Godolphin, LLC

Formed in 1994, Godolphin is the international division composed of the top horses owned by members of Dubai's royal family. Godolphin has won more than 285 Grade 1 or Group 1 races in 14 countries. 

Dubai-born Saeed bin Suroor is the longest-serving trainer for Godolphin founder Sheikh Mohammed bin Rashid al Maktoum, the vice president and prime minister of the United Arab Emirates and ruler of Dubai.  In addition to Saeed bin Suroor, Charlie Appleby and James Cummings also currently train for Godolphin, and Tom Albertrani, Bob Baffert, Eoin Harty, Kiaran McLaughlin, Richard Mandella, and Mike Stidham train horses for the operation in the United States.

Led by Seventh Street, Music Note, Flashing, Gayego and Pyro, a group that won a total of nine Grade 1 races, Godolphin earned its first Eclipse Award in 2009 as the outstanding owner in North America. Godolphin added a second Eclipse Award as outstanding owner in 2012.

Godolphin has won Breeders’ Cup races with Immersive (NetJets Juvenile Filllies, 2024), Master of The Seas (FanDuel Mile Presented by PDJF, 2023), Cody’s Wish (Big Ass Fans Dirt Mile, 2022 and 2023), Rebel’s Romance (Longines Turf, 2022 and 2024), Modern Games (FanDuel Mile Presented by PDJF, 2022 and Juvenile Turf, 2021), Mischief Magic (Juvenile Turf Sprint, 2022), Yibir (Longines Turf, 2021), Space Blues (FanDuel Mile Presented by PJDF, 2021), Essential Quality (Juvenile, 2020), Line of Duty (Juvenile Turf, 2018), Talismanic (Turf, 2017), Wuheida (Filly and Mare Turf, 2017), Outstrip (Juvenile Turf, 2013), Vale of York (Juvenile, 2009), Tempera (Juvenile Fillies, 2001), Fantastic Light (Turf, 2001), and Daylami (Turf, 1999). Pebbles and In the Wings won the Breeders’ Cup Turf in 1985 and 1990 for Sheikh Mohammed bin Rashid al Maktoum, and Sheikh Mohammed won the Juvenile in partnership with Allen Paulson with Arazi in 1991 and the Mile with Barathea in 1994 in partnership with Gerald Leigh. 

Sheikh Mohammed has won the Dubai World Cup 11 times, most recently with Thunder Snow in both 2018 and 2019 and with Mystic Guide in 2021.

In 2015, Godolphin merged with Sheikh Mohammed's Darley Stud in the United States to form one company and one racing stable. That year, Godolphin won a pair of Grade 1 races with Wedding Toast as well as the Grade 1 Wood Memorial with Frosted. Frosted went on to finish fourth in the Kentucky Derby and second in the Belmont Stakes behind Triple Crown winner American Pharoah. Sheikh Mohammed's lone success in the U.S. Triple Crown was a victory with Darley homebred Bernardini in the 2006 Preakness Stakes. Godolphin earned its first victory in the Epsom Derby in 2018 with Masar.

In 2020, Godolphin finished second in North American earnings, eighth in wins, and tied for first in graded stakes wins with eight, including three Grade 1 stakes wins. The operation was honored with its fourth Eclipse Award as Outstanding Owner, one coming under the Darley Stable banner.

Godolphin earned their first Triple Crown race win in the 2021 Belmont Stakes Presented by NYRA Bets, as 2-year-old champion Essential Quality got up to win as the 6-5 favorite. For 2021, Godolphin led all owners in North America with 23 graded stakes wins and 11 Grade 1 victories, and also led all North American breeders by purse earnings, graded stakes wins (22) and Grade 1 wins (11, including one under their Darley banner). Godolphin received Eclipse Awards in both categories, its fifth as owner (one as Darley Stable) and second as breeder (the first as Darley Stable).

Godolphin enjoyed a successful 2022 Breeders' Cup at Keeneland, where it won four Championship races including the Juvenile Turf Sprint with Mischief Magic, the Big Ass Fans Dirt Mile with Cody's Wish, the FanDuel Breeders' Cup Mile with Modern Games, and the Longines Breeders' Cup Turf with Rebels Romance.

In May 2023, Godolphin's Pretty Mischievous powered to victory in the $1.25 million Longines Kentucky Oaks, the operation's first win in the most important U.S. race for 3-year-old fillies. Godolphin added another win in the Oaks in 2025 with homebred Good Cheer. And after 12 attempts in the Kentucky Derby as sole owner and one in partnership, Sheikh Mohammed’s Godolphin broke through with their first winner in 2025 as Bill Mott-trained Sovereignty proved best May 3 on a sloppy racetrack at Churchill Downs. Five weeks later, Sovereignty gave Godolphin its second Belmont Stakes victory with an emphatic score at the race’s temporary home, Saratoga.

From 2022-2024, Godolphin won Eclipse Awards as Outstanding Owner and Outstanding Breeder every year, increasing its overall haul of hardware to eight for owner and five for breeder.