Tempted and Observer lift Godolphin Australia to eight G1 wins this season

Brilliant three-year-olds Tempted and Observer struck at the highest level in different states on Saturday, 28 February, taking Godolphin Australia’s tally to eight G1 victories for the 2025/26 season.

Just 20 minutes after Tempted (Chad Schofield) claimed the G1 Surround Stakes at Royal Randwick, last season’s VRC Derby winner Observer (Ethan Brown) secured his second G1 with victory in the G1 Australian Guineas at Flemington.

They join Attica (Spring Champion Stakes), Tentyris (Coolmore Stud Stakes and Lightning Stakes) and Pericles (Futurity Stakes) among Godolphin’s top-flight winners this season, underlining the strength of the stable’s three-year-old division.

Now both trained by Ciaron Maher, Tempted and Observer delivered in their early autumn targets and may press on to further features in the coming weeks.

Maher was on course at Randwick to see Tempted settle fourth before surging late to defeat Savvy Hallie by a short head, with Ole Dancer 1.7 lengths away in third. She stopped the clock at 1:22.07 on a Soft 6 surface.

At Flemington, Observer tracked the leaders before angling to the fence in the straight and holding off Planet Red by a half-length, with Sixties a long neck away in third.

“I was very confident coming into the day,” Maher said.

“The horses had done everything we needed to see.

“They were two target races for them and I’m absolutely thrilled, proud and honoured.

“We were presented with two very high-quality horses into our yard last year and, for one to hit the mark for the second time and Tempted, she’s got so much ability, to tick off that G1, makes us very thrilled.

“I’m proud to have the opportunity to train for Godolphin.”

Maher also praised both jockeys for their rides.

“You saw when she bridled up coming up the rise, I wanted someone to ride her in both races and Chad does a lot for the stable, he’s cool, he’s calm and collected and that showed,” he said.

“Brownie made the other horse (Sixties) do a bit of work early.

“He wanted to put Observer into the race and you could see the further he went the more confident he got.”

Schofield said patience proved key aboard Tempted.

“I didn’t want to engage early and switch her on, get her over-travelling,” he said.

“I very much left her alone so she could get the trip.

“I came over the rise full of horse, really smooth through her gears.

“But I had to really dig into her late, she’s a very good horse.”

Observer’s rider Ethan Brown was equally impressed.

“I was just say thank you to the owners, Andy (Makiv) and the Godolphin team, Ciaron Maher for his support and the horse, he has him humming,” Brown said.

“He found again today second-up at a mile and I’m pinching myself.

“The main thing with him is getting him to relax and settle.

“That meant having to go down to the fence and riding a cool, patient race on him.

“From there on in, the track is fair, we stuck to the fence and he did the rest.

“He’s a superstar.”

Walsh said Observer’s profile continues to build.

“He’s clearly a pretty unique animal,” Walsh said.

“He’s a Derby winner who has come back and won an Australian Guineas, and we felt he unlucky not to win the Caulfield Guineas, to be honest.

“He’s a stallion prospect of real interest because he’s shown he’s capable at all the classic distances already.

“There’s no doubt knowing him, the very best is very much still in front of him.”