The award winners are selected on criteria designated by the Dubai Racing Club (DRC), overseen by the Trustee's Committee. The public selects the People's Choice Award. The full list of winners are as follows:

• Best Horse: Equinox (Jpn) (Kitasan Black {Jpn})
• Best Jockey: Ryan Moore
• Best Trainer: Aidan O'Brien
• Best Owner: Silk Racing
• People's Choice: Hamdan Sultan Al Sabusi
• Lifetime Achievement: Colonel Ali Khamis Al Jafleh & Sheikh Abdulla Al Qasemi
• Excellence Award: Saeed bin Suroor

“We are honoured to receive a prestigious award such as this one,” said Masashi Yonemoto, representing Silk Racing. “Equinox's win here in Dubai was very special and we enjoyed watching the horses who finished behind him go on to win several big races around the world.”

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And they saved the best for last, as Cody's Wish (Curlin), whose story resonated with nearly every fan of Thoroughbred racing and beyond, was named Horse of the Year and champion older dirt male for a season in which he won four times from five starts for trainer Bill Mott, including a towering victory in the GI Hill 'n' Dale Metropolitan H. in June and a nails-tough defense of his title in the GI Breeders' Cup Dirt Mile, overcoming plenty of adversity in the process.

For all they have accomplished in their rich history on the North American continent, Godolphin was being represented by its first Horse of the Year and Mott was named outstanding trainer for the fourth time in his Hall of Fame career, but first since 2011.

The Brendan Walsh-conditioned 'TDN Rising Star' Pretty Mischievous (Into Mischief) became Godolphin's first winner of America's premier race for sophomore fillies, the GI Longines Kentucky Oaks, and largely on the strength of that effort was named champion of her generation. She is an eighth champion for her sire, whose daughter Covfefe won the same award in 2019. And while falling short of championships, Godolphin's GI Breeders' Cup Mile hero Master of the Seas (Ire) (Dubawi {Ire}) and the narrowly defeated 'TDN Rising Star' Mawj (Ire) (Exceed and Excel {Aus}) received the third-most number of first-place votes in the male and female turf divisions, respectively.

With 27 victories in North American graded stakes, including 12 at Grade I level, Godolphin was the outstanding owner for the fourth year in a row and outstanding breeder for a third straight time.

A year after accounting for three divisional champions, Hill 'n' Dale Farm's sensational Curlin was responsible for another trifecta in 2023. In addition to Cody's Wish, the recently turned 20-year-old was also represented Thursday evening by Elite Power (Curlin), who took home a second consecutive award as champion sprinter; and by Idiomatic (Curlin), whose meteoric rise through the ranks was capped by an ultra-tough victory in the GI Breeders' Cup Distaff. Curlin's daughter Malathaat was champion older dirt female of 2022. While Elite Power has joined the stallion barn at Juddmonte Farms in Lexington, Idiomatic will aim for another championship, as she remains in training in 2024.

The female sprint division also saw a repeat champion, as Goodnight Olive (Ghostzapper) parlayed a second straight victory in the GI Breeders' Cup Filly and Mare Sprint into an Eclipse Award, easily outpointing 'TDN Rising Star' Echo Zulu (Gun Runner), whose chances were dashed by a career-ending injury while prepping for the Filly & Mare Sprint.

There were no surprises in the male turf category, as Up to the Mark (Not This Time) became a second champion in two years and third overall for his rising stallion, having won Grade Is at a mile, mile and an eighth and mile and a quarter before finishing second to 'TDN Rising Star' Auguste Rodin (Ire) (Deep Impact {Jpn}) in the GI Longines Breeders' Cup Turf going 12 furlongs. While the voters did not go for the latter off his single American appearance, they did in large numbers for Inspiral (GB) (Frankel {GB}), who–in perhaps the evening's most surprising result–took home the hardware for turf female following her scintillating score in the GI Breeders' Cup Filly and Mare Turf. She is a first American champion for the Banstead Manor resident and his sixth all totaled.

Arcangelo (Arrogate) was much preferred to Auguste Rodin and became his much-missed sire's first champion in the 3-year-old male division, with victories in the GI Belmont S. and GI Travers S. Scratched on the eve of the GI Breeders' Cup Classic, the gray stands his first season at Lane's End in 2024.

Courtesy of his bounceback success in the GI Breeders' Cup Juvenile, 'TDN Rising Star' Fierceness also gave his sire City of Light a first champion in the 2-year-old male division. There was also little suspense in the 2-year-old filly ranks, as the undefeated GI Breeders' Cup Juvenile Fillies heroine Just F Y I (Justify) became the first North American champion for her sire.

Merry Maker (Ire) (Malinas {Ger}), who won the G1-Stp Lonsome Glory H. at Aqueduct in September, was a relatively narrow winner of the Eclipse for champion steeplechase horse.

In the other human divisions, Irad Ortiz, Jr. won his fifth Eclipse in six years as outstanding jockey and Axel Concepcion was the runaway winner of the Eclipse for the country's top apprentice. Stuart S. Janney III received the Eclipse Award of Merit, broadcaster Tom Hammond the Special Eclipse Award for Career Excellence and Paul Calia for Horseplayer of the Year.

The TDN Writers' Room Podcast was among the media award winners recognized for the 'Wade and Carson Jost' episode from Sept. 20, 2023. On hand to accept the award were co-producer Anthony LaRocca, editor Alia LaRocca and podcast panelists Zoe Cadman and Randy Moss.

