This was the year when Godolphin hit back against Ballydoyle

Charlie Appleby and Sheikh Mohammed after Blue Point's Royal Ascot win

Sheikh Mohammed and trainer Charlie Appleby hit back strongly against rivals Coolmore in 2018Credit: Edward Whitaker

Julian Muscat reflects on 12 months in which Godolphin were finally able to go toe to toe again with rival superpower Coolmore

It didn't quite scale the heights of 2001, when Galileo and Fantastic Light sent electricity coursing through veins in their head-to-heads at Ascot and Leopardstown, but the best bit of 2018 was that Godolphin finally rose to the perennial challenge laid down by Ballydoyle.

It has been a long wait. Seventeen years ago those epic King George and Irish Champion Stakes clashes culminated with Aidan O'Brien landing the champion trainer accolade in Britain for the first time. Since then O'Brien has landed five more titles to Saeed Bin Suroor's solitary triumph in 2004.

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Published on 16 December 2018inNews

Last updated 19:42, 16 December 2018

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