Godetia (foaled 14 April 1976 – 1994) was an American-bred

Thoroughbred The Thoroughbred is a horse breed best known for its use in horse racing. Although the word ''thoroughbred'' is sometimes used to refer to any breed of purebred horse, it technically refers only to the Thoroughbred breed. Thoroughbreds are ...

racehorse and broodmare who won two

Irish Classic Races The Irish Classics are five Group One horse races run at The Curragh racecourse during the flat racing season. They mirror the British Classic Races, the original five "classics", with one minor exception. The Irish St. Leger is open to horses o ...

in 1979. Bred in Virginia, she was sold as a yearling and sent to race in Europe. As a two-year-old she showed promise when finishing second on her debut before winning her next race by twelve

lengths Length is a measure of distance. In the International System of Quantities, length is a quantity with dimension distance. In most systems of measurement a base unit for length is chosen, from which all other units are derived. In the Intern ...

. In 1979 she was unbeaten in four races in Ireland, taking the

Athasi Stakes The Athasi Stakes is a Group 3 flat horse race in Ireland open to thoroughbred fillies and mares aged three years or older. It is run over a distance of 7 furlongs (1,408 metres) at the Curragh in ear ...

Irish 1,000 Guineas The Irish 1,000 Guineas is a Group 1 flat horse race in Ireland open to three-year-old thoroughbred fillies. It is run at the Curragh over a distance of 1 mile (1,609 metres), and it is scheduled ...

, Pretty Polly Stakes and

Irish Oaks The Irish Oaks is a Group 1 flat horse race in Ireland open to three-year-old thoroughbred fillies. It is run at the Curragh over a distance of 1 mile and 4 furlongs (2,414 metres), and it i ...

, but ran poorly when sent to England for The Oaks and

Yorkshire Oaks The Yorkshire Oaks is a Group 1 flat horse race in Great Britain open to fillies and mares aged three years or older. It is run at York over a distance of 1 mile 3 ...

. She returned to race in the United States as a four-year-old but failed to make any impact in three races. As a broodmare she had some success but produced no major winners.

Background

Godetia was a "most attractive" chestnut mare with an elongated diamond-shaped white star and two white

socks A sock is a piece of clothing worn on the feet and often covering the ankle or some part of the calf. Some types of shoes or boots are typically worn over socks. In ancient times, socks were made from leather or matted animal hair. In the late ...

bred by Whitney Stone at his

Morven Stud Morven, or Mhoirbheinn, is a given name and may also refer to: Places Australia * Morven, Queensland, a town and locality in the Shire of Murweh * Morven, New South Wales * Electoral district of Morven, Tasmania Canada * Morven, community in Loya ...

in Charlottesville, Virginia. Her sire,

Sir Ivor Sir Ivor (May 5, 1965 – November 10, 1995) was an American-bred, Irish-trained champion Thoroughbred racehorse and sire. In a career which lasted from July 1967 to October 1968 he ran thirteen times and won eight races. He won major races in ...

was an American-bred colt who was trained in Europe and won The Derby and the Washington, D.C.International in 1968 before standing as a breeding stallion in

Kentucky Kentucky ( , ), officially the Commonwealth of Kentucky, is a state in the Southeastern region of the United States and one of the states of the Upper South. It borders Illinois, Indiana, and Ohio to the north; West Virginia and Virginia ...

. Sir Ivor's other major winners included

Ivanjica ) , motto = , image_map = , map_caption = , pushpin_map_caption = Location within Serbia##Location within Europe , pushpin_relief = 1 , pushpin_map = Serbia#Europe , coo ...

Cloonlara Clonlara, officially Cloonlara (), is a village in County Clare, Ireland, and a Roman Catholic parish of the same name. Village and parish Clonlara is in the east of County Clare in the civil parish of Kiltonanlea or Doonass, barony of Tulla L ...

and Bates Motel. Godetia's dam Native Glitter won one minor race but was a full-sister to Shimmy Dancer (winner of the

Gazelle Handicap The Gazelle Stakes (formerly Gazelle Handicap until 2004) is an American thoroughbred horse race held annually at Aqueduct Racetrack in Ozone Park, New York. It is a Grade III event run over a distance of miles on dirt that is open to three-yea ...

