Godolphin and Darley, the global racing and breeding empires of HH Sheikh Mohammed bin Rashid Al Maktoum, will merge into one operation in the New Year.

John Ferguson, currently bloodstock advisor to Sheikh Mohammed, has been appointed chief executive and racing manager to the re-shaped and streamlined Godolphin, it was announced today (Tuesday).

Darley, under which all Sheikh Mohammed's bloodstock holdings formerly operated, is now to be used solely as a brand to promote stallions.

Ferguson, a highly-successful jumps trainer in the UK -- he is currently fifth on the trainers' list -- has simultaneously announced that he will hand in his licence at the end of April 2016 in order to devote more time to Godolphin.

The best of his horses, who were almost exclusively recruited from Godolphin and Darley and ran over jumps in the ownership of Bloomfields, will now re-join Godolphin at Charlie Appleby's Moulton Paddocks, Newmarket. Ferguson's stable staff at Bloomfields will be invited to join Godolphin.

Ferguson said: "I am extremely proud of the team at Bloomfields and the excellent job they have done over the past five years. They are a fantastic group, who have given everything to the stable and I am very grateful for their hard work."

He noted the changes were simply building on the evolution of Godolphin over the past two years.

"It is an exciting new chapter in the Godolphin story. Our long-term objective is to improve on Godolphin's results on the racetrack.
 
"We must ensure that Godolphin continues to represent excellence in racing, and that the brand serves as a constant reminder of the vibrancy and energy of Dubai," he said.

Godolphin has 2,000 horses in training worldwide, 2,500 breeding stock and employs 1,500 staff. - TradeArabia News Service