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was supportive so they struck out for Lexington, the Bluegrass haven in Kentucky. He was starting at ground zero. He made his entry into the business by answering an ad in the Lexington Herald-Leader. A farm was looking to hire a groom.
He was eager to muck stalls and hot walk horses, volunteering for any assignment. He literally was learning the business from the ground up. He is now the Chief Operating Officer of Godolphin, USA, which is owned by Sheikh Mohammed bin Rashid Al Maktoum, the Emir of Dubai. The Sheikh owns 5,000 thoroughbreds globally with 550 of them in the U. S. The Godolphin farm, which is near Bluegrass Airport in Lexington, comprises 6,000 acres requiring 125 employees who manage 550 horses—a big jump from the campus where he learned about serious competition.
When Dan was scrimmaging with the Bulldogs, he purchased a quarter horse but did not have any place to stable his steed. He knew that the car dealer, Heyward Allen, had a farm in Madison County and went calling. He knocked on Heyward’s door and made a deal with him. If he would allow Dan to keep his horse at his barn, Dan would manage chores and odd jobs at the farm. That was Dan’s first deal in the horse business, something that pales with the multimillion-dollar enterprises of Godolphin USA today.
As Dan became established in thoroughbred circles, he traveled the world from Dubai to Ireland to the United Kingdom to Australia to Japan to Blue Ridge in the North Georgia Mountains.
The last address is a getaway place to recharge for him and Beth, whose reputation as an author is gaining traction. She has written a novel “Back to Blue Holly,” which is based on life in the mountain community, including an insight regarding some of the characters that abound.
A thoroughbred executive with an abiding grasp of the graphic meaning of Sovereignty’s victory last weekend, Dan does not take this enviable plum of success for granted. None of the threeyear olds entered in the Derby had ever run a mile and a quarter race. There were 18,700 foals born in Sovereignty’s birth year, which means the odds of just getting into the race are overwhelming. The field is usually 20 horses.
Then to capture the garland of roses, which goes to the Derby winner, requires winning against staggering odds, but all along Dan and the Godolphin team saw promise in Sovereignty, primarily his finishing power.
Early on, he displayed a natural kick down the stretch and finished well in his initial races. However, he came in second in his last race before the Derby—but that was not a worry for the Godolphin brass.
Dan watched the Derby without trepidation. As the field made the final turn headed for the homestretch, Dan saw Sovereignty in excellent position to make a championship run. “When he was 3/8s from the finish line, I saw him make his move which got us all excited. This was where he was trained to do his best. He saw daylight at the last 1/16 of a mile, and we knew we had the advantage.”
The rest, we all know, is history. What a memorable week it was for Dan and his associates.
The first celebration for him and his team came in the 11th race on Friday of Derby weekend when their filly, Good Cheer, won the Kentucky Oaks. One stable winning both races has not taken place since 1952 in the heyday of Calumet Farms. It was double your pleasure for Dan and the Godolphin team, sublime and unforgettable moments. Like Georgia winning back-toback national championships in football.
Earlier this week, Sovereignty was involved with disappointing news when the announcement came that he would not run in the upcoming Preakness. Dan allowed that the limited time between the Triple Crown races is just too critically short and in the best interest of Sovereignty’s health, he was scratched from the second leg of the Triple Crown. He will concentrate on the Belmont, which this year will be held at Saratoga with construction taking place at Belmont.
