Electrocutionist

Electrocutionist, born in 2001, was a Thoroughbred horse out of Godolphin who shot to fame after claiming the Dubai World Cup in 2006. Thought Kentucky bred, and of out of leading sire Red Ransom (leading mostly due to his high-earning son), the five year old colt was Based in Dubai and owned by Godolphin Racing, Inc.

Under a strong drive from England]'s top jockey, Frankie Dettori, the well fancied favorite managed to get his head up just strides before the line. The victory was met with wild celebrations from Dettori, accompanied by his connections( a Dubai based opperation) who could have not been anything but overjoyed by their horse's success in one of the most valuable races in the world of thoroughbred horse racing, winning an estimated $3.6 million. The victory was made even more impressive due to the fact that the colt had drawn post position one, a postion on the rail which had never even produced a placed horse in the previous 11 runnings of this race.

In subsequent races, the colt had been less succesful but had always showed a distinct fighting spirit against the odds. In the King George VI and Queen Elizabeth Diamond Stakes at Ascot, despite a huge drift in the market pre-race, Electrocutionist lost by a short margin to Le Prix de l'Arc de Triomphe champion Hurricane Run, whose connections claimed the £750,000 prize money. The winner's jockey, Cristophe Soumillon, was later criticised for overuse of his whip and many believed that under a legitimate ride Electrocutionist would have been able to prove himself as the better horse on the day. It must be pointed out, however, that Soumillion received no punishment after his ride which adds legitimacy to Hurricane Run's victory. Electrocutionist also placed second to the terrific filly Ouija Board in the Prince of Wales' Stakes (Eng-I) at Ascot.

Electrocutionist was rated as the top dirt performer in the world, under official ratings, and was set to be the star of the already star studded Godolphin stable for the foreseeable future.

Sudden end

On September 9, 2006, Electrocutionist suffered a fatal heart attack, unexpected by all connected to him. Five days before his death an abnormality was discovered in his heart, but nothing that caused his owners and trainer to worry. It came as a dreadful shock.

Godolphin's top trainer, Saeed bin Suroor said, "He was a wonderful, brave horse, a real pleasure to train. He gave his best every time he ran and I will always remember the courage and class he showed in winning the Dubai World Cup. He was a champion."

Electrocutionist won eight of his 12 career starts, including three Grade Is, and won more than $5.6 million. He was owned by Earle Mack and trained in Italy by Valfredo Valiani before he was acquired by Godolphin in November in 2005. Racng four times for his Dudai stable, he was scheduled to participate in the Emirates Airline Champion Stakes (Eng-I) at Newmarket on Oct. 14, 2006.