Godolphin's participants in the Breeders' Cup Mile (G1T) have changed in recent years, but their winning returns have not—nor has the success rate slowed for the trainer and jockey combination of Charlie Appleby and William Buick.
The owner, trainer and rider teamed together to win the $1.84 million Breeder's Cup Mile (G1T) for the third consecutive year Nov. 4 at Santa Anita Park, when Godolphin's homebred gelding Master of The Seas passed 10 horses in the final furlong to win by a nose. Finishing second was fellow Godolphin colorbearer Mawj, trained by Saeed bin Suroor.
Godolphin, Appleby, and Buick's previous Mile wins came in 2022 at Keeneland with Modern Games and 2021 at Del Mar with Space Blues.
Though Master of The Seas came into Saturday's race with sharp form from a fall campaign in North America that resulted in a win in the Woodbine Mile (G1T) and a second to Up to the Mark in the Coolmore Turf Mile (G1T), some had their doubts about his chances after the race's post position draw. Masters of The Seas landed the far outside in post, leading some to speculate that he would lose ground with a wide trip.
"When we drew stall 14, I wouldn't say it was a dampener as much as it was more of a challenge for him," Appleby said.
In pre-race discussions, Buick and Appleby strategized for the rider to take his mount back, hope for a quick pace, and call on the gelding's acceleration to make up the difference.
The plan worked to perfection, though only just. Master of The Seas needed to pass 10 horses down the lane to win and stuck his nose in front a stride or two before the finish. Master of The Seas ($8.60) raced a mile on firm turf in 1:32.45, following quick fractions of :22.16, :45.37 and 1:09.12.
"I looked up halfway down the (backstretch), and I thought that's a lot of horses to pass," Buick said. "On the home turn, I was a bit lucky because the horse in front of me didn't pull out, so I didn't turn in as wide as what I thought I would have to. So I managed to conserve a little bit more ground than what I expected.
"Once he went past the quarter-pole, he just took off."
Three-year-old filly Mawj, a half-sister to Modern Games and winner of the Queen Elizabeth II Challenge Cup (G1T) at Keeneland last month, stalked and bid, taking the lead in midstretch and only caught mere yards from the finish line.
Jockey Oisin Murphy said he was unsure of the outcome until he saw the results of the photo finish.
"For me, watching two outstanding Godolphin horses and their jockeys battling it out at the end of a race like that, it's very exciting. It's thrilling," said Hugh Anderson, chief operating officer for Godolphin. "They're both homebreds. I've got to give every credit to Saeed bin Suroor and Mawj, the only filly in the race; she ran fantastically."
She finished a half-length clear of the top-performing American runner Casa Creed , who turned in his closest finish in four Breeders' Cup starts to run third for Hall of Fame trainer Bill Mott. The LRE Racing and JEH Racing Stable-owned runner was ninth in last year's Breeders' Cup Turf Sprint (G1T), eighth in the 2021 Mile, and 12th in the 2020 Mile.
American filly Gina Romantica ran fourth, ahead of Japan's Songline, the favorite, in fifth.
Master of The Seas will continue to race in 2024. Appleby mentioned that the gelding had been invited to the Pegasus World Cup Turf Invitational Stakes (G1T), a $1 million turf race at 1 1/8 miles Jan. 27 at Gulfstream Park.
The victory in the Mile was worth $1,040,000 and advanced the winner's earnings to $2,214,457. He is 8-3-2 in 16 starts, with two grade 1 victories.
In addition to capturing the Mile for the third time, the British-based Appleby notched his 10th Breeders' Cup victory from 20 starters. Buick won his eighth Breeders' Cup race.
"I must say Charlie's record at the Breeders' Cup is amazing," Buick said. "I'm privileged to ride these horses in these races. It's a great effort by Charlie and the team. These races aren't easy at all."
Master of The Sea's victory Saturday was the second Breeders' Cup win on the day for Godolphin after a win from the Mott-trained Cody's Wish in the Breeders' Cup Dirt Mile (G1) earlier in the day. The Sheikh Mohammed bin Rashid Al Maktoum-founded operation has 18 Breeders' Cup wins. Additionally, Sheikh Mohammed has two wins in his name, and his affiliated Darley Stud has another.
"Will and Charlie have both finished the season really, really strongly," Anderson said. "There was a little bit of a lull midseason, but we're finishing very well.
Master of The Seas is a 5-year-old son of Dubawi out of the stakes-winning, group 1-placed Danehill mare Firth of Lorne.
Dubawi is a European champion sire whose progeny include 2022 Breeders' Cup winners Modern Games and Yibir. He is the most expensive publicly-listed sire in the world this year, and will stand at an unchanged mark of £350,000 (approximately $433,125) at Darley's Dalham Hall Stud in England in 2024.
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