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| Staff Writer |
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In first for leading American trainer Michael Stidham, prepares his biggest stable star – Mystic Guide to journey to the home of Godolphin in his quest for the quadricentennial World Cup trophy.
The Group One-winning trainer, with a career spanning 2100 race starts over four decades has racing in his blood with a jockey father and a love of horses. Stidham has trained many top horses including Two Altazano, Manzotti, Tizaqueena, Upperline, Willcox Inn and Stanford and 2015 Gr.1 QE II Challenge Cup winner, Her Emmynency
Q: How do you feel about Mystic Guide going into the Dubai World Cup?
A: I feel confident that my horse is good enough. As long as he gets a good trip, settles in well and handles the track okay, I feel good about our chances to win.
Q: What are your plans for him after the Dubai World Cup? Will he be aimed at the Breeders’ Cup further down the year?
A: Yes, that would be the race we would be pointing at. As long as the horse stays healthy throughout the year and he is doing well, we would definitely be hoping that we can make a start in the Breeders’ Cup.
Q: How did you start training for Godolphin?
A: My history with training for Darley and then Godolphin began back in 2009 when Sheikh Mohammed purchased the Stonerside Farm. I had been a longtime trainer for Stonerside and Sheikh Mohammed purchased everything in the package with Stonerside. He then enabled the trainer that were training those horses at the time to stay on and continue training them throughout their (racing) career. In fact not long after he purchased them we won the Churchill Downs Distaff Turf Mile (2009) with his Queen and I was able to continue training those horses that I had till their retirement. After that from 2012, I stopped training for Godolphin for four years. And then in 2016, I got a phone call from Jimmy Bell and Dan Pride who manage Godolphin in America and they asked if I would be willing to go back on as the trainer for the Godolphin. I was delighted and honoured to get the offer.
Mystic Guide came to us a bit later, not as a 2Yo but as a 3YO. We prepared him for his first race. On February 15th of 2020, he showed that we had a very talented horse on our hands and we got in started preparing him for the 6 Furlong race where he finished third. He won his next start around two turns and broke his Maiden very impressively.
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Q: The worse that Mystic Guide has finished is third place in his entire career. What do you think of his other contenders from the US?
A: In September 2020 he won the (Gr.2) Jim Dandy and the horse that came third in the race was Jesus' Team will be running in the World Cup. And then when he ran in the (Gr.1) Jockey Club Gold Cup he was runner up beating Tacitus who will be one of the contender's in the World Cup. So I’m quite confident of his ability.
Q: We have heard when horses come to you from Godolphin, you have no idea what basket of goodies you're going to get?
A: Correct. It's interesting because the first we know of the 2YO that we're going to receive is when each spring we get an email from Godolphin that just gives us the pedigree, and what they have been doing as far as their pre-training before they come to us. And then the first time we see them is when they get off the van to our barn and it's like Christmas morning has arrived.
Q: And there is no question of swapping with another trainer?
A: (Laughing out loud) No, no, we leave it. They come to us & we happily do it. And if we did it, we would probably make the wrong choices, so it's probably better left to them to decide.
Q: Could you tell us more about your background and how you got involved with racing?
A: The way I was involved in racing was my father is a jockey. I was born into the business and was always around it. As a young boy, I was always listening about races and watching them. It was just in my blood. I love the action, the competition, and being involved in the day-to-day work around the racetrack.
Q: Its such hard work. Did you ever feel that you should have chosen an easier career path?
A: Well, you know, because of my father’s history with racing, he actually called me and said, ‘You should consider going to school getting a college degree. And then if you want to, you know be on the racetrack, but maybe try to do something like a veterinarian. Get something behind you rather than taking a chance as a trainer or a jockey.’
I was never small enough to think about becoming a jockey but the training end of it interested me. He cautioned me that it's a very tough business and that only a small percentage of trainers make it near the top. He said that a large percentage of them don't survive in the business.
And he was right to some extent. It's been an up and down road for me. I have been training for over 40 years, but the last 15 years have been, very successful and very gratifying.
Q: That’s fantastic and what does your father say about the road you’ve travelled on?
A: My dad passed away in 2005 but he was alive when I started having some pretty good success. I was delighted he came to my first Breeders’ Cup and he was just glowing with pride for me on the day.
Q: Finally, what is on your bucket list to achieve in the next 10 years?
A: Well, the biggest thing for me is getting to the Kentucky Derby and obviously trying to win the Kentucky Derby. I don't think there is a trainer in America that doesn’t dream about winning Kentucky Derby. In fact this year we have a very good Godolphin horse named Proxy and he could be a strong contender. He is already on the top 10 list of Derby contenders this year. And so, there's a chance if things go well that we could be running in the Kentucky Derby this year, which would be a first for me.
Q: If he wins it will be a first for Godolphin as well.
A: Yes, it would. I would be very happy and I believe they would be too. It would be an honour to meet Sheikh Mohammed, I have never met him.