The Eclipse Awards are voted upon by the NTRA, Daily Racing Form (DRF) and the National Turf Writers And Broadcasters (NTWAB). The votes are tabulated and certified by LBMC. Voters are asked to identify their top three candidates when submitting their ballots and the three finalists in each division were made public on Jan. 6. Eclipse Award winners are determined by first-place votes only. Of 250 eligible voters, 219 (88%) completed a ballot.

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Cauthen becomes just the fifth rider to be inducted into the Hall of Fame, while Pebbles becomes the first of her gender to be inducted alongside the likes of Frankel (GB) and his legendary late sire Galileo (Ire). Cauthen and Pebbles teamed to win the 1985 Eclipse S. at Sandown.

Now 63, Cauthen is the only jockey in history to have ridden the winners of both the Derby and Kentucky Derby and is the youngest to have ever won the US Triple Crown aboard Affirmed in 1978. He is the only jockey to appear on the cover of TIME magazine, which he did alongside the late boxer Muhammad Ali. Cauthen was Britain's champion jockey on three occasions and rode the winners of 10 English Classics, all but one for trainer Sir Henry Cecil, including Derby winners Slip Anchor and Reference Point.

“I'm grateful to have had so many brilliant opportunities on both sides of the pond and to still be recognised for my achievements is really quite special to me.

“Having been inducted into America's Hall of Fame some years back, it's an honour to now celebrate my induction into Great Britain's Hall of Fame, and I'm looking forward to marking this moment with family and friends on QIPCO British Champions Day at Ascot later this month.”

Trained by Clive Brittain, Pebbles overcame quirkiness and a variety of setbacks and became the first British-conditioned winner of a Breeders' Cup race when successful in the 1985 Turf at Aqueduct. She had previous won the G1 1000 Guineas and the G1 Champion S. at Newmarket prior to her American conquest.

Said Brittain, “I still think about her today and can see her fresh in my mind, particularly with her boyfriend, Come On The Blues. Theirs was a great love story and he accompanied her wherever she went–even travelling out to America with her for the Breeders' Cup Turf. That day was the only time that I've been racing and felt nervous, but I just did the same as we'd have done at home and it all worked out.”

Speaking on behalf of Godolphin, the racing operation owned by His Highness Sheikh Mohammed, Pebbles's owner, managing director Hugh Anderson added, “Pebbles was a uniquely talented and very tough racehorse with an outstanding race record. She truly was one of the best racehorses of the 1980s and a flagbearer for His Highness Sheikh Mohammed's racing operation at the time. She is a very deserving inductee to the Hall of Fame and His Highness is delighted to see her achievements recognised in this way.”

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“Midshipman, the last Grade I winner for Stonerside, became the first Grade I winner from the purchase for Sheikh Mohammed with his Breeders' Cup Juvenile win just a month later. I'm happy to say a great many of us are still with Godolphin, 15 years on. And yes, I admit 'Shippy' gets extra apple slices from me every week, something Nyquist has long been suspicious of as he peers at us from across the aisle of the stallion barn.”

Midshipman (2006 chestnut horse, Unbridled's Song–Fleet Lady, by Avenue of Flags)

Lifetime record: Ch. 2yo colt, MGISW, 8-5-1-1, $1,584,600

Breeders' Cup connections: B-Stonerside Stable (KY); O-Darley Stable; T-Bob Baffert; J-Garrett Gomez.

Current location: Darley America, Lexington, Ky.

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The conference, “Impact and Influence”, attracted over 100 graduates from around the world. During the prelude, the focus was on His Highness Sheikh Mohammed and Godolphin Charitable Initiatives led by Godolphin Flying Start Chair Joe Osborne. Diana Cooper, Godolphin's Strategic Adviser for Charities was also among the speakers, as was Lisa Jane Graffard (Class of 2005). Class of 2008 alum Gina Bryce hosted the conference.

Other speakers during the evening included GFS Executive Director Clodagh Kavanagh; CEO of CPL, Lorna Conn; entrepreneur Heinrich Anhold, founder of Stable Lab; Cathal Beale, CEO of the Irish National Stud (Class of 2010); Anna Jones, author of the book “Divide”; and Michael Hardy (2012).

The award winners of the night were:

• Rising Star Leadership Award: Annise Montplaisir (2021), the Executive Director of Amplify Horseracing
• Rising Star Business Award: Tim Donworth (2018), French trainer
• Leadership Excellence Award: Craig Rounsefell (2007), CEO of Boomer Bloodstock and Chair of the Federation of Bloodstock Agents Australia
• Business Excellence Award: Gary King (2010), Senior Vice-President, Thoroughbred Daily News & President of TDN AusNZ.

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Cody's Wish (Curlin) added another chapter to racing's feel-good story with a powerful, come-from-behind victory in the stallion-making GI Hill 'N' Dale Metropolitan H.

The GI Kentucky Oaks winner and 'TDN Rising Star' Pretty Mischievous (Into Mischief) validated her upset neck victory on the first Friday in May with a heart-stopping victory in the GI Acorn S.

The up-and-coming Loved (Medaglia d'Oro)–a 4-year-old half-sister to MGISW and young Darley stallion Maxfield (Street Sense)–made it three straight runaway wins with a 12-length victory in an optional claimer in the Ellis slop on Sunday.

The 'Boys in Blue' also won last Friday's GII Belmont Gold Cup with Siskany (GB) (Dubawi {Ire}) and finished third with both 425,000gns TATOCT buy Ottoman Fleet (GB) (Sea The Stars {Ire}) (the lone auction purchase of the group) in Saturday's GI Manhattan S. and 'TDN Rising Star' Strobe (Into Mischief) in the GII True North S., respectively.

