I doubt there'd be too many Horse racing betting pundits prepared to argue that Sheik Mohammed's Godolphin operation has been a massive success in Britain over the last two or three years.
When considering the mind numbing sums of money that have been spent by the Dubaian team on breeding and acquiring top horses, the results at the highest level have consistently fallen short of what must have been expected, writes Elliot Slater.
Still looking for a first Group 1 success in Britain and Ireland this term, Godolphin have at least hit the target twice over the weekend in Germany, sending out Campanologist to win the Deutscheland Preiss on Saturday, before the victory of Buzzword in the German Derby the following day at Hamburg racecourse.
Campanologist, ridden by Frankie Dettori, got the better of local favourite Wiener Waltzer in a race that probably wouldn’t have ranked above Group 2 on these shores, having been found wanting in all starts at the top grade over the last 12 months since his Group 3 win in Windsor's Winter Hill Stakes.
This success should give him a confidence boost and it would be nice for those who bet online to see him come back to the form that saw him beat Conduit in the King Edward VII Stakes at Royal Ascot in 2008.
Buzzword, a distant eighth behind Workforce in the Epsom Derby and a well beaten fourth behind Monterosso at Ascot next time out, put in a much improved display to beat 19 rivals in the German Derby, showing a smart turn of foot to beat Zazou in good style. Again, there has to be some doubt as to whether this level of form measures up to the British and Irish Group 1 levels.
Maybe these two recent successes mark a turning for Godolphin, but the acid test will be when these horses and their stable companions take on the 'Stoute's' and 'O'Brien's' in the forthcoming major races during the rest of the 2010 season.
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