) and a half-sister to Nantallah (sire of

Moccasin A moccasin is a shoe, made of deerskin or other soft leather, consisting of a sole (made with leather that has not been "worked") and sides made of one piece of leather, stitched together at the top, and sometimes with a vamp (additional panel o ...

). At $60,000, she was the cheapest of seventeen yearling bought in the United States by Irish trainer

Vincent O'Brien Vincent O'Brien (9 April 1917 – 1 June 2009) was an Irish race horse trainer from Churchtown, County Cork, Ireland. In 2003 he was voted the greatest influence in horse racing history in a worldwide poll hosted by the ''Racing Post''. In ...

(who had trained Sir Ivor) and his associates in 1977. The filly raced in the colours of the British businessman

Robert Sangster Robert Edmund Sangster (23 May 1936 – 7 April 2004)

and was taken into training by O'Brien at

Ballydoyle Ballydoyle is a racehorse training facility located in County Tipperary in Ireland. It is a sister thoroughbred facility to Coolmore Stud, and both are owned by John Magnier, son in law to the racehorse trainer Vincent O'Brien. The current train ...

County Tipperary County Tipperary ( ga, Contae Thiobraid Árann) is a county in Ireland. It is in the province of Munster and the Southern Region. The county is named after the town of Tipperary, and was established in the early 13th century, shortly after t ...

. She was ridden in most of her European races by

Lester Piggott Lester Keith Piggott (5 November 1935 – 29 May 2022) was an English professional jockey and trainer. With 4,493 career flat racing wins in Britain, including a record nine Epsom Derby victories, he is widely regarded as one of the greatest ...

Racing career

1978: two-year-old season

Godetia made her racecourse debut in the Gilltown Stud Stakes, a maiden race over seven

furlongs A furlong is a measure of distance in imperial units and United States customary units equal to one eighth of a mile, equivalent to 660 feet, 220 yards, 40 rods, 10 chains or approximately 201 metres. It is now mostly confined to use in ho ...

at the

Curragh Racecourse The Curragh Racecourse -- usually referred to as simply the Curragh -- is one of Ireland's most important Thoroughbred racecourses. It is situated on the Curragh plain in County Kildare, between the towns of Newbridge and Kildare. History ...

in September. Her connections appeared to have little confidence in her chances, as she started a 20/1 outsider and was ridden by Vincent Rossiter, one of the stable's lesser-known jockeys. She challenged for the lead in the final quarter mile and finished second of the eighteen runners behind her stablemate Kalamaika. Ten days later she started 1/2 favourite for a maiden over the same distance at

Phoenix Park Racecourse Phoenix Park Racecourse is a former horse racing venue in Ireland. It was located in the townlands of Ashtown and Castleknock in the civil parish of Castleknock on the northern edge of the Phoenix Park in Dublin. The course was founded by JHH ...

and drew away from her opponents in the last two furlongs to win by twelve lengths from Sister Jinks, a filly who had finished third in the Group Three C. L. Weld Park Stakes.

1979: three-year-old season

On her first appearance as a three-year-old, Godetia won the Athasi Stakes over seven furlongs, beating Icancan by two and a half lengths with Fair Davinia in third. On 12 May, Godetia was made the 4/6 favourite against eleven opponents the Irish 1,000 Guineas at the Curragh with the

Phoenix Stakes The Phoenix Stakes is a Group 1 flat horse race in Ireland open to two-year-old thoroughbred colts and fillies. It is run at the Curragh over a distance of 6 furlongs (1,207 metres), and it is sc ...

winner

Kilijaro Kilijaro (8 February 1976 – after 1990) was an Irish-bred Thoroughbred racehorse and broodmare. She was the best filly of her generation in Ireland at both two and three years of age, winning the Phoenix Stakes and finishing second in th ...