TDN's Senior Racing Editor Steve Sherack caught up with Godolphin USA Director of Bloodstock Michael Banahan earlier this week to discuss some of the highlights from last weekend as well as domestic summer plans for Sheikh Mohammed's high-powered global operation. Banahan also provided an update on 'TDN Rising Star' First Mission (Street Sense), who was a late scratch from last month's GI Preakness S.

Q: Cody's Wish seems like a good place to start. He made it six straight wins while matching his previous career high Beyer Speed Figure of 112 in the Met Mile. Bill Mott said a title defense in the seven-furlong GI Forego S. (at Saratoga Aug. 26) could be in the cards for Cody's Wish later this summer, but also left the door open for potentially stretching him out to 1 1/8 miles for the GI Whitney S. (at Saratoga Aug. 5). Has there been much dialogue yet regarding his summer campaign?

MB: It's certainly a good discussion point. It's just unfortunate that there's not really any race at his distance that suits at the moment. And it's a long time from the first week in June until the last weekend in August. So, we'll have to decide what's the best route for him. He's gone over a mile a couple of times unsuccessfully (finished third going 1 1/8 miles at Saratoga second out in 2021 and finished a close second in the GIII Challenger S. at Tampa last March), but there's probably reasons for that. We feel like he's a better racehorse now than he was 12 months ago. He's more professional and Junior Alvarado has gotten to know him and rides him very well.

We also have (2022 GI Clark S. winner and this year's GI Santa Anita H. runner-up and GII Oaklawn H. winner) Proxy (Tapit) that's gonna run in the (GI) Stephen Foster (S. at Ellis Park July 1), hopefully. Those races that are 1 1/8-miles plus suit him very well. We'll probably wait until after he runs in the Stephen Foster, then see where the cards lay.

But the Whitney or the Forego are the two obvious races for Cody's Wish. We'll just wait and see. It's a wonderful position to be in.

We saw what he did last weekend in the Met Mile and it was another step up for him. He just seems to be getting to a different level. It's hard to tell if they want to stay any further until you actually try them. They can gallop out well, but in all honestly, when you get to the winner line, that's the end of the race. It doesn't really count what you do afterwards.

Q: It's always great to see the Kentucky Oaks winner back up their form in the Acorn on Belmont Stakes weekend. Will Pretty Mischievous follow up in the GI Coaching Club American Oaks at Saratoga on July 22?

MB: We might go in a little bit of a different direction with her. She has a lot of pace as we've seen in the Oaks and in the Acorn. She travels extremely well. We are very tempted to back her up a little bit and go in the (GI) Test (S. going seven furlongs at Saratoga Aug. 5) instead. We think that's a race that she has enough pace for and it might suit her even better. We'll have a good strong look at that. Nothing written in stone. We also have the Oaks favorite Wet Paint (Blame) drawn in this weekend in the Monomoy Girl S. at Ellis Park. We feel that the Coaching Club Oaks–depending how she gets on this weekend–might come into play for her.

Q: What's the excitement level like having a Kentucky Oaks winner and another sophomore filly of such a high caliber–and both homebreds–carry the Godolphin blue?

MB: We've always liked Pretty Mischievous. We never felt that she ever let us down, but she probably is only getting the respect that she deserves now. And maybe that's a little bit to do with her racing style where she sort of waits on horses a little bit and ends up being in tight finishes. We've always been very high on her and going into the Kentucky Oaks–I said it at the time–that I couldn't really separate the two fillies. And I still think that they're very equal talent wise.

I don't think we saw the best of Wet Paint that day (in the Oaks). Flavien Prat came back and said that she didn't really take to the Churchill surface as well as she did to Oaklawn. I might be a little bit biased, but the record is out there for everyone else to see that we maybe have the two best 3-year-old fillies in the country. We're very excited to see what the balance of the year will hold for them. We'll try to keep them separated from each other for the near future.

Q: She's missed a lot of time, but Maxfield's half-sister Loved continues to make up for it. She was super impressive once again winning over the weekend at Ellis Park, her third straight victory since sitting on the shelf for more than a year. The patient approach by Brendan Walsh certainly looks like it's all paying off now. Is there a stakes race with her name on it next out?

MB: We've been waiting on her a long time. Brendan had to be very patient with her. We were hoping to get her running down in Florida in the winter time and different things conspired where we didn't get a start in her. She's developed mentally and physically since. She was one filly that we were very much looking forward to getting back to the racetrack and seeing what she could do and she hasn't let us down. She's taking those nice building-block races and getting a little bit more experience every time. She looks like she's very talented. We'll take it slowly, but we're probably looking at the GIII Molly Pitcher on Haskell day (July 22) at Monmouth for her. She deserves to get into a graded race now and see where we are. If she stays healthy and well, we'll have some nice days down the road with her.

Q: First Mission's GIII Stonestreet Lexington S. form was further flattered over the weekend when both Arabian Lion (Justify) (GI Woody Stephens S.) and Disarm (Gun Runner) (GIII Matt Winn S.) won impressively. Obviously a crushing blow to have to scratch him out of the Preakness last month. What's the latest on him?

MB: We're just giving him a little bit of time off. We'll regroup next month and see where we stand. Get him reevaluated and try and get him back on track again. No need to rehash our Preakness disappointment. But it was a pretty crushing one. We thought we had maybe the best horse in the race. But, anyway, we saw what Arabian Lion did in the Woody Stephens and we felt like we beat him pretty readily in the Lexington.

