The Great Godolphin
In everything that man and woman set minds to, there is a moment, a moment which is preceded by countless days of searching, preparation, sweat, tears, triumphs and failures. With horse racing this moment has a name, and his name was Godolphin.
Godolphin was a horse. His origin has been questioned, but he is thought to be either an Arabian or barb. The actual origin is uncertain. The term barb comes from the Barbary Coast off of Tunisia. The Godolphin barb got its name from Sidney Godolphin 1st Earl of, Viscount Rialton, Baron Godolphin of Rialton.
Sidney held various court and diplomatic offices in Britain. His political career began as a page of honour to King Charles II in 1662. Godolphin was a powerful political force in the late 1600’s and early 1700’s. In 1684 Godolphin became a baron. He was lord treasurer from 1700 to 1701. He was also a staple of Queen Anne’s ministry from 1702 until 1710. Godolphin held much political power and influence, yet his greatest legacy may be the influence left on modern Thoroughbred racing.
Godolphin was a gambler. He loved horse racing. He was one of the first to start importing Barbs and Arabians to England. It was Sidney’s influence on the general horse stock of England and his son Francis the 2nd Earl who owned the magnificent Godolphin that shaped modern racing. While King James I and King Charles I were empowered in Britain, 43 mares were imported to England. The imported horses thrived on English land. A general stud book was begun to track the bloodlines of (the royal mares). Also three other horses had bloodlines traced. The three horses were Byerly Turk, the Darley Arabian, and the great Godolphin which was imported in 1730.
The big three (Byerly Turk, Darley Arabian, Godolphin) became the pillars from which the modern thoroughbred racing stock was forged. Virtually all of today’s successful thoroughbreds can be traced back to one of these three horses, but it was Godolphin that stood out. It was Godolphin horses that dominated the 1700’s. It was Godolphin blood that later powered the great Man O’War and further on Sea Biscuit and War Admiral.
Godolphin was originally not intended for stud, but when a mare named Lady Roxana failed to accept its given mate, Godolphin was used instead. The result was Lath. Lath would go on to earn unprecedented acclaim by winning the Queen’s Plate nine out of nine times. The second and third colts from the tandem were Cade and Regulus. They were all fast. They all shared a small build with high crested conformation. Godolphin became the stallion everybody wanted to breed their mares to. At one point it was said that if it wasn’t a Godolphin, it wasn’t a winner. Godolphin stock dominated English racing. Although virtually all modern race horses can trace their lineage back to the Darley Arabian, Godolphin is responsible for the greatness of countless dominating horses of today. As mentioned Man O’War, Sea Biscuit, and War Admiral were Godolphins, but Godolphin lineage is also responsible for modern greats like Tiz Now, and Funny Cide.
One mans passion for horse racing trickled down centuries helping sculpt modern horse racing as we know it. In no other sport can we trace back the lineage of its athletes hundreds of years. The story of the Godolphin is a fascinating example of selective breeding, and the evolution of speed. Today we might have the Distorted Humor’s, the Storm Cat’s, or Forty Niner’s, but there never again will be a horse that exerts so much influence as the great Godolphin. Then again we have the sim world, which is a whole new history of breeding to be rewritten. It makes me wonder what sim horse will go on to be the Godolphin of the sim world. Hopefully that horse ends up in my stable! Good luck in your quest for the ultimate thoroughbred, and remember one horse can build an empire!
Works Cited:
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Godolphin_Arabian
Further Reading:
http://www.tbheritage.com/Portraits/GodolphinArabian.html