Godolphin buying off Godolphin results in unusual Flemington Classic success

There was nothing conventional about Zardozi's victory in the Kennedy Oaks at Flemington – but although Godolphin's route to Classic glory was strange, the winner was supremely stylish.

In steering Zardozi to a comfortable defeat of Aethelflaed, James McDonald completed the Derby and Oaks double, having claimed the opening-day feature of this year's Melbourne Cup Carnival aboard Riff Rocket. The success was also notable for trainer James Cummings, who in 2021 notched his first win in a contest that 12 months later went to his father, Anthony. The latter's father, Bart Cummings, won a joint-record nine VRC Oaks, while his own, father, Jim, landed the coveted event in 1928.

The latest Oaks heroine to be trained by a Cummings became the second Australian Group 1 winner sired by Juddmonte's British-based Kingman, whose partner in Zardozi's production to southern hemisphere time was Chanderi, an unraced daughter of Dubawi who cost Godolphin 1,300,000gns six years.

Godolphin's Zardozi is clear at the end of the VRC Oaks Credit: Racing Photos

Explaining the story of Zardozi's route to Classic stardom, Godolphin Australia managing director Vin Cox said: "The dam was bought by the Godolphin European team to go into their system for a lot of money but she then came up on a list of horses who were potentially going to be sold. 

"Our local team here looked at her and decided she would fit well in our broodmare band, so there was an inter-company transaction and, essentially, we bought her off the European team. We then get her involved with Kingman and the result was Zardozi."

Cox added: "It's something we're doing more and more of now. We've got a couple of mares going to Kingman this year and others going to Frankel and Dubawi. When you start these things, you don't think you're going to end up winning a VRC Oaks. 

"This is well beyond our wildest dreams. Zardozi is now very valuable and the same is now true of her mother, who is still quite young. It's a wonderful result for Godolphin Australia."

Read more:

'I got a bit of flak' - Mark Zahra justified as Without A Fight wins Melbourne Cup with Vauban well beaten 

How Mark Zahra broke the Melbourne Cup and then rode his way to fabulous redemption 

Willie Mullins: Vauban ran very disappointingly - he was beaten too far out for my liking 

Rachel King and Declan Bates do Britain and Ireland proud with Group 1 triumphs at Flemington 

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