Godolphin Arabian
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The Godolphin Arabian (ca 1724 - 1754), also known as the Godolphin Barb, was one of three horses which were the founders of the modern thoroughbred horse racing broodstock (the other two are the Darley Arabian and the Byerly Turk).
The Godolphin Arabian was foaled in Morocco. He came to Europe as a diplomatic gift to King Louis XV of France, but was given to the cook as a cart horse and was soon sold to a woodcarter where he was poorly treated; he was then subsequently purchased in Paris by the Quaker Edward Coke of Holkham Hall, son of the Earl of Leicester, then sold to Francis, Earl of Godolphin, who maintained a stud (a breeding farm for horses) in Suffolk, near the racing town of Newmarket.
Traditionally the Godolphin is considered to be Arabian, but there is also an argument made that, because of his North African origin, he may have been a Barb[citation needed]. The confusion is understandable, as North African Muslims usually spoke Arabic, but while the breeds share features and may have distant blood in common, they are not closely related. Also, there exists evidence that he was a Turk horse, and he was called an Arabian in order to raise the stud fee. However, is is most widely believed that he was an Arabian or had mostly Arabian lineage.[citation needed]
Originally, this small stallion was considered inferior to the larger European horses of the time and not meant to be put to stud (i.e. to breed). This changed when Lady Roxana, a mare brought to the stud specifically to be bred to a stallion called Hobgoblin, rejected her intended mate, and so the Godolphin Arabian was allowed to cover her instead. The result of this mating was Lath, the first of his offspring, who went on to win the Queen's Plate nine times out of nine at the Newmarket races. The second colt from this pair was Cade, and the third was Regulus. All three were the same gold-touched bay as their sire, with the same small build and high crested conformation. All were exceptionally fast on the track, and went on to sire many foals themselves. This was the start of the Godolphin Arabian's prowess as a racing stud, and he spent the rest of his days as the Earl of Godolphin's prize stallion, bred to England's finest mares.
The American connection began with the filly Selima (born in 1745 out of Shireborn). She was purchased by Benjamin Tasker, Jr. of Maryland in Colonial America and raced between 1750 and 1753. After this, she became a successful broodmare at the Belair Stud in what is today Bowie, Maryland.
Although today nearly all thoroughbred horses’ sire lines end at the Darley Arabian, many famous American horses of the past trace their line back to the Godolphin Arabian. These include Seabiscuit, Man O' War, War Admiral, and Silky Sullivan. Today, dual Breeders' Cup Classic winner Tiznow represents his line. Funny Cide's tail-male sire line ends at the Darley Arabian, but he has the Godolphin Arabian elsewhere in his pedigree.
The Godolphin Arabian's grave in the stable block of Wandlebury House can be visited.
[edit] In Fiction
A somewhat romanticized biography of the Godolphin Arabian is told in King of the Wind, a children's novel by Marguerite Henry (better known for her Misty of Chincoteague stories).
