Тәулік арабты тұқымды аттардың негізін қалаушысы

Foundation sire of the Thoroughbred horse breed (c. 1724–1753)

The Godolphin Arabian (c. 1724 – c. yes–1753), also known as the Godolphin Barb, was an Arabian horse who was one of three stallions that founded the modern Thoroughbred (the others were the Darley Arabian and the Byerley Turk). He was named after his best known owner, Francis Godolphin, 2nd Earl of Godolphin.

The Godolphin Arabian was foaled about 1724 in Yemen and moved several times before reaching England. At some early age, he was exported, probably via Syria, to the stud of the bey of Tunis. From there he was given to Louis XV of France in 1730. He was bequeathed to Roger Williams, "proprietor of the St. James's Coffee House", who inherited Coke's stallions. He was bought by the 2nd Earl of Godolphin,

Controversy exists over the ancestry of this horse; some writers referred to him as a Barb, but Judith Blunt Lytton, 16th Baroness Wentworth of the Crabbet Arabian Stud concludes that it is most widely believed that he was an Arabian or had primarily Arabian lineage. "Barb" is a reference to his believed country of origin, Tunisia, on the Barbary Coast. Whyte in the 1840 History of the British Turf, refers to the horse as "The Godolphin Barb, or as he has been improperly called, the Godolphin Arabian" (emphasis added) before further clarifying, "he was long considered an Arabian, although his points resembled more those of the highest breed of Barbs." However, portraits showing a horse with a high carried tail and dished profile, features that differentiate the two types, lead modern experts to believe he was more likely an Arabian. This group may have been of Turkoman horse or Arabian origins, as modern horses of both breeds have been linked to this haplotype.

The Godolphin Arabian was the leading sire in Great Britain and Ireland in 1738, 1745 and 1747. Originally, this small stallion was considered inferior to the larger European horses of the time and was not meant to be put to stud. Instead he was used as 'teaser', a stallion used to gauge the mare's receptiveness. This changed when Lady Roxana, a mare brought to the stud specifically to be bred to a stallion called Hobgoblin, rejected her intended mate, and so the Godolphin Arabian was allowed to cover her instead. The result of this mating was Lath, the first of his offspring, who went on to win the Queen's Plate nine times out of nine at the Newmarket races. The second colt from this pair was Cade, and the third was Regulus. The Godolphin Arabian died on the Gog Magog Hills, Cambridgeshire in 1753, aged around 29. The horse's grave in the stable block of Wandlebury House can be visited. When he was interred, the occasion was marked with ale and cake.

Although today the majority of Thoroughbred horses’ sire lines trace to the Darley Arabian, several famous North American horses of the past trace their sire line back to the Godolphin Arabian. These include Seabiscuit, Man o' War, and War Admiral. Today, the sire line is primarily supported by descendants of Relaunch and his son Cee's Tizzy through dual Breeders' Cup Classic winner Tiznow. In Europe, his influence survives mainly through the 2,000 Guineas winner Known Fact, and his son, the champion miler Warning. This line has produced outstanding sprinters such as Diktat (Haydock Sprint Cup), Avonbridge and Dream Ahead. The Derby has not been won by a sire line descendant of the Godolphin Arabian since Santa Claus in 1964 and is nowadays dominated by descendants of the Darley Arabian.

King of the Wind (Chicago: Rand McNally, 1948) is a fictional biography of the Godolphin Arabian by American author Marguerite Henry. She wrote many books about horses for children, and perhaps is best known for Misty of Chincoteague and its sequels. She won the Newbery Medal for King of the Wind, recognizing it as the year's "most distinguished contribution to American literature for children". Misty became a film in 1961, but King of the Wind had to wait till 1990 for its adaptation, with Navin Chowdhry as the Arabian's lifetime stable boy Agba. In the novel, the Godolphin Arabian was foaled in Morocco and was called Sham. He came to Europe as a diplomatic gift to King Louis XV of France but, due to his poor condition on arrival and relatively small size, was given to the cook as a cart horse. He was soon sold to a woodcarter in Paris, where he was treated poorly and then purchased by the Quaker Edward Coke of Holkham Hall, older brother of the 1st Earl of Leicester 5th Creation, then sold to Francis, Earl of Godolphin, who maintained a stud in Suffolk, near the racing town of Newmarket.