Farhh could be the summer saviour for the Godolphin stable
The last few weeks have been a time to forget for the Godolphin stables, one of the largest and certainly the most glamorous stable in horse racing. A steroid scandal has seen 450 of the Godolphin horses being tested for drugs, while in-house trainer Mahmoud Al Zarooni was barred for 8 years. The episode has cast a large shadow over the stable which has trained over 200 elite group one race winners.
However, British-trained horse Farhh could just become the horse to bring some much-needed good news to Godolphin. The five-year-old romped to an impressive four-length win in his first group one outing over the weekend in the Lockinge at Newbury, England. The victory was so complete that Godolphin official Simon Crisford described Farhh’s victory as a “huge boost to morale at the stable and everyone who works for Godolphin.”
By any objective standards, there is little doubt that Farhh is making excellent progress. He was left in the enormous shadow of the legend that is Frankel last season. However, he now appears to be emerging as a genuine contender to become the next big thing over one mile. He was certainly impressive in getting his nose in front on Saturday and staying there. If his stamina and ability to hold onto a lead can be replicated consistently, then Farhh could be a horse to watch closely. There will of course be plenty more tests ahead for Farhh before we can really start talking about him as a star of the sport.
However, we can look forward to his appearance at the Royal Ascot meeting next month, one of the most important events in the UK racing calendar. Farhh has been entered for both the Prince of Wales’ Stakes and the Queen Anne Stakes where all horse race bets will focus on the mouth-watering prospect of a head to head clash with Kentucky Derby champion Animal Kingdom. William Hill is offering interesting odds on a Farhh Ascot double. His Ascot showing will certainly tell us much about whether Farhh is the saviour that Godolphin has been looking for.