(the top-rated two-year-old filly in Ireland in 1978) second choice in the betting on 6/1. Piggott sent the favourite into the lead and tracked across the course to race on the stands side (the left side from the jockeys' viewpoint). In the closing stages she held off several challenges without ever looking in danger of defeat and won by two lengths and a head from La Samanna an Fair Davinia. On 9 June, Godetia was sent to England and started the strongly-fancied second favourite for the 201st running of the

Oaks Stakes The Oaks Stakes is a Group 1 flat horse race in Great Britain open to three-year-old fillies. It is run at Epsom Downs over a distance of 1 mile, 4 furlongs and 6 yards ( ...

over one and a half miles on soft ground at Epsom Downs Racecourse. Although she looked impressive in the paddock before the race she ran very poorly, struggling to match the early pace, dropping from contention at half way and finishing ninth of the fourteen runners behind Scintillate. Godetia was dropped back in distance for the ten furlong Pretty Polly Stakes (then restricted to three-year-olds) at the Curragh and won by six lengths from Fair Davinia and twelve others. On 21 July, the filly was moved back up in distance for the Irish Oaks and started the 6/4 favourite ahead of the

Maurice Zilber Maurice Zilber (c. 1920 – 21 December 2008) was a French thoroughbred horse trainer born and raised in Cairo, Egypt to a Turkish mother and a French- Hungarian father. He trained horses in Egypt from 1946 to 1962, and then moved to France wher ...

-trained Producer who had won the

Prix de Royaumont The Prix de Royaumont is a Group 3 flat horse race in France open to three-year-old thoroughbred fillies. It is run at Chantilly over a distance of 2,400 metres (about 1½ miles), and it is scheduled to take pla ...

and the

Prix Chloé The Prix Chloé is a Group 3 flat horse race in France open to three-year-old thoroughbred fillies. It is run at Chantilly over a distance of 1,800 metres (about 1⅛ miles), and it is scheduled to take p ...

as well as finishing third to

Dunette Dunette (30 March 1976 – 25 April 1998) was a French Thoroughbred racehorse and broodmare. In three seasons of racing she won five of her thirteen races and twice defeated the outstanding racemare Three Troikas. As a two-year-old she sho ...

and

Three Troikas Three Troikas (foaled 1976) was a French Thoroughbred champion racehorse who was owned, trained, and raced by three members of the famous Head family. The highlight of her career came in an impressive victory in the 1979 Prix de l'Arc de Triomp ...

in the

Prix de Diane The Prix de Diane, sometimes referred to as the French Oaks, is a Group 1 flat horse race in France open to three-year-old thoroughbred fillies. It is run at Chantilly over a distance of 2,100 met ...

. Piggott sent Godetia into the lead from the start, set a steady pace, quickened at half way, slowed on the final turn and then went hard for home in the straight. Producer emerged as her only serious challenger, but Godetia prevailed by a length with Queen To Conquer taking third ahead of Senorito Poquito. Timeform described Piggott as being "at his formidable tactical best in the race" varying the pace in order to blunt Producer's supposedly superior finishing speed. Godetia traveled back to England for the

Yorkshire Oaks The Yorkshire Oaks is a Group 1 flat horse race in Great Britain open to fillies and mares aged three years or older. It is run at York over a distance of 1 mile 3 ...

(then restricted to three-year-olds) over one and a half miles at

York Racecourse York Racecourse is a horse racing venue in York, North Yorkshire, England. It is the third biggest racecourse in Britain in terms of total prize money offered, and second behind Ascot in prize money offered per meeting. It attracts around 350 ...

in August. She again attempted to make all the running but was overtaken three furlongs out and weakened rapidly. Piggott eased her down in the closing stages and she finished last of the five runners behind

Connaught Bridge Connaught Bridge (2 May 1976 – after 1994) was an Irish-bred Thoroughbred racehorse. Trained in the United Kingdom by Henry Cecil she raced for two seasons, winning five of her nine races. As a two-year-old she showed some promise, winning ...

, Senorita Poquito, Reprocolor and Britannia's Rule. Before her defeat at York the filly had been sold privately to

George W. Strawbridge Jr. George W. Strawbridge Jr. (born October 10, 1937) is an American educator, historian, investor, sportsman and philanthropist. Biography Born in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania, he was the son of Margaret ("Peggy") Dorrance and the stockbroker Geor ...

for a reported $1,000,000.

