Dubai's powerhouse stable Godolphin takes aim at flat racing's biggest week
The first weekend of June launched a high-stakes two weeks for UAE-linked stables across Europe and the UK with Godolphin's Cualificar setting the stage after a valiant run in the Group 1 Prix du Jockey Club (French Derby) at Chantilly on Sunday.
Trained by the legendary André Fabre, the son of Lope de Vega came within striking distance of Classic Glory, only to be edged out by Camille Pissarro in the closing strides of the 1m2½f contest.
Ridden with tactical precision by Godolphin's retained jockey William Buick, Cualificar raced prominently in third before mounting a determined challenge in the straight, eventually finishing just half a length behind the Aidan O'Brien-trained winner, Camille Pissarro.
Arc On the Radar
'Cualificar put up a very solid effort,' said Buick. ' I thought we ended up in a nice position and he did everything that I asked of him. The winner is a good horse, but I think that Cualificar will possibly get a bit further. He may get an Arc prep now and he doesn't lack for quality. It was a very good run.'
It was a performance worthy of his lineage, echoing the class of sire Lope de Vega and grandsire Shamardal, both Prix du Jockey Club winners themselves, the latter having won the race in Godolphin blue in 2005 with Frankie Dettori aboard.
While a French Derby win proved elusive this year it was a reassuring performance for the global racing powerhouse built by Sheikh Mohammed bin Rashid Al Maktoum, Vice President and Prime Minister of the UAE and Ruler of Dubai. Godolphin now turns its full focus to an explosive Derby weekend at Epsom Downs, followed by major American targets on the horizon.
With Cualificar potentially aimed at the G1 Grand Prix de Paris next, the spotlight now turns to a formidable lineup of Classic contenders poised to take on the biggest races of the season.
On Friday at Epsom, Desert Flower, an unbeaten daughter of Night Of Thunder, bids to become the 50th filly in history to complete the 1,000 Guineas–Oaks double, following her commanding display at Newmarket.
Also undefeated, Good Cheer heads back into battle in the G1 Acorn Stakes at Belmont on the same day. The Kentucky Oaks winner has dismantled every challenge so far and remains one of the standout fillies in North America.
Sovereignty Aims at Belmont Stakes
Saturday brings the most ambitious targets yet. Sovereignty, Godolphin's Kentucky Derby hero, eyes a historic run in the G1 Belmont Stakes, the final leg of the US Triple Crown, where he will once again face Journalism, his nearest rival at Churchill Downs.
In the UK, Ruling Court seeks to emulate Camelot (2012) as the first horse since to win both the 2,000 Guineas and Epsom Derby, with support from stablemate Tornado Alert, who was fourth at Newmarket and is expected to improve.
This surge of Classic contenders is a nod to the legacy of Sheikh Mohammed, whose famous maroon silks won the French Derby in 1989 with Old Vic, trained by the late-great Sir Henry Cecil and ridden by Steve Cauthen - a moment that predates the arrival of the Godolphin stable but helped lay the foundation for its birth.
With their horses now spread across continents and firing in every Classic division it's another reminder of Godolphin's vast influence and unwavering pursuit of excellence across borders.
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