Look, First Mission is a very talented horse. We just look forward now rather than backwards and hopefully in the fall and next year we're gonna have an exceptionally nice horse for some big days down the road.

Q: What was the diagnosis? Was it an issue with his left hind leg that led to the time off?

MB: Not really, it was a little bit of bone bruising. Nothing major, relatively insignificant. We'll just give him that little bit of time (60 days off). He seems like he's doing OK and enjoying his time off. We're looking forward to getting him back going again.

Q: Glancing over her worktab, it looks like Matareya (Pioneerof the Nile) has bounced out of her win in the GI Derby City Distaff S. on Kentucky Derby day in good form. What kind of targets does she have lined up for the summer and fall?

MB: It's a funny program. We had the Distaff set up nicely in the spring and then there's not any races at the Grade I level–the Breeders' Cup champion (Goodnight Olive) is having a run this weekend in a Grade II in New York (in the GII Bed O' Roses S.).

Matareya, we wanted to keep her at home. We're gonna run her in the (GIII) Chicago (S. at Ellis Park June 24). She obviously likes Churchill Downs and we were expecting to be running at Churchill Downs. But she'll take a day trip down to Ellis and hopefully lead us to the (GI) Ballerina (H. at Saratoga Aug. 26). She's doing well. We're very happy with her. She improved from her first race of the year at Oaklawn (second in Matron S.), which we were hoping would happen. There's some really nice sprinting fillies out there and she's at the top end of the table with them. We were delighted with her win at Churchill. She's tactically very astute and has that speed to put herself in a good position to win those type of races. Looking forward to a big second half of the year with her.

Q: Final question. Three Grade I victories over Kentucky Derby weekend, led by a win in the Kentucky Oaks, and another two during the Belmont Stakes Racing Festival, including the prestigious Met Mile. What does this level of success on racing's biggest stages–all with homebreds–mean for the operation?

MB: It's what we get out of bed every morning for. It's all the hard work over the previous years that lead up to that to try and develop these horses and get a broodmare band established that we feel like we have an opportunity to do so. It takes plenty of luck to get there as well. We had a massive Derby weekend and to back it up with Pretty Mischievous winning the Acorn and Cody's Wish winning the Met Mile–we were especially delighted to be able to provide the assist for Bill Mott to get his first Met Mile win.

They're the weekends you look forward to all year long and want to be winning on. We realize that we've been fortunate and on a great run here lately. It means everything to all of our people that work on the farms in Kentucky and also to Godolphin globally as well. We had people over from Europe and for them to see what we're achieving over here in America first hand was great. And back in Dubai for Godolphin's founder Sheikh Mohammed, who takes a great interest in how we're doing in America as well. I think he got a big kick out of seeing those horses perform at that level. We all have a great pep in our step on Monday morning after those big weekends.

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Bred by Mill Ridge Farm, the Mar. 16 foal was a $45,000 Keeneland November weanling turned $290,000 Keeneland September yearling when sold to Darley Stud Management from the Mill Ridge Sales consignment. Trained by John Gosden, Flemensfirth won on debut at two, before taking the G1 Prix Lupin as a 3-year-old in 1995 and the G1 Premio Roma at four in the colours of Sheikh Mohammed. Retired to The Beeches Stud in 1998, he carried a mark of 9-5-1-0 and $368,739 in earnings to stud with him.

“Flemensfirth was a fantastic stallion and a great character who will be sadly missed by everyone here,” said Robert McCarthy. “We are extremely grateful to all the staff here along with our vets and farriers who took such good care of him throughout his time at the Beeches. We would also like to thank all the breeders who supported him and made him champion sire and to the Magnier Family who entrusted us with him. He covered 22 full seasons before enjoying his retirement in great health right until the end. He was in his paddock until 9 o'clock last night.”

Known primarily as a sire of top-class jumpers, Flemensfirth's best progeny include G1 Cheltenham Gold Cup hero Imperial Commander (Ire), Flemenstar (Ire), Tidal Bay (Ire), Lostintranslation (Ire), Tornado Flyer (Ire), Colreevy (Ire), Relegate (Ire), Total Enjoyment (Ire), and Royal Ascot winner Jennies Jewel (Ire).

From the family of GI Frizette S. heroine Bundler (Raise A Native), the bay was also related to GI Santa Barbara H. heroine Mountain Bear (GB) (Welsh Pageant {Fr}). His final crop of foals were born in 2019.

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Question: What is the only race in the history of the Dubai World Cup that has never been won by the host?

That statement feels like an enormous anomaly, given all the success down the years at old Nad Al Sheba Racecourse and here at Meydan Racecourse, but true it is all the same. It is a record that Harry Sweeney, the president of the Japanese arm of Sheikh Mohammed's global operation, hopes will change this weekend when American-bred and -sourced Lemon Pop (Lemon Drop Kid) takes on five U.S.-based sprinters and significant Japanese-bred challenge in the 1200-meter race.

Moments after the clean chestnut, bred in the names of former Darley executive Olly Tait and his wife, completed some light work under the early-morning lights at Meydan Wednesday, Sweeney graciously took a few minutes out of his busy schedule to talk about the acquisition of Lemon Pop, his rise to Group 1 winner and what the future may hold.

Alan Carasso: First of all, how has Lemon Pop come out of his victory in the G1 February S.?

