‘I will miss the people and the horses immensely’: Cox bids fond farewell to Godolphin Australia

Cover image courtesy of Sportpix

After close to six incredible years at the helm of Godolphin Australia, Vin Cox will on Friday wear the royal blue jacket for the final time. Cox won’t have long to reflect on his career; from Monday, he jumps straight into the green jacket of Yulong Stud, commencing in the role of general manager of the emerging global operation.

The former managing director of Magic Millions for almost seven years from 2011, Cox joined Godolphin Australia as its managing director in January 2018.

For Cox, the feeling is somewhat bittersweet. On one hand, he is sad to be leaving a business he loves and has enjoyed great success with, on the other, he is excited by the opportunity that lies ahead.

“It’s all becoming real very quickly. There’s seven different sites at Godolphin and over the last week or so I’ve been travelling around to see everyone. There’s been plenty of morning teas and that kind of thing as I bid farewell, which is very sad and quite emotional,” Cox told The Thoroughbred Report.

“We’ve enjoyed a lot of success and enjoyed that success around the place.

“It’s very sad.”

Cox not only says goodbye to many wonderful people that he developed great personal and professional relationships with, he farewells hundreds of horses he has become fond of.

Cox was pivotal in the mating plans at Godolphin Australia, so the bond with the animal is very real.

“I knew Godolphin was big, but it’s bigger than that,” Cox described.

Gallery: Some of the Godolphin bases in Australia, images courtesy of Godolphin

“I’ve been so impressed by the quality of people here.

“There’s no doubt I will miss the people and the horses immensely.

“You’re very intimate in the horses’ careers, right from the mating plans through to them being foals, then watching them grow into the time they’re educated.

“It’s the stories you hear, whether it’s on the farms or at the stables, those with the horses really take it to another level. It’s quite impactful.”

Cox was announced as the managing director of Godolphin Australia in October 2017, before commencing the role in January 2018.

Since that time, the ‘Blue Army’ has gone to a new level, winning some of the biggest and richest races in Australia.

Cox was loathe to single out a favourite horse or moment, but, understandably, he did sing the praises of the brilliant Anamoe - a homebred by Darley former shuttler Street Boss (USA) from the Group 1 heroine Anamato (Redoute’s Choice). He won 14 stakes races, including a Godolphin-record nine Group 1s, and prizemoney in excess of $12 million.

Anamoe’s elite-level triumphs include the 2021 Caulfield Guineas, 2022 Rosehill Guineas, 2022 Might And Power S. and 2022 Cox Plate.

Thankfully, for racing fans, Anamoe raced on beyond his 3-year-old season - and weren’t we better for it?

Now, the 5-year-old entire took up stud duties this spring at Darley Kelvinside in New South Wales, where he commanded a first-season fee of $121,000 (inc GST).

“His career was wonderful. We could have made an easy decision early to retire him at the end of his 3-year-old year, we rolled the dice and raced him on at four, and that paid off handsomely,” said Cox.

“It’s fantastic that he retires to stud as the most expensive (Australian-bred) first-season sire ever in Australia.

“That was a great result for the team.”

Other notable achievements

One of Cox’s early successes was that of Exhilarates - a Snitzel filly Godolphin bought for $600,000 from the Vinery Stud draft at the 2018 Magic Millions Gold Coast Yearling Sale.

She won four stakes races, plus the R. Listed Magic Millions 2YO Classic.

The mare foaled a Street Boss colt last spring (he has been named Dubai Adventure), before missing to him. Exhilarates has since been exported to the UK and is due a date with the great Dubawi (Ire).

“Going back to my first year with Exhilarates, having purchased her and then winning the Magic Millions in my first year out of Magic Millions was a wonderful thrill. Both the Magic Millions team and the Godolphin team really enjoyed that result,” said Cox.

With Cox in charge, Godolphin claimed a Golden Slipper - Kiamichi (Sidestep) was first home in 2019, and two Blue Diamonds - with Lyre (Lonhro) in 2019, then Daumier in 2022. Not only did Godolphin win the Slipper in 2019, it bred and raced the top three, with Microphone second and Lyre third.

“Winning the Diamond with Lyre and Daumier was very exciting because they came off the Northwood Park property in Victoria, and they’re very proud and parochial Victorians. That team really enjoyed winning the premier 2-year-old race in Victoria, and it was great to be a part of that,” Cox commented.

“The Slipper was stunning, we had the trifecta. To have bred and raced the trifecta in a Golden Slipper had never been done before. It may not be done again. It really is a wonderful achievement for Godolphin Australia and His Highness Sheikh Mohammed (bin Rashid Al Maktoum).”

Cox also paid tribute to a couple of stable stars, Hartnell (GB) (Authorized {Ire}) and Kementari (Lonhro), both of whom competed at the top level for a number of seasons. The former won four Group 1s and close to $7.5 million in 53 runs, while the latter - the 2018 G1 Randwick Guineas hero - amassed just shy of $4.8 million from 49 starts.

Gallery: Two stable stars who competed at the elite level over multiple seasons, images courtesy of The Image Is Everything

“Both of them were great warriors and the horses themselves were great characters,” said Cox.

“They really galvanised the Godolphin organisation, and their longevity and will to win was most impressive.”

A young stud

One of the best colts Cox was associated with during his time with Godolphin Australia is Bivouac - a homebred son of Darley’s champion stallion Exceed And Excel and the winning More Than Ready (USA) mare Dazzler.

Bivouac won seven races, including three Group 1s, and now stands at Darley Kelvinside at a fee of $66,000 (inc GST). His first yearlings will be offered in 2024.

“If ever there was a certainty in the stallion barn, it’s Bivouac,” remarked Cox.

“His racing profile and his pedigree profile is quite outstanding.

“I can’t see him being anything but a successful stallion.”

A nod to the head trainer

James Cummings was named Godolphin's head trainer in Australia in May 2017, after almost a decade at the Sydney-based Leilani Lodge, where he worked alongside his grandfather, the legendary Bart Cummings, before taking the reins

It was an inspired decision, one that now looks genius.

Cox said, “I didn’t know James all that well when I started, we knew each other, obviously, but I had never worked with him. Over my journey in racing, I’ve dealt with a lot of trainers, and very early on in my time at Godolphin I could tell this man was different gravy, he was on another level.

“The way he thinks about horses, the way he prepares his horses, his meticulous way he places his horses, and the way he deals with his staff, is second to none.

“He’s already achieved so much at a young age and I’m sure there’s plenty more to come.”

The Yulong challenge

While Godolphin Australia and Yulong Stud are similar in some regards, size being one, they are also very different.

Cox said he is eager to get cracking with Yulong, which has become a global powerhouse, thanks to the vision and passion of its owner, Yuesheng Zhang.

“There’s plenty of work to do, especially with the Magic Millions Gold Coast Yearling Sale just over a month away, so I’m straight into it,” explained Cox.

“The challenge is very appealing to me. I’m looking forward to getting to Yulong and rolling the sleeves up and seeing what lies ahead there.

“It’s widely known, the investment that Yulong and Mr Zhang are making the world over, so it’s very exciting.

“The ambitions of Yulong and the development of Yulong across the globe make for a lot to look forward to.”