1980: four-year-old season

In 1980 Godetia was transferred to the United States where she raced in the colours of Strawbridge's Augustin Stables and was trained by Jonathan Sheppard but failed to reproduce her European form. She did not reappear until November and was well-beaten in all three of her races. She finished sixth in an

allowance race Glossary of North American horse racing: Additional glossaries at: *Glossary of Australian and New Zealand punting *Glossary of equestrian terms This is a basic glossary of equestrian terms that includes both technical terminology and jargo ...

at Meadowlands, fifth behind The Very One in the Grade III Chrysanthemum Handicap at Laurel Park and ninth in an allowance at Meadowlands.

Assessment and awards

In 1978, the independent

Timeform Timeform is a sports data and content provider located in Halifax, West Yorkshire, England. Founded in 1948, it provides systematic information on form to punters and others involved in the horse racing industry. The company was purchased by t ...

organisation awarded Godetia a rating of 106 p (the "p" indicating that she was probably capable of making significantly more than normal improvement), twenty-six pounds behind their top-rated two-year-old filly Sigy. In their annual ''Racehorses of 1978'' Timeform praised her "great potential" and commented "We shouldn't be surprised if Godetia were to develop into a leading fancy for the One Thousand Guineas". In 1979 the organisation rated her on 119, fourteen pounds inferior to the top three-year-old filly

, commenting that her record was that of a poor traveller, who only showed her best form in Ireland. (An alternative explanation is that she was unsuited to left-handed tracks, viz. Epsom and York. This would explain her relatively inferior form when raced at age 4 in America). In the official Irish Handicap, she was rated level with Kilijaro as the best three-year-old filly. The International Classification rated her the eighth-best filly of her generation in Europe.

Breeding record

Godetia produced at least eight foals and four minor winners between 1984 and 1992. She died in 1994. Her offspring include: *Castle Creek, a chestnut filly, foaled in 1984, sired by

Sharpen Up Sharpening is the process of creating or refining the edge joining two non-coplanar faces into a converging apex, thereby creating an edge of appropriate shape on a tool or implement designed for cutting. Sharpening is done by removing material ...

. Won two of seven races. *Norquay, colt, 1985, by Arctic Tern. Second on only start. *Blue Mandolin, chestnut filly, 1986, by

The Minstrel The Minstrel (11 March 1974 – 3 September 1990) was a Canadian-bred, Irish-trained Thoroughbred racehorse and sire. Bred in Ontario, he was sold as a yearling and exported to Europe, where he was campaigned in Ireland and the United Kin ...

. Won once in ten races. *Shout and Sing, colt, 1987, by

. Won the Warren Stakes at Epsom from six races. *Ministra, chestnut filly, 1988, by Deputy Minister. Unraced. *River Delta, bay filly, 1990, by

Riverman Riverman (1969–1999) was a French Thoroughbred racehorse. Background Foaled in Kentucky, Riverman was bred by Harry F. Guggenheim of the prominent American Guggenheim family. Riverman was from the mare River Lady and sired by Guggenheim's s ...

. Won her only race. *Marshall Ney, bay colt (later

gelded A gelding is a castrated male horse or other equine, such as a pony, donkey or a mule. Castration, as well as the elimination of hormonally driven behavior associated with a stallion, allows a male equine to be calmer and better-behaved, makin ...

), 1991, by Danzig Connection. Failed to win in ten races. *Fantasy Flyer, bay filly, 1992, by

Lear Fan Lear Fan (2 February 1981 – 7 July 2008) was an American-bred, British-trained Thoroughbred racehorse and sire. One of an exceptionally strong generation of European racehorses he was one of the leading two-year-olds when he was unbeaten ...

. Unraced.

Pedigree

References

{{reflist 1976 racehorse births 1994 racehorse deaths Racehorses bred in Virginia Racehorses trained in Ireland Racehorses trained in the United States Thoroughbred family 6-a Irish Classic Race winners