Thoroughbred Origins: The Godolphin Arabian male bloodline part 2

Concluding this series, the final chapter of the Godolphin Arabian’s male bloodline unfolded mainly upon US soil with the importation of the British-bred Millington (1858), a son of the English Triple Crown winner, West Australian. Later renamed Australian, he raced with some merit during the breakout of the American Civil War and as a stallion lived entirely in the shadow of the sixteen-time leading sire sensation, Lexington. Nevertheless, Australian sired many excellent horses and played his part in forging a robust North American branch for the Godolphin Arabian, which thrives to this day, ironically achieving that which his more fashionable contemporary could not.

Four generations on from Australian, an American legend in the form of Man O' War (1917) sprung from a male line of competent racers and champion sires. The winner of twenty of his twenty-one races (including the Belmont and Preakness Stakes), 'Big Red' also broke numerous time records whilst lugging huge weights around (conceding up to fifteen kilos to his rivals). To the chagrin of some, he was later bred mainly to his owner’s mares but still proved an outstanding success, siring a host of top-flight racehorses, including US Triple Crown winner War Admiral, Belmont Stakes winners American Flag and Crusader, and Kentucky Derby winner Clyde Van Dusen. A sire of many influential broodmares, Man O’ War also became paternal grandsire of the legendary little Seabiscuit, but it was to be his reputedly fearsome son War Relic (1938) who would continue the line.

War Relic's sprinter-miler grandson, Intentionally, got a good sort in In Reality (1964), a Preakness Stakes runner-up who excelled at up to a mile-and-a-quarter. As a stallion he greatly influenced the Florida breeding industry, leaving several excellent sons and daughters. Among the former category was Known Fact (1977), who was exported to Britain and won the 2000 Guineas from the disqualified Nurevev before siring the superb British miler Warning, Timeform's top-rated horse of 1988 at 136. Sent to stud, Warning sired the King's Stand Stakes winner Piccolo, smart sprinter Averti, seven furlong specialist Warningford and most notably the high-class six/sevenfurlong performer Diktat, who won the Prix Maurice de Gheest and Sprint Cup. Hopes of commercially preserving this branch appear to hinge on Piccolo's British-based son Music Master (2010), a smart six/seven furlong performer who entered stud in 2016 and Diktat's American-bred son, Dream Ahead (2008), a top-class six/sevenfurlong performer who won the Middle Park Stakes and July Cup, among other good races, and twice raced against the phenomenal Frankel. Now at stud in Ireland, he has emerged as a sire of some promise with his first few European crops, his best to date being the Criterium de Maisons-Laffitte winner, Donjuan Triumphant. Dream Ahead has also enjoyed success as an Australian shuttle stallion in 2016, scoring high on the sires table there with his debut runners, the most recent being the unbeaten Ken's Dream, winner of a 6f listed race at Moonee Valley in August.

Back in the US, In Reality's sons Valid Appeal (1972) and Relaunch (1976) continued the line. The former was a full-brother to two-time US champion filly/older female Desert Vixen and won his races between six and nine furlongs. Sent to stud in Florida he stamped his card with speedy runners that trained on well, notable broodmare daughters, and left a few good stallion sons, among them Successful Appeal (1996), a smart sprinter-miler currently at stud in Kentucky and who regularly turns out North American winners, the pick of his crop including a champion Canadian turf female, Solid Appeal, and a promising scion in Kentucky Derby runner-up Closing Argument, currently at stud in Louisiana. 

Relaunch (1976) stands out as chief commercial progenitor of the line. A front-running and versatile US grass and dirt middle-distance performer (and contemporary of  Spectacular Bid and John Henry), he went to stud in Kentucky and bettered his racing career by regularly ranking high on both the general North American sire/broodmare sire lists, throwing speedy stock as well as mature distance runners. His best include the Breeders' Cup Classic winner Skywalker, Breeders' Cup Distaff winner One Dreamer, Grade 1 mile winner and North American Leading First Crop Sire of 2000, Honour And Glory (later sent to South America), along with some excellent broodmare daughters, including the dam of commercial young stallion Ghostzapper (American Horse of the Year in 2004). Most notably Relaunch's lightly-raced son Cee's Tizzy sired a superb racer in the form of Tiznow (1997), a high-class dirt/polytrack campaigner who stayed a mile-and-a-quarter and remains the only horse to win two Breeders' Cup Classics, rallying to beat Giant’s Causeway by a neck in the 2000 event and a year later narrowly putting away a field that included Sakhee, Galileo, Macho Uno and Aptitude before heading off to a Kentucky stud to try his luck at further invigorating the Man O’ War bloodline.

A popular character amongst visiting tourists, who taught himself to unlatch his stall door and stroll around the main barn of his current home, Tiznow is today marketed as the 'Big Horse Sire', overcoming any doubts as to his credentials. Capable of getting competitive middle-distance runners at top level, his impressive roll call to date includes Breeders’ Cup Juvenile Fillies winner Folklore, champion Canadian older female Bear Now, Belmont Stakes winner Da’ Tara and Dubai World Cup winner Well Armed (who scored by a record margin of fourteen lengths). A promising ‘sire of sires’, Tiznow’s stallion sons include Colonel John, Tizway, Morning Line, Bullsbay and Gemologist, all US Grade 1-winning dirt/synthetic performers who stayed (or would have) up to a mile-and-a-quarter, and who between the five of them earned over $6 million in prize money. Tiznow’s son Tourist’s US Grade 1 mile win on turf in August is an additional boost, and despite being squeezed out to the margins in a bloodstock world now dominated by Northern Dancer and Mr Prospector-line sires, Tiznow looks set to keep the Godolphin Arabian flame burning brightly for some time to come.