2015 Eclipse Awards: Darley

Sheikh Mohammed Al-Maktoum has a presence in nearly every corner of the global Thoroughbred industry, and the North American wing of his Darley breeding operation once again proved to be among the best on the continent in 2015.

The ruler of Dubai was represented by 149 North American winners as a breeder in 2015, and his stable’s earnings of $9,213,365 ranked second.

While Sheikh Mohammed is perennially a major player at auctions, he boasts one of the world’s strongest breeding programs and stallion rosters, with farms in the U.S., U.K., Ireland, France, Australia, and Japan. Darley’s primary U.S. base is Jonabell Farm in Lexington, Ky., which houses 11 stallions, with additional stallions located in New York.

Frosted, who competed as a homebred for Sheikh Mohammed’s Godolphin Racing, carried the banner for Darley’s North American runners, winning the Grade 1 Wood Memorial and the Grade 2 Pennsylvania Derby. A frequent sparring partner of Triple Crown winner American Pharoah, Frosted also finished second in the Belmont Stakes and third in the Travers Stakes.

Other prominent Darley-bred runners in 2015 included multiple Grade 1 winner Wedding Toast, Grade 2 winners Sentiero Italia and Annual Report, and Grade 1-placed Talmada.

This marks the third time an operation run by Sheikh Mohammed has been named an Eclipse Award finalist as outstanding breeder, with one win in 2012. He also won Eclipse Awards as outstanding owner in 2006, 2009, and 2012.