Ferguson shock as he quits Godolphin
Public rifts made CEO’S ‘position untenable’ End of 25-year link with Sheikh Mohammed
John Ferguson, Sheikh Mohammed’s right-hand man on all matters bloodstock, sent a shock wave through racing yesterday when he resigned as chief executive of Godolphin, the Sheikh’s global operation. The position is one of the most influential and powerful in the racing world.
In a statement, which also thanked Sheikh Mohammed for the opportunities, his kindness and counsel, he said: “Given the recent articles in the media, it was clear my position was untenable. In times such as these, what matters is the future, and my stepping down will allow everyone to draw a line under things and move forward.”
Ferguson has been with Sheikh Mohammed for 25 years. He assumed the role of chief executive following the shake-up in the wake of the 2014 anabolic steroid scandal involving Mahmoud Al Zarooni.
While many of Sheikh Mohammed’s favourite lieutenants, including Simon Crisford, were subsequently moved on or sideways, Ferguson was promoted and given instructions, in his own words, to give it “a kick in the belly”.
He stated in March 2016, when he announced that he would quit his own jump training operation to concentrate on the job, that he gave himself two years to get results.
“We have a fantastic team in place to do the job,” Ferguson told The Daily Telegraph at last year’s Dubai World Cup. “Providing the structure is in place, and you have complete confidence in the trainers, you can’t blame them if it goes wrong. Then it’s the horses – and I don’t intend for it to be the horses.”
The results, if not astounding, have been encouraging. If it was seen as a negative that none of the four that ran under the Godolphin banner in the Derby was good enough to be placed, the positive was that at least they had four legitimate Derby runners.
Below the surface, however, there had been strife. Not everyone approved of the ‘kick in the belly’, particularly Saeed bin Suroor, Godolphin’s longest-serving trainer, who revealed as much in a recent Racing Post article. He lamented Crisford’s departure, and his fellow Godolphin trainer, Charlie Appleby, getting all the best two-year-olds.
Last year Bin Suroor had put Ferguson in an awkward position by refusing to use jockey James Doyle, who he believed had been foisted on him. Doyle remains retained by Godolphin, riding for all their other trainers, even in Australia. It has not been all rosy ‘Down Under’ either. The massive operation has just appointed its third trainer, James Cummings, in four years.
It was unclear whether Ferguson would remain in his position as a director of Falcon, the strategic advisory company that organises the Dubai World Cup. Joe Osborne, managing director of Godolphin in Ireland, has been appointed Godolphin’s interim chief executive.