Thoroughbred Origins: The Godolphin Arabian male bloodline part 1

Following the previously discussed ‘founding fathers’ of the modern Thoroughbred racehorse (the Byerley Turk and the Darley Arabian) the final piece of the dynastical jigsaw planted his hooves on British shores in 1729, twenty-five years after the latter’s arrival. The bay-brown Godolphin Arabian (c. 1724) was brought to England against a contentious backdrop of Arab, Barb or Turkoman heritage and tales of his being passed between Arabic and French-speaking monarchs before resurfacing as a cart horse lugging water around the capital of France.  

Recent specialist sleuthing argues that the horse was more likely from Arabian stock with origins in what is now Saudi Arabia/Yemen. On arriving in England the stallion stood in Derbyshire until 1733 before being purchased by the Second Earl of Godolphin for his stud at Gog Magog, Cambridgeshire. And there, the newly-named Arabian remained until his death, constantly accompanied by a feline companion. Despite the probability that parts of his colourful history were embellished, his impact on the Thoroughbred breed was never in doubt.

Initially used as a ‘teaser’ stallion, the Godolphin Arabian quickly proved his worth and established himself a leading sire of both numerous and valuable winners, heading his adopted country’s sire list several times, a feat also replicated by three of his sons. Lath was among his very best runners, as was the unbeaten Regulus, an eight-time champion sire who became maternal grandsire of the great Eclipse, founder of the Darley Arabian male line. But it was to be Lath’s orphaned own brother, Cade (1734), a far lesser racehorse, who would prove to be the superior stallion. 

Cade got a good racer in Matchem (1748), a hugely influential sire who carried the line towards modernity, and seven generations on it produced the first ever English Triple Crown winner, West Australian (1850). Of that stallion's sons, Solon (1861) forged a European branch whilst Australian began its North Americanequivalent. It is the former branch that will be discussed here.

Four generations (of at least respectable runners) along from Solon saw the Godolphin Arabian line strike gold with Hurry On (1913). Unbeaten in all his six races at three years up to a mile-and-three-quarters (including a Newmarket-based wartime substitute for the St Leger) he was described as a "giant with an electric burst of speed". At stud Hurry On became Leading Sire/Broodmare Sire in Britain/Ireland several times and sired three British Derby winners during the 1920s: Captain Cuttle, Coronach and Call Boy. Later on, the first got himself a classic-winning filly before his export to Italy, the second also had some success in Europe and the last had poor fertility. Another Hurry On son, Hunter's Moon, a good British three-year-old, was sent to South America where he got Postin (1940), a Chef-de-Race sire in Peru who became the damsire of 1976 British Derby winner Empery and 1970 Poule d'Essai des Pouliches winner Pampered Miss and whose male line is, as of recently, still hanging on in South America. Also within this genetic lottery, Hunting Song, by Hurry On, led the New Zealand Sires List six times consecutively until 1938 but failed to get a lasting line of descent. 

The one to achieve that was Hurry On's best heir, Precipitation (1933), a fine stayer who counted the Ascot Gold Cup and King Edward VII Stakes among his victories and who entered stud with a book of mares bursting at the seams for years in advance. He duly repaid by siring four British classic winners, numerous top-flight stayers and also imparted his stamina at home and abroad. In Australasia he sired the influential stallions Count Rendered, Agricola and Summertime, all of whom led either the New Zealand or Australian sire tables at various times between the 1950s and late 1960s, with the last named being paternal grandsire of Think Big (Melbourne Cup winner of 1974/5) and So Called (Cox Plate winner of 1978). These days, however, Precipitation's Australasian male line is commercially nonexistent.

Back in Europe, Precipitation's St Leger-winning son of 1945, Chamossaire, continued the middle-distance and staying tradition by siring Irish Derby winners Chamier and Your Highness, St Leger winner Cambremer and the short-lived 1964 British Horse of the Year Santa Claus, who won the British Derby, its Irish equivalent, the Irish 2000 Guineas and finished second in the Prix de l'Arc de Triomphe in a vintage year for the Godolphin Arabian male line. It was to be the last year that one of its kind would win either Derby and also be general champion sire in both countries.

The final throw of the dice for Hurry On’s European line was with Precipitation's grandson, Sassafras (1967), who spectacularly won the Prix de l'Arc de Triomphe over the English Triple Crown winner Nijinsky II, earning himself a Timeform rating of 135. A successful stallion, he sired several excellent stayers through the 1970s and '80s, including the Prix Royal-Oak winner Henri le Balafre, who, in another South American twist, became a classic sire in Brazil, where his own sons (notably middle-distance performer Thignon Lafre (1987)) have ensured the continuation of the line at a top competitive level into the present day. Closer to home, Sassafras' name can be found lurking within the paternal half of the third-generation pedigree of Royal Applause (1993), a very smart sprinter whose male line continues through his popular Irish-based grandson, Dark Angel.

Despite being practically extinct outside of South America, Hurry On descendants dominate the heavily Thoroughbred-influenced Selle Français and warmblood ‘performance’ breeds that operate in the world of showjumping, including at Olympic level. Here, Precipitation's son Furioso (who failed to ever win a race or jump a fence) heads a Sadler’s Wells-style dynasty of current top-class performers and breeding stock. 

Although the Godolphin Arabian's original European bloodline now exists almost solely on another continent and within a related sporting breed, he is still strongly represented by his American descendants and has a few active stallions from that branch based in Europe, to be discussed in the concluding part of this series.