AMERICAN GRADED STAKES STANDINGS brought to you Keeneland: DARLEY AND GODOLPHIN DOMINATION
Thursday, November 5th, 2009
By Ray Paulick
It should come as no surprise that Sheikh Mohammed is the leading owner of American Graded Stakes winners in 2009 through his Darley and Goldophin racing stables. The ruler of Dubai has invested far more money in his international racing and breeding operation than anyone else in the world, and his American stable has performed exceedingly well this year.
Going into the Breeders’ Cup world championships at Santa Anita this weekend, the Sheikh has 17 American Graded Stakes winners this year—nine with Darley and eight with Godolphin. Those horses have won a total of 23 American Graded Stakes races.
The numbers figure to rise this weekend. Godolphin will be represented by 16 runners on the two Breeders’ Cup programs Friday and Saturday, and Darley will have three starters, many of them either morning line favorites or solid contenders.
Godolphin is currently second behind Frank Stronach’s Stronach Stables in lifetime Breeders’ Cup earnings, and he’s almost certain to pass Stronach after this year’s races. Stronach has won $8,492,000 from 17 starters (five winners), and Godolphin has earned $7,818,200 from 39 starters (three winners). Not included in those totals are three additional Breeders’ Cup winners owned or co-owned by Darley and two listed under the ownership of Sheikh Mohammed.
A closer look at the Godolphin/Darley American Graded Stakes winners of 2009 reveals that six of them have won at least one Grade 1 stakes: Flashing, winner of the Test Stakes; Gayego, Ancient Title; Music Note, the Ballerina and Beldame; Pyro, the Forego; Seventh Street, Apple Blossom and Go for Wand Handicaps; and Vineyard Haven, Frank J. De Francis Memorial Dash.
Those six Grade 1 winners equal the total for all American Graded Stakes winners by the current runner-up in the standings, Ahmed Zayat’s Zayat Stables. Three of Zayat’s AGS winners have won a Grade 1 race (Pioneerof the Nile, Thorn Song and Zensational).
If the Darley and Godolphin Stables are combined, Sheikh Mohammed would be the leading owner by money won, according to Equibase (click here for the list), with earnings of just over $7.5 million. However, they are separate stables and are listed separately in the standings, Darley ranking third behind Mike Gill and Zayat Stables and Godolphin 12th.
Let’s hope that Eclipse Award voters are aware that the two stables are both part of Sheikh Mohammed’s racing operation and do more than just cast their ballot for the owner with the most money won. But Eclipse Award voters have made some strange selections for outstanding owner and outstanding breeder in recent years, so Sheikh Mohammed would be no shoo-in if the voting was held today.
But there are a few more American Graded Stakes on the racing calendar, starting this weekend with the Breeders’ Cup. When all the dust settles, I anticipate Darley and Godolphin to have an even more dominating position in the American Graded Stakes standings than they do today.
