Mandaean, the impressive winner of the Group One Criterium de Saint-Cloud on November 12, has been transferred to Mahmood Al Zarooni’s Newmarket team. The unbeaten two-year-old Manduro colt started his Godolphin career in France with Andre Fabre who sent him out for an easy triumph in a nine-furlong Longchamp maiden four weeks before the excellent Saint-Cloud victory over 10 furlongs. Simon Crisford, the Godolphin racing manager, said: “Mandaean was very impressive when he won a Group One on only his second start. “He will spend the winter in Newmarket and be aimed at next year’s top middle distance races.”
Two other Godolphin horses trained by Andre Fabre this year have moved to Newmarket. Be Fabulous, the fast-improving four-year-old Samum filly who captured the Group One Prix Royal-Oak over just short of two miles at Longchamp on October 23, is also with Mahmood Al Zarooni at Moulton Paddocks. The winner of Longchamp’s Group Three Qatar Prix Gladiateur over the same trip in September, Ley Hunter, has joined Saeed bin Suroor at Godolphin Stables. The four-year-old stayed on well the following month to take third in the Group One Qatar Prix du Cadran over two and a half miles at the same course.
Colour Vision, who ran his best race when third to Fame And Glory in the Group Three QIPCO British Champions Long Distance Cup at Ascot in October, has transferred to Godolphin, with Saeed bin Suroor taking over responsibility for training the three-year-old Rainbow Quest gelding from Mark Johnston.
Zip Top, another transfer, will race for Godolphin in Dubai early next year, with the UAE 2,000 Guineas being a target. The two-year-old Smart Strike colt, trained in Ireland by Jim Bolger to win a seven-furlong Leopardstown maiden on his debut and finish second to Camelot in the Group One Racing Post Trophy at Doncaster on his fourth start, will shortly be assigned a trainer. Simon Crisford added: “We have more than 100 horses in Dubai and our squad for the 2012 Dubai World Cup Carnival should be about the same numerically as it was for this year’s. “We are also keeping plenty of horses in Newmarket this winter as most of them are lightly-raced.”