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James Cummings-trained Bivouac is Godolphin’s sprinter of choice for The Everest. The Gr.1 winner will be ridden by with Glen Boss in the rich Royal Randwick sprint.
Founded by HH Sheikh Mohammed bin Rashid Al Maktoum, Godolphin is considered to be one of the leading thoroughbred breeding operations and horseracing teams in the world spanning across four contents. As Managing Director of Godolphin Australia, Vin Cox has taken several decisions that have increased Godolphin's profile in the Southern Hemisphere including taking a slot in the A$15 million The Everest last year.
Everest Diaries speaks to Vin Cox about Bivouac, their plan for The Everest race day and much more:
Q: What made Bivouac perfect for the Everest? What factors in the favor that swung “the slot” to him?
A: We see him as us by far and wide as our best Sprinter. He's absolutely scintillating on his day. And in particular winning probably the second-best Sprint race in the country in the Gr.1 Newmarket Handicap in Melbourne back at March and on that day he showed us that he was possibly one of the best sprinters in the country if not the best and so it was a case of at that time. We set our long-range sights at The Everest and was just a matter of sitting on that course and getting him there. So we're very happy with where the horse is at the moment and so, he became the obvious choice.
Q: What does the 2020/21 racing calendar look like for Godolphin Australia? Any interesting names you could share?
A: The next few months look fantastic for Godolphin. Obviously, Everest is front and center for the next couple of weeks. Then looking forward after that, the Carnival essentially moves down to Melbourne where we hope to be competitive in races like The Oaks and The Darby. We probably won't have a Melbourne Cup Runner, but you never know. Plus we might have a runner or two in the A$7 million Golden Eagle subject of them qualifying. There are some nice races there that we've got some very nice prospects
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Q: What were the life-lessons which have come out of the COVID19 restrictions this year for you as an individual as well as for Godolphin as an organization?
A: I think, as an organization ‘adaptability’ and being able to remain fairly unstructured or regimented in your thinking and your processes was an important lesson. Things were moving fast and changed daily. So you just couldn't be too prescriptive about how you were going to operate. You had to be agile and look at the environment we live in. Everything was dictated to you from outside forces. So it was an interesting time and whether it was from the management right through the organization everyone had to adapt to the new regime, new protocols, and new processes. So and I think that was the way the industry coped and adapted and moved on. On and functioned Here in Australia, we literally have barely broken steps. It's been a remarkable feat from everyone involved in our industry here in Australia. Our pioneering spirit has allowed us to cope better than the rest of the world.
Q: How would you compare The Everest race day to the other racing events you’ve attended over all your years in racing?
A: I think that it's a ‘spectacle’ and it's very much focused on one particular race on the day whereas a lot of carnivals that you do go to you have a feast of racing right through the day with lots of Group races on one particular day. Whether it's Royal Ascot or David I in Melbourne or Breeders Cup in America, you have a proliferation of high-end races. Whereas Everest is a pinnacle event on one particular day and critical race on that day.
What has been incredible is the meteoric rise and traction that the races got certainly in Australia and more particularly around the globe and It has reinvigorated racing in Sydney and his board new genre of spectator and enthusiasts to the races, which think a great thing for the industry.
Q: And finally, what are your plans for the 2020 Everest Raceday? And what would winning the Everest Trophy mean to you?
A: This year we've got a restricted amount of people that can go to the races. So normally we'd host for 20-30 people to the races. This year we can only host about 10. So we're going to have our senior staff attended and enjoy the day.
If we win the Everest it would be a fantastic reward for all the people in the organization because (at Godolphin) everybody in our organization at some point has had their fingerprints over our horses that compete not only in that race, but any races we have around the country. It will be immensely satisfying for the organization as a whole and it will be a fitting tribute to everyone