Harry Sweeney: Yeah, he's come out well. It's a five-week gap, which we thought was reasonable, between the February S. and this race. He's a 5-year-old, but he's still very lightly raced. He's only raced 11 times. But I watched him warm up down there [in the 1600-meter chute] this morning. He's not at times the most fluent of movers, but he's moving well now. So I'm very pleased with that. The trainer seemed happy with him. He traveled reasonably well, a little bit off his food for the first few days, but he's back to grubbing. He's a big strong horse and he moved well this morning, so I'd say he's good.

AC: When did Lemon Pop arrive here into Dubai?

HS: He got in here last Tuesday, I believe. Tuesday of last week.

AC: Under the Paca Paca Farm banner, you guys selected him as a weanling at Keeneland ($70,000 in November 2018), and I know you guys tend to do that, pick them up as foals. What's the philosophy of buying them at that young age?

HS: Well, the reason is it's a model of logistics really, because, I mean, I'm buying these for Japan and of course if we buy in the yearling market, then it's pretty congested already with Godolphin people. We have the UK Godolphin team buying and also Shadwell buying when they were buying a lot of horses.

So we're the 'small boy' in the organization. So there was a lot of congestion in that area and it was just easier to buy them as foals, really, and to avoid that.

AC: And where do these types of purchases go after you buy them?

HS: He came to Japan, Lemon Pop was bought in November and he came straight to Japan, and so he spent his yearling year in Japan, on the farm.

AC: What was it about him that attracted you at Keeneland?

LEMON POP @godolphin in the house!#DWC23 pic.twitter.com/fQkdN3cArS

— Dubai Racing Club (@RacingDubai) March 18, 2023

HS: Well, if I'm perfectly honest, I mean, I probably short-listed him on the basis that I thought he might run on turf. Lemon Drop Kid can get a few decent turf runners and the mare being by Giant's Causeway, I thought there's a chance this horse might run on turf. So I'd say that's the reason that I looked at him in the first place.

But when I did look at him, I mean, physically he's a very, very well-balanced, well-proportioned horse. I mean, I really, really like that about him. He was an average mover, but I thought he was just a very, very well-balanced horse. And that's the reason I bought him.

AC: Like you pointed out, he's only made the 11 starts but for eight wins and over $2.2 million in earnings. He's a 5-year-old now. Were there any serious issues, or just little niggling issues that kept him from stringing starts together?

HS: Yeah. Well, after he won–I think–his second start, I mean, he showed enormous talent initially. Even at the second start, we were already clear that this horse had the ability and we already had kind of marked him down as a Group 1 horse, maybe not a Group 1 winner, but a Group 1 horse. And we were considering and coming even to we kind of planning, really hoping, to come to the [G2] UAE Derby [in 2021]. But then fate intervened, hit a small issue. We took numerous X-rays and we had four different veterinary opinions, all different, the most expensive veterinary opinions in the world. He had what looked like a little bit of fracture line there. We were just a bit worried in the end and we opted to be conservative and so we gave him time off, which was probably the right decision. Because listen, we were aware of that ability and we didn't want to compromise that. We were happy to wait.

AC: Coming here, you had a choice between whether to stay at the mile [for the G2 Godolphin Mile] or cut back in trip for the Dubai Golden Shaheen. What ultimately led to the decision to keep him short?

HS: Firstly, the trainer always believes this horse is a sprinter. And even when we ran in the February S. over a mile, the trainer really wasn't that enthusiastic about him, to be honest. We had to kind of lean on him to even run in the February S., but I mean these decisions are made for us. There are only two Group1 races on dirt on the JRA [circuit]. So, where do you go if you have a horse of this caliber? You have little option, you must go there. And to be honest, we're thinking of his next career when he finishes as a stallion. I mean, he's already secured his place. It was important to win a Group 1 in Japan. And so that's why we went there. Okay. Now the reverse is true. That's why we're here as well. Where else would he go in Japan? The next Group 1 in the JRA on dirt is [the1800-meter G1 Champions Cup in December} and the trainer also wants to sprint. In fact, it was the trainer's preference initially to come here and avoid the February S., not even to run there.

So we'll see how he goes. It's a bit of an ask because he he's never run over six furlongs [Ed's Note: Lemon Pop broke his maiden at first asking going 1300 meters or 6 1/2 furlongs]. So that's a first for him. Equally, running on this type of dirt surface with the kickback, we're not sure about that. We have a young jockey aboard. The trainer is traveling his first horse abroad. We're all rookies here. It's a bit of an ask, but we feel there's little to be lost. To be honest, I vacillated between going for this or the Mile. We did it give it real consideration. I think when [champion and GI Breeders' Cup Sprint hero] Elite Power came out of the sprint and when we had a feeling that he wasn't going to come, that changed us. When he was in, we were going to go for the other race. So they were part of the reasons and the trainer's belief as well. He's a sprinter. Let's see how he goes.

AC: My next question sort of dovettails off of that. If he's not going to stretch out to nine furlongs, if he is not a horse for the Champion's Cup, what is there for him left at home? Any thoughts of sending him to the States?

HS: The February S. is a 'Win and You're In' race for the Breeders' Cup, the Classic, and I think we might be able to use it for a different race. I'd say we're not ruling out. These decisions might be much easier to make on Sunday, but we're not ruling it out. But he'll go back to Japan, we're going to give him a spell. He'll go to the farm straight away after the race one way or the other. There is a race called the JBC Sprint in Japan [Nov. 3], which is a local Japan Group 1 race. But even though it doesn't have international graded status, it's a big race in Japan and it's an extremely competitive race. And that's a six-furlong sprint. I wouldn't rule out a run in the Champions Cup either. We're ambitious in Japan. We have little to be restricted about it.

AC: And finally, How does it feel to have one of yours run here in front of the boss?

