There’s no doubt about it, Brookline was bred for greatness. Out of the iconic broodmare Cara Rafaela, a Grade 1 winner herself who produced the likes of superstar sire Bernardini, Brookline had some big shoes to fill.
It was at Margaux Farm, a Thoroughbred training center located in Midway, Ky., that farm trainer Dermot Littlefield first took a liking to him. A strong, nice-moving, good-looking son of Tapit, Brookline was bred and owned by Godolphin and trained by Mike Stidham, first at Fair Grounds and then throughout the East Coast. Their plan, once he broke his maiden in the U. S., was to send him to Dubai to continue his racing career as a member of Godolphin Racing.