Racing
The Blue Army to launch at The Championships
Godolphin’s “Blue Army” is on the ground in numbers led by their talented three-year-old team of Tentyris, Observer, Green Spaces and Attica on Day One of The Championships at Royal Randwick.
Then Observer and Green Spaces clash in the Group 1 $2 million ATC Australian Derby (2400m), and Attica lines up in the Group 1 $4 million Doncaster Mile (1600m).
Godolphin's aim is to produce elite racehorses that showcase their stallions and potentially develop the sires of tomorrow.
Tentyris, Observer, Green Spaces and Attica go to the essence of what Godolphin is trying to achieve not just in Australia but on racing's world stage.
Street Boss, sire of Tentyris and Green Spaces, and Observer's Ghaiyyath are both on Godolphin/Darley's stallion roster. Attica is from the final crop of the great racehorse and sire, Lonhro.
Godolphin Australia supremo Andy Makiv acknowledges there is a lot on the line for the racing and breeding organisation on Saturday.
"This is a big day for Tentyris,'' Makiv said.
"He's a very valuable colt and ideally he continues racing as a four-year-old but that is a discussion we have to have after Saturday.
"We are a stallion business at the end of the day. Tentyris is promoting Street Boss and is becoming a stallion himself.
"Similarly, Observer is promoting Ghaiyyath and is becoming a stallion himself.''
Trained by Anthony and Sam Freedman, Tentyris was outstanding winning the Coolmore Stud Stakes and Lightning Stakes down the Flemington straight earlier this season but the colt is also very effective over the Randwick 1200m course as he demonstrated winning the Todman Stakes last year.
"We are excited about Tentyris, he's in great shape,'' Makiv said.
"He has settled in well in Sydney, he's won at the track before and I think he gets his chance to hopefully bounce back at weight-for-age.
"He pulled up with heart arrhythmia after the Newmarket Handicap (fifth to Caballus) but he was fine the next day and has been fine since. We don't anticipate that being a problem.''
Observer and Green Spaces, who is also a son of Street Boss, are challenging for favouritism in the Derby.
The Ciaron Maher-trained Observer is attempting to be the third horse in four years to complete the Victoria Derby-ATC Australian Derby after Riff Rocket (2024) and Hitotsu in 2022.
Observer is among three sons of Ghaiyyath in the Derby field – an outstanding achievement from the young stallion's first Australian crop.
"Ghaiyyath was the world's highest rated racehorse at one point,'' Makiv said.
"He is by Dubawi, the most successful stallion to ever stand in England, and he's out of a champion Galileo mare so he has an unbelievable pedigree.
"He is a wonderful 'physical', he was a freakish racehorse, he has a great presence about him and great stout stamina, too.
"We just felt we weren't competing strongly enough in the Derby and Oaks races so Ghaiyyath is a horse that we thought would not only suit Godolphin really well but would suit the market really well.
"So far, so good, he's looking like a really exciting stallion for the future and I hope this brings about a change in a lot of people's breeding philosophies.
"Because having a runner in the Derby is just as exciting as having a runner in the Golden Slipper.''
Observer has returned in top form this autumn, winning the Group 1 Australian Guineas then he had excuses when third in the Rosehill Guineas.
"I thought it might have been a case of first time at Rosehill for a Melbourne colt, a bit like it can be first time at Caulfield for a Sydney colt,'' Makiv said.
"It looked like he got onto his Melbourne leg and got a bit lost on the home turn.
"We will see a better product in terms of having that run around on the Sydney leg which will have him ready for the Derby.
"The trip doesn't concern us at all, he stayed it strongly in the Victoria Derby so we are excited to see him go around and hopefully he can get it done.''
His last start second in the Rosehill Guineas behind Autumn Boy (Observer was third) indicated he will peak for the Randwick classic on Saturday.
"Green Spaces clearly has some stamina,'' Makiv said.
"At Newcastle last spring, he quickened off a good tempo which showed he was looking for further.
"His run in the Rosehill Guineas was a great Derby trial and we feel he goes there with a great chance.
"He is by Street Boss but he has some stamina on his dam's side and Bjorn is very confident he will get the 2400m.''
Attica won the Group 1 Spring Champion Stakes over 2000m last October and trainer Joe Pride has felt the colt would be better suited by the Doncaster Mile rather than the Derby.
Pride has given Attica three runs this autumn with the colt finishing a good third to main Doncaster rivals Sheza Alibi and Autumn Boy in the Randwick Guineas before his last start eighth to super mare Autumn Glow in the George Ryder Stakes.
"Joe is a particularly good trainer, we all know that, but he's a particularly good 'Grand Final' trainer.
"Attica's best piece of work this preparation according to Joe was his final fast gallop for this race.
"With only 50kg I think he will be in the mix. We are expecting him to run really well.
"Whether Attica is good enough to beat the filly (Sheza Alibi) or good enough to win the race, I'm are not sure, but I'm are confident he's ready to give his supporters a good show.''
Godolphin also has the warhorse Pericles in the Doncaster with the rising seven-year-old gelding in career-best form having won the Group 1 Futurity Stakes before his last start third in the Ryder.
"We think Pericles has improved as he has got older and is 'airborne' now,'' Makiv said.
"He didn't get a lot of luck in the Ryder. He jumped well from a tricky gate but got caught wide, covered ground and it was a huge run to finish third.
"He is going particularly well and if he gets the right run, he should be very competitive.''
Godolphin also has each way chances with Outspan and Zambales in the Group 1 $1 million Inglis Sires (1400m).
"Outspan was really good last start and it looks like he will eat up the 1400m,'' Makiv said.
"Zambales has had a good campaign without breaking through. He had no luck in the Golden Slipper, he didn't have the right run (VRC Sires) on a Flemington track where the rail was 'hot' so he has been a little bit unlucky not to have won a big one.
Makiv revealed later this month Godolphin will determine their stallion roster and fees for the 2026 breeding season.
Some hard decisions will need to be made around Tentyris, Observer, Green Spaces and Attica which makes their big-race performances at Randwick on Saturday so crucial.
"At some stage these colts will end up in the stallion barn,'' Makiv said.
"We need to look at our three-year-olds like Tentyris, Observer, Green Spaces, Attica and Beiwacht and decide if any of them will join the stallion roster later this year.
"It's all about making the best decision for each horse and the best decision for the business.''
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