HS: Oh, that's very important. And listen, we hope he runs well and if he runs well, we'd be pleased. The boss is a true internationalist. And it's fashionable, so it would be nice to have. And this is the only race that Godolphin have never won, so it would be nice to tick that box.

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“It's just a huge honour and privilege to be appointed as auctioneer now for the second year by the Dubai Racing Club and the chairman, Sheikh Rashid bin Dalmook Al Maktoum, and it's a great feather in our cap that we are the appointed auctioneers to Sheikh Mohammed, really,” said Henry Beeby, Goffs Group Chief Executive.

Nothing breeds future success like past success, and Beeby is quietly optimistic that this year's renewal outperform the results from 12 months ago.

“It was a great success year one, the vendors have done a mighty, mighty job in learning a huge amount about what's required,” he said. “We've got a really good collection of horses, we've got global interest and we're very excited about the outcome for the sale.”

Beeby credits Goffs International Clients Relations Consultant Tom Taaffe, Nick Nugent and Gerry Hogan for their collective work in liaising with the sale vendors in recruiting the types of horses that can succeed at the races, be it in the Gulf region or beyond, now and in the future. Taaffe suggested that the freedom to travel abroad during 2022 has made the task at hand significantly easier.

“The vendors, purchasers, Goffs and the Dubai Racing Club have learned much from last year,” said Taaffe. “This year, the vendors–without any COVID restrictions–have moved around the globe, particularly the States, and picked up what they feel is suitable to come to this sale. I would say that the results will reflect that proof out on Tuesday night.”

The variety of horses on offer will suit all budgets, said Taaffe.

“Goffs and the Dubai Racing Club have produced a world-class catalogue to be held in a world-class country,” he said. “The horses in the catalogue are designed to be at three levels, there are many purchases that are top level and middle level and a slightly lower level. We are happy to present these horse to any audience.”

'Three-Quarter Speed Work On the Bridle'

Beeby would know a thing or two about breeze-up sales, as his late father Harry was the former chairman of Doncaster Bloodstock Sales (now Goffs UK), which launched the concept of such an auction in the 1970s. An old-school mentality has been agreed to by the auctioneer and the Dubai Racing Club to allow the sales horses a chance to display their innate ability under tack without necessarily emptying the tank. This year's gallops took place Monday over the synthetic training track.

“This is a breeze-up with a difference because virtually every other breeze-up held around the world are very clock-based,” said Beeby. “When I first started with my father, what people were looking for in those days was a good three-quarter speed work on the bridle showing potential. That's what we told the vendors last year and I think it sat very well.”

Taaffe added: “We have to credit His Highness Sheikh Mohammed and His Highness Sheikh Rashid for agreeing with Goffs to run the sale with no clocks. There is no timing here, it's not based on speed, it's about producing the most quality horse that will develop with more of a 3-year-old programme in mind and longer longevity because they race at four, five, six, seven here. Having no clock here is a big thing, we can give a horse a chance to develop and its head not to be blown. The emphasis is more on the longevity and a good career rather than speed.”

Take Two

During last year's inaugural sale, 55 2-year-olds (from 69 offered) changed hands for turnover of €8,467,630, good for an average of €153,957 and a median price of €99,169. The event was topped by a colt by the wildly successful Hill 'n' Dale Kentucky-based Curlin who fetched just shy of €620,000 from Mohammed Al Subousi.

The 2022 Breeze-Up received a timely endorsement when two of its graduates–Go Soldier Go (Tapiture, €123,962) and Mr Raj (Bolt d'Oro, €86,773)–finished first and second, respectively, in the Listed Al Bastakiya S. on Super Saturday Mar. 4. The duo face a rematch in Saturday's G2 UAE Derby. Big Red Farm purchased Labeling (GB) (Frankel {GB}) for just over €520,638 at last year's event and watched as the half-brother to G3 Chartwell Fillies S. winner and G1 Matron S. runner-up Lily's Angel (Ire) (Dark Angel {Ire}) and to the stakes-winning and multiple Group 2-placed Zurigha (Ire) (Cape Cross {Ire}) won his maiden at first asking before finishing third, beaten a half-length, in the G1 Asahi Hai Futurity last December.

“We've had 14 individual winners out of the sale now, six different countries,” said Taaffe. “People are aware of that and I would expect it to fester and grow from there. This is a world-class sale, make no doubt about it. It can stand up properly over the test of time.”

Beeby believes there was a bit of a feeling-out process among buyers and sellers alike last year which he expects to have dissipated this time around.

“There was plenty of interest last year, but there's definitely been greater interest this year,” he said. “A lot of people watched last year, and we were pleased with the results, but there were people watching and monitoring and now they've seen the success.”

The team at Goffs and the Dubai Racing Club are committed to grow and evolve as necessary, and Beeby believes that will be on full display during Tuesday's sale.

“I think the greatest thing we all learned was what that particular market wants and what works there,” he said. “The horses that did well at the sale were the dirt horses or the real top-of-the-range European horses–the Frankels and Dubawis. You've got to work to your market. We've got another good bunch.”

For the entire Dubai Breeze-Up catalogue, please click here.

Love this as a venue for a sale. #Dubaibreezeup pic.twitter.com/3JJfHTLKc4

— Laura King لورا كنج 金樂雅 (@LauraKingDXB) March 19, 2023

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As an adolescent, Burke was the first person ever to sit on the back of Midnight Court, subsequently winner of the 1978 Cheltenham Gold Cup. Four decades later, he took an unsung role in the success of Mystic Guide (Ghostzapper) in the G1 Dubai World Cup, having welcomed the horse into his care as rehab trainer for Godolphin. In between, Burke has accumulated memories and expertise that makes it a true privilege to intrude on his company, in the apt seclusion of the auxiliary stabling below the Rice Road perimeter of Keeneland racetrack.

