Essential Quality Caps Unforgettable Day for Godolphin

There's no doubt Godolphin stands as one of the successful and best-known racing and breeding operations in the world.

The famed royal blue silks have been worn by nine winners of the Dubai World Cup (G1), nine victors at the Breeders' Cup, two in the Epsom Derby (G1) and one in the Preakness Stakes (G1).

Since it was founded in 1992 by Sheikh Mohammed bin Rashid Al Maktoum, Godolphin has won 6,810 races, 339 of them grade or group 1 triumphs.

Yet for all of those illustrious chapters in its storied 29-year history, never was there a day for Sheikh Mohammed's worldwide operation to match June 5.

What started with Adayar  winning the Cazoo Derby at Epsom (G1) earlier in the day ended across the Atlantic Ocean at Belmont Park when the homebred Essential Quality  gave Sheikh Mohammed another coveted victory in an American classic by winning the $1.5 million Belmont Stakes Presented by NYRA Bets (G1).

"It will be hard to top this day," said Jimmy Bell, president and racing manager of Godolphin USA. "This will be rated at the top for quite a while. It is a huge day, and it all goes back to Sheikh Mohammed's international sportsmanship. What we have done as a racing and breeding operation, is a tribute to him being such a tremendous sportsman and the great enthusiasm he has for the sport."

Godolphin shippers from Europe, Althiqa  and Summer Romance , also ran 1-2 in the $500,000 Longines Just a Game Stakes (G1T) earlier on Saturday's card for Sheikh Mohammed, the vice president and prime minister of the United Arab Emirates, its minister of defense, and ruler of the Emirate of Dubai.

Godolphin's quest to capture Triple Crown races dates back to 1999 when Worldly Manner was seventh in the Kentucky Derby. Aside from a victory by Bernardini under its Darley Stable banner in the 2006 Preakness, the losses in Triple Crown races mounted, leading to a change in philosophy several years ago that sparked Saturday's success in the final leg of the Triple Crown for 3-year-olds with its homebred son of Tapit  .

Instead of relying on European horses from European or Middle Eastern barns, Godolphin expanded its American breeding operation and placed more of an emphasis on turning its young horses over to a variety of American trainers, such as Brad Cox, who developed Essential Quality into the 2020 champion 2-year-old male and the stable's second Triple Crown classic winner after 12 losses in the Kentucky Derby and four in the Belmont Stakes.

"That reflected Sheikh Mohammed's willingness to try something different. He's an innovative, forward-thinker. He's not concerned about failing," Bell said. "He wanted to spread things out and bring in people like Brendan Walsh, Brad Cox, and Michael Stidham. That was all his idea."

That strategy was rewarded Saturday through Essential Quality on a day when the superlatives reached a new zenith for Godolphin.

"Like all things, it takes time to build a winning program," Bell said. "We have a great team in which everyone pitches in from the matings to the care of the horses and we have been able to utilize that input at all levels. It's truly been a team effort and the results are beginning to speak for themselves."