Godolphin's £6m gamble in search of Derby success

With none of their juveniles from last season making the top 50 European two-year-olds in the World Thoroughbred Rankings, Godolphin have splashed the cash in an attempt to buy Classic success on the Flat this year.

The Dubai-based operation have paid a reported £6million for Kite Wood, one of the leading fancies for this year's Epsom Derby, from previous owner Thomas Barr.

The son of Galileo had spent his juvenile career in the care of Michael Jarvis and is as short as 12-1 with Stan James for the Derby in June.

Kite Wood won two of his three starts for Jarvis, who confirmed the sale. He told today's Guardian: "Every horse has a price. This one is very nicely bred and a very good prospect."

After finishing second on debut at Leicester, Kite Wood went on to land his maiden on soft ground at Doncaster in September before winning the Group 3 Autumn Stakes at Ascot by one-and-a-half lengths, ending the unbeaten record of the Marcus Tregoning-trained Taameer in the process.

Godolphin sent out just one European Group 1 winner last season and trainer Saeed Bin Suroor's lack of success with juveniles has led Sheikh Mohammed to send 30 two-year-olds and 70 yearlings to the care of 21-time French champion Andre Fabre in Chantilly this year.

The purchase of Kite Wood is unlikely to be the end of Godolphin raids on last season's top European two-year-olds although they will be hoping for better luck than their expensive purchase of top two-year-old Fast Company in 2007.

The son of Danehill Dancer missed his entire three-year-old campaign through injury after being bought for an undisclosed sum.