“I'm just a small cog in a big wheel,” he protests. “My crew here, when the horses have gone back to the trainers, they're all in here screaming at the TV. That's what I love to see.”

This determined effacement of his own role will not be shared by anyone else in the American branch of Sheikh Mohammed's racing empire. Talk to the trainers, talk to the team at Jonabell, and you'll often hear grateful reference to how Burke has redeemed the potential of priceless animals. Since hiring him in 2006, they have been able to rotate a constant floating population–seldom more than 30, but by now around 2,000 in aggregate–of horses that need to regroup or reset.

“We're very fortunate that we have trainers who catch things early,” Burke says. “But, of course, stuff happens with horses that's unavoidable, and a lot of young horses will have setbacks. With those, there's still a lot going on: they're still growing, still learning. But with all of them, ideally, you want them to graduate back out of this barn so that their progression can continue. They obviously all come here for a reason: maybe a soft tissue, a bit of surgery. And you're never sure if that might have left an impression. So my philosophy would always be, besides physical rehab, that they'll often need to get their confidence back as well. That was always a big thing with my old man: their confidence.”

Ah, yes, the old man. Like so many Irishmen of his generation who have found a niche in the American industry, Burke benefited from a hardboot upbringing with a strong steeplechasing flavor. Indeed, when he lost his father three years ago, the whole sport in his homeland lost a precious connection. Mick Burke had been the last living apprentice of Vincent O'Brien's Clashganniff era. In his youth, he had schooled Cottage Rake.

So far as his son is concerned, however, the key phase of Burke, Sr.'s varied and colorful career was his service as private trainer to Viscount Petersham (later Earl of Harrington) on Richmond Stud in Co Limerick. This was where Burke was raised, and where he was first hoisted onto big, rangy steeplechasers when no more than 12 years old.

Burke will never forget the first piece of work he ever rode.

“Upsides with dad,” he recalls. “No helmets. I would have been about 15. We went into this big stubble field, we weren't really supposed to be in there, and the old man said, 'Right, just get a hold of him and sit quiet.' And we just winged it up that hill. Some buzz. I'd never felt anything like it. After that, it was all I wanted.”

One of the raw young horses Burke helped his father to break had been bought cheaply for the boss from Toss Taaffe: by Twilight Alley out of a mare named Strumpet.

“And actually I was the first person across his back,” Burke says. “We broke him at Richmond and Dad ran him a couple of times. I think he just gave him a run in a maiden hurdle first up, in Down Royal, and might have got 'called in' over that! And then he went to Mallow and won a bumper.”

That earned Midnight Court a place in the Tom Costello nursery. Around that time, however, Petersham decided that he was being driven out of Ireland by taxes, and sold up for Monte Carlo.

“So the question was what should they do with the Twilight Alley horse, over at Tom's?” Burke recalls. “So the old man got in touch with Fred Winter, picked him up at Shannon airport, and they went out to look at the horse. I think the guvnor [i.e. Winter] might even have popped him over a pole. Anyway the deal was done, the horse went over to England as a novice, and won the Gold Cup the next season.”

Burke himself would end up following Midnight Court to Uplands, after first becoming one of many compatriots indebted to Dr. Michael Osborne's course at the Irish National Stud.

“It's funny how many people come from the jump game and end up doing the type of thing we're doing now,” Burke muses. “But I think all of us, in my generation, were at the last cusp of the old school. In those days the guvnor would come round evening stables, and you twisted in your doorways and stood your horses up. It just gave me a good grounding.”

Burke had absorbed his education so well that Osborne asked him back to the National Stud to assist the next intake as a yard foreman. And it proved to be some crop, that year: Niall Brennan, Eoin Harty, James Keogh, Jim FitzGerald, Sam Bradley, Michael O'Hagan.

There had, after all, been another dimension to Burke's education at home: he had worked with the yearlings at Dooneen Stud, an annex of Greenmount (since largely absorbed by Limerick racecourse) where the Stanhope family housed a number of fast stallions.

“Huntercombe, a Derring-Do horse, held the record for a long time at Longchamp,” Burke recalls. “When I was working at Winter's, there was a lad there who used to ride him on the gallops at [Guy] Harwood's. He said he was the only horse he ever had to work wearing goggles! They also had Pitcairn, who sired Ela-Mana-Mou out of Rose Bertin. I remember her when she came to Pampapaul at the Irish National Stud. He'd beaten The Minstrel in the Irish Guineas but was a terribly slow breeder. He bit her, she turned and kicked, and he whipped out of the way so quick that she caught me over the eye. We'd be sent into a different shed with Pampapaul, he might take two or three hours and hold everyone up. But then that Yellow God line was all very quirky.”

That's just one small sample of how Burke's reminiscences are strewn with names that make you want to stop him so that he can take you down the next warren of stories. But we can't keep him all day, so let's fast forward: through a couple of years in Australia, turning down an offer to stay on from C.S. Hayes because he hadn't yet experienced Kentucky; then coming to the Bluegrass in 1983, aged 23, and finding Lexington full of guys he knew from back home.

“Though most of the ones who'd done the [National Stud] course all ended up on farms,” he says. “And all along I had always been the one who wanted to wear a helmet, the one who would end up on the track.”

