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The Godolphin brains trust will head off to Dubai to see "the boss", Sheikh Mohammed, this week with plenty of good news and expectation from his juvenile team. The stable scored its eighth individual two-year-old winner when Haptic scored at Randwick on Saturday.
Australian boss Henry Plumptre, racing manager Jason Walsh and trainer John O'Shea will head for Dubai on Wednesday to report on the first six months of the blue army down under with the two-year-olds the big talking point.
Surprisingly, Godolphin is yet to have a multiple juvenile winner but there is plenty of ammunition to aim at the Blue Diamond and Golden Slipper.
"It is going well at the moment, but I'll tell you in a couple of months whether we have got it right," O'Shea said.
"[Haptic] is a nice colt and he can go to the Lonhro Plate [at Randwick on February 14] and we then try to qualify him [for the Slipper] through the Skyline Stakes [at Warwick Farm a fortnight later]."
The flying visit to Dubai will be the first since O'Shea took over the operation in May and now, under the Godolphin banner, it has thrived with 65 winners since October.
"I haven't been there since I got the job, so it is part of it to go over there, I would think," O'Shea said. "I'm going on Wednesday and will back for Saturday and it is just to update the boss."
He will be able to point to his Golden Slipper team, which is led by Ottoman, the $6 favourite, and Furnaces ($8) and has five in the top dozen of betting.
Haptic has plenty of improvement left in him after being a bit full of himself in the parade ring, where Godolphin assistant trainer and former jockey Darren Beadman had to help the strapper.
"He just likes to have a look around and it was all a bit new. I was just there to help him keep calm," Beadman said.
He led Haptic through the tunnel under the grandstand and on to track, where the son of Exceed And Excel was all business. He led from the gates and, although shaded by Irvine, he held the rail and the front.
He cruised up the rise and then held off a late challenge from Counterattack, which had tracked him and had the final crack in the straight, but had a half-length to spare with the well-backed Sebring Sun another 2-1/4 lengths back third.
"He was a bit keen in himself when [Irvine] got a half length on him," jockey James McDonald said.
"He gave a good kick and there is plenty more left there because he did a few things wrong. He hit the fence a couple of time but did the job. The one thing he has is he's fast."
McDonald's partnership with Godolphin has afforded him a first-hand look at their outstanding team but he will be on what he is told to ride.
"I think everyone knows what the good ones are there. I'll be happy to be on whatever they put me on because there is not much between six or seven of them," he said.
"It will be up to what keeps improving. That bloke [Haptic] is going to get a lot better from that experience."
Blake Shinn said Counterattack would continue to improve into a quality galloper later on after his third placing in three runs.
"The winner was able to get a breather mid-race and I think that was a telling factor," Shinn said. "My horse will be better at 1200 metres and has a very bright future."
Sebring Sun was backed $2.90 to $2.70 late in betting but never threatened the winner, who eased from $1.60 to $2.20. Hugh Bowman said not to give up on him.
"I'm not too disappointed because it was only his second run. The writing was on the wall for the favourite and the other one has had the benefit of a run," Bowman said.
"Although I thought he could have gone a bit better, I'm not too worried."
