About us
Darley is HH Sheikh Mohammed bin Rashid Al Maktoum’s global breeding operation which currently stands stallions in six countries around the world.
Its headquarters are found at Dalham Hall Stud, located within the historic home of racing, Newmarket. When purchased by Sheikh Mohammed from the Philipps family in 1981, Dalham Hall stood just one stallion and employed fewer than ten people. Today, Darley employs more than 250 people in Newmarket, both at Dalham Hall and their extensive pre-training centre at Hamilton Hill; and nearly 600 people worldwide. Since the acquisition of Dalham Hall Stud, various surrounding farms have been added to Darley’s UK portfolio which now covers approximately 4,000 acres.
Currently heading the stallion line-up at Dalham Hall is sensational Derby winner Authorized, who went on to better his older rivals with a brilliant victory in the Juddmonte International last year. He joins Singspiel, the globetrotting superstar who won the Dubai World Cup and Japan Cup who is now establishing himself as a top-class sire with seven G1 winners to his name already. The most famous stallion to stand at Dalham Hall was Sheikh Mohammed’s favourite horse, Dubai Millennium. Born on the stud and trained in Newmarket, he also won the Dubai World Cup and was the sensational eight-length winner of the Prince Of Wales’s Stakes at Royal Ascot. Upon his retirement from racing, he returned to the stud but sadly sired just one crop of foals before dying of grass sickness. His most talented son, Dubawi, who emulated his sire with victory in the Prix Jacques le Marois, now stands at Kildangan Stud, whilst his paternal half-brother Echo Of Light stands his first season at Dalham Hall in 2008.
Kildangan Stud in County Kildare, Ireland was purchased in 1986 and is now home to ten stallions, including leading sire Cape Cross and recent additions to the Darley roster, Manduro and Teofilo. After the initial purchase of Kildangan, Ragusa Stud, Old Connell Stud, Blackhall Stud and Ballymany Stud were also acquired and with the recent additions of Ballysheehan Stud in Co. Tipperary and Woodpark Stud in Co. Meath the combined properties now cover around 4,500 acres.
Darley’s global expansion continued in 2001 with the purchase of Jonabell Farm, located in the famous bluegrass state of Kentucky in the United States. Founded in 1946 by renowned breeder John A Bell III, Jonabell has produced over 200 Stakes winners and will stand 17 stallions in 2008, including this year’s Kentucky Derby 1-2, Street Sense and Hard Spun; World Champion three-year-old Discreet Cat; and G1 winner Any Given Saturday.
Darley also have a stud in Japan, which stands two-time Emirates World Champion Fantastic Light and record-breaking Japan Cup winner Alkaased. They, in addition to Rule Of Law, Diktat and Xaar, were recently joined by Dubai Duty Free winner and Japan’s top-rated racehorse, Admire Moon.
Darley have also increased their presence in the southern hemisphere in recent years and having initially stood their stallions at the late Robert Sangster’s Collingrove Stud, in 2002 acquired the 1300 acre Kelvinside Stud in the Hunter Valley. Darley also stand stallions at their stud in Victoria, a 1,100 acre farm located in Seymour.
In addition to standing stallions, Darley also manages the racing interests of Sheikh Mohammed and various members of the Maktoum family, and has racehorses with various trainers in the UK, Ireland, France, the United States, Australia and Japan. The best of these horses will transfer to Godolphin, to race in the famous blue silks that have been carried to victory in numerous G1 races across the globe.