Godolphin Reduces Focus on Ireland

Godolphin's royal blue silks will become a less common sight on Irish racecourses as the operation will cease to have horses trained in the country in the near future.

Joe Osborne, Godolphin Ireland's managing director, indicated Aug. 9 there are no existing plans for horses to be sent to Irish-based trainers, although decisions around where horses are trained are discussed on an annual basis.

The move follows a decline in the number of Godolphin horses trained in Ireland over the past five years, with just two runners representing Sheikh Mohammed's operation in 2022.

Homebred filly Lucky Mascot, trained by Willie McCreery, was sold at the Tattersalls July Sale for 18,000gns (US$22,813), leaving the Johnny Murtagh-trained Safecracker, who runs at Gowran Park Aug. 10, as the organization's sole Irish-trained representative.

It is understood the move is related to a slight drop in the number of Godolphin horses trained in Europe, as well as an increased emphasis on the team's main trainers in Britain. There were no new 2-year-olds allocated to Irish trainers this year.

Osborne said: "The number of horses trained in Ireland has varied over the years—it has gone up and down over time. This is looked at on an annual basis but I would say the likelihood is that for next year, after Safecracker is finished racing, there probably won't be any new horses trained in Ireland for the foreseeable future."

Dawn Approach, who was purchased to stay with Jim Bolger after winning the 2012 Coventry Stakes (G2), became Godolphin's first ownership venture in Ireland since 1995.

By 2015, Godolphin's individual runners for Irish-based trainers had soared to 49, before increasing to 64 and a peak of 71 in the following two years. However, levels have been falling since, with totals of 41 (2018), 27 (2019), 21 (2020), and eight (2021).

Godolphin heavily supported Jim Bolger and Mick Halford during their busiest period in Ireland, with the pair sending out 388 and 306 runners, respectively, in the famous blue silks.

Neither trainer saddled a runner for Godolphin in 2021 or 2022 when McCreery and Murtagh were responsible for Godolphin's Irish-trained runners.

Murtagh was added to the training roster last year after inheriting two 3-year-olds from John Oxx, who retired at the end of the 2020 season. Oxx had been sent five 2-year-olds when he joined the team in 2017.

Godolphin have increasingly enjoyed international success through the exploits of Charlie Appleby in recent seasons. Native Trail  (GB)'s win in this season's Tattersalls Irish Two Thousand Guineas (G1) made Appleby and Godolphin the first team to win the same year's Two Thousand Guineas in England, France, and Ireland with three different colts.