and immediately veer to the right/off the rail. (Actually, watching it again, Citizen Bull is definitely taking Neosquos with him.) Meanwhile the 9 (Burnham Square) outbreaks the 8 (Journalism) and starts pushing him in toward the rail. Neoquos and Burnham Square end up meeting in their move out-move in, pinching Journalism and the 6 (Admire Daytona) back a bit but not too severely.
This is much more fun for me to post about. 
I love rewatching and studying.
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Thanks, I have read quite a bit about the human rights abuses and was curious to see how someone would tie the good of the racing operation to the bigger picture.
A family member used to sell hay to the racing centers in Dubai and has made multiple trips there as a guest of the family. Its hard to square the public image presented to the world with the more shadowy abuses that take place.
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I have a really hard time with it, too. It’s tough for me to resolve.
I personally have been treated exceedingly well by the family, and can tell you about many other people in racing who have received the same generous hospitality.
But that doesn’t excuse the atrocities that have been made public.
So yeah, I think all criticism cast on the family is beyond fair. But I also want people to know they support good, too. So if nothing else, be glad for the good people in the organization. They have worked hard for this.
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The doping case (it was anabolic steroids) in Britain was pretty hot - allegedly there were planeloads of stuff coming in at one time. Zarooni is allowed back now but things have not gone back to the way they were; Charlie Appleby continues to be their primary trainer in the UK and Ireland. They don’t seem to have as much of a presence in France.
They must be throwing a lot of cash at Japanese racing as well. To my knowledge they are the only non-Japanese outfit with a base there.
Not sure if they are the only, but they have definitely supported it for a long time.
Plus a few years ago they flew Boyd Martin out to Japan to do a promotion for aftercare.
They charge no adoption fees for rehoming their horses. You basically tell them what you want/need and they match you with a horse. You agree to update them, that’s it.
They have paid for medical care for former employees, even for long terms stuff like Alzheimer’s. They have built people houses. They award all sorts of scholarships for racing and non-racing educational purposes. And they are doing this worldwide: the US, Europe, Asia, Australia…
There is just so much good to talk about and I hate to see them not get credit where credit is due. There are plenty of other disgustingly wealthy racing connections who aren’t doing a fraction of that.
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