And yet, Sheikh Mohammed’s racing operation has helped him curry plenty of goodwill. That included a close relationship with the late Queen Elizabeth, a big fan of the sport.
“Godolphin’s been massive for [Sheikh Mohammed],” said Nicholas McGeehan, an expert in migrant workers’ rights in the United Arab Emirates who has written for The New York Times, The Guardian, and VICE. “I think it’s been very good for his reputation and has allowed him to sort of ride out some of those corruption scandals. I think if he didn’t have Godolphin in the U.K., he’d be the subject of more intense scrutiny.”
Godolphin USA and the UAE Embassy in Washington, D.C. did not immediately respond to Fortune’s requests for comment.
Sheikh Mohammed’s horse racing operation started with the purchase of a single stud farm in the English town of Newmarket, the sport’s historic hub, in 1981. Today, Godolphin is a worldwide behemoth racing on four continents.
Godolphin has also more than made its mark in North America, winning the award for the continent’s most outstanding owner each of the past five years. Sovereignty’s victory on Saturday may have been Godolphin’s first Kentucky Derby win in 13 attempts, but the stable’s dominance of the sport is unquestioned.
On Saturday, Godolphin became the first owner to win both the Kentucky Oaks, held the day before the Derby, and the main event at Churchill Downs since 1952. For now, however, Sheikh Mohammed’s stable will have to wait at least another year for the ultimate shot at horse racing legitimacy: Winning the Triple Crown.
Sovereignty could have become just the 14th horse in history to follow up his Derby win with victories in The Preakness Stakes and The Belmont Stakes on May 17 and June 7, respectively. Trainer Bill Mott decided against having the horse run the Preakness on such a quick turnaround, however.
“It’s still, I would say, in many senses, materially identical to the situation 10, 15, 20 years ago,” he said.
A Florida judge dismissed the case for want of jurisdiction, however, and the same thing happened in Kentucky.
The State Department and UNICEF quickly came to the UAE’s defense, emphasizing the country’s efforts to repatriate and compensate victims. In 2010, however, Anti-Slavery International released photographs of child jockeys competing at a festival in Abu Dhabi. Today, robot jockeys have taken the place of kids.
Update: This story, including the headline, was updated to reflect the announcement that Sovereignty would not run in The Preakness Stakes.