But not, crucially, the only one. An Australian student, Murray Johnson, had come here to become a trainer, and would one day saddle Perfect Drift (Dynaformer) to run third in the Kentucky Derby.

Johnson is now back in Australia, but Burke called him recently and said, “You know, next March it'll be 40 years since you and I were having a beer one night here in Lexington. And you said, 'Come on, let's go down to Keeneland in the morning and get on some horses.'”

Burke continues the story: “So I bought a helmet and a pair of cowboy boots, and Murray said that we should help out this guy, he needed a couple of riders. It happened to be Carl Nafzger's barn–and I ended up staying with him six and a half years. We banged heads a fair bit, but I hope we both brought something to the table. I was there until '89 and the last two or three years, I had his second string. He'd say, 'This horse needs the Johnny Burke treatment.' And he'd send it over to me to get it right.”

Which is, of course, pretty much the role Burke has today. In between, however, there still remained a fairly long and winding road, not without moments of doubt. Again, we'll have to compress the tale a little.

Having tired of the traveling circuit, met future wife Patricia, and applied for residency, Burke was next indebted to Niall Brennan for introduction to a couple of opportunities. First was a pinhooking venture for Hong Kong clients in Ocala, “back in the days when 11: was still a good move” at the 2-year-old sales. And then Brennan heard that Tony Foyt was looking for an exercise rider back at Keeneland.

That gave Burke a foot back in the Kentucky door, but he was still making do with some part-time work at Gainsborough when a guy he'd met in Ocala rang and said he had a horse too mediocre to remain at Jonathan Sheppard's stable. Would he maybe take it on?

“So Howard Battle gave me this one stall down here on Rice Road,” Burke recalls. “I used to come in and train this horse, go off and do my day's work at Gainsborough, and then come back in at four to feed him.”

Burke still only had one charge, albeit with a few more promised, when next renting 10 boxes at what is now the Kentucky Horse Center. The bank wouldn't loan him the money for his first month's rent, so Patricia paid from her nursing wages. Friends like Robbie Lyons and Padraig Campion stepped up to the plate with clients, and for 15 years or so Burke held his own, exercising most of the horses himself.

“We did okay,” he says. “Didn't run a lot of horses, but I made a living and was able to go home once a year and do a bit of hunting. And I trained a couple of winners for Sheikh Mohammed. Michael Banahan had said to Jimmy Bell, 'These fillies are fairly fit, why don't we send them down to Johnny and see if he can break their maiden and we'll get them bred as well.' So I ended up sending back a few with their win pictures and a 42-day certificate of pregnancy.”

But the fact was that Burke was now well into his mid-forties, there were now twins at home, and he took a couple of bad falls in trackwork.

“Hunting falls were all right, you were full of port!” he says. “But one day up at Paris Pike I got kicked in the sternum and ended up in the ICU. Every now and then I still feel it. That was telling me, there and then, that my time was coming up. And it was shortly afterwards that Jimmy Bell called to say Darley were thinking of a permanent rehab and pre-training yard at Keeneland. Luckily I had the sense to see I was never going to get a chance like this again.”

Ever since, Burke has enjoyed the ideal equilibrium between his employers' unprecedented blend of quality and quantity, on the one hand, and a stable that always permits him an intimate connection with his charges.

“All the trainers have their different ways, but we're all aiming at the same thing,” he says. “Everybody's tied in, and it's pretty fine-tuned now. You know how long it should take you to get back from a certain issue or setback. You're training horses, same as you ever did, but really nice horses. The methods are no different, but there's great satisfaction.”

He gestures to one of the many framed photographs.

“Look up there,” he says. “Music Note (A.P. Indy). What I call one of our first 'charter members.' First group that ever came in here: she'd had minor setback, she was a little bit in limbo. Five Grade Is! Sometimes you have to remind yourself where you are. You don't take anything for granted, by any means. But look, there's Girolamo (A.P. Indy). That's Dickinson (Medaglia d'Oro). This right here is Wedding Toast (Street Sense). She had a few quirks as a 2-year-old, got confidence in herself and turned the corner. There's a mare the boss had out of Uruguay, Cocoa Beach (Chi) (Doneraile Coourt). She and Music Note just had the misfortune of being around the same year as Zenyatta (Street Cry {Ire}). Maxfield (Street Sense), he had a couple of visits here.

“It's great getting a couple of works into these horses and knowing they're in a good place. Or, sometimes, getting a nice surprise. Every now and then a horse comes in that has never really played his hand. Training horses, it's a bit like playing poker. You give him a bit of a squeeze and he looks at you, and you look at him: yeah, I know where you're at. But generally I just try to get them back in the game. If they're not comfortable, they'll usually tell you. And if they are enjoying themselves, they'll soon tell you that, too.”

It's a world apart from his boyhood, Midnight Court, that stubble field. But it's the same world, too.

“I've dealt with them all,” Burke says. “The black types and the white types! And, to me, they're all going to teach you something. I tell the 'Flying Start' students that it's never cut-and-dried, never black and white. If you don't have that connection, don't get their aura, you're better off doing something else. I love walking round the barn when it's quiet. That's when you might just see something, might suddenly connect. Because it's always about what you do when they're ready–and you're not going to do that, unless you get in touch with them.

“I think Dad was quite proud when I called and told him they'd offered me a spot here. It was him who taught me always to do things right. Do it properly. Of course, it was a different era. But while it may sound corny, I won't ever be satisfied, going home, unless I've put in a day's graft. And, as you get older, you look back and think: you know, it's been a bit of fun.”

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