Godolphin's never-say-die mantra was emphatically driven home by both horse and rider at The Curragh last weekend, where the Dubai-owned stable won a landmark first Darley Irish Oaks.
Blue Bunting prevailed by the narrowest of margins, but never forget, a win is as good as a mile, and Godolphin will be mighty pleased with that result irrespective of the tense moments they had to endure before Frankie Dettori pulled out his magic wand to clinch another of his enchanting wins.
He did it with Rewilding at Royal Ascot just last month to beat the highly-touted Australian star So You Think to win the Prince of Wales's Stakes and was again in breath-taking form for new Godolphin trainer Mahmoud Al Zarouni last Sunday.
For Dettori it was a chance to exorcise his ghosts after he uncharacteristically dropped his hands prematurely when he should actually have ridden out Blue Bunting to secure a third place in the Epsom Oaks six weeks ago. The blunder cost him dearly, as the Epsom Stewards later slapped him with a nine-day ban.
Jockeys of his calibre do not often make such misjudgments, so I am sure what must have been going through Frankie's head when he dropped his hands knowing fully well that his horse was not going to win and that he was acting in the best interests of the animal's well-being.
However, in a sport where a major part of the sport's economic significance lies in the betting markets, you are expected to only think about one thing — securing the best result once you've left those cold steel starting gates.
However, that's another thing.
Godolphin's Oaks triumph provides further evidence to the stable's determination to win every time they compete.
Thirst for success
Over the years, I have come to know trainer Saeed Bin Surour as a no-nonsense horseman who is fully accustomed to the Godolphin way of life and every time I talk to him, I cannot help but wonder how he sustains the super-high thirst for success.
Then when I met Mahmoud, I was taken aback to see a similar hunger in his eyes, although he does a good job camouflaging his emotions whenever his horse runs. He comes across as a happy-go-luck character, but deep down inside he demands nothing but the best from himself and his team.
Now that he has thoroughly acquired a taste for winning, I guess he's even hungrier. Which can't be a bad thing at all?
