Darley Stud is located at Dalham Hall, the global breeding operation owned by Sheikh Mohammed bin Rashid al-Maktoum, the Ruler of Dubai and vice-president of the United Arab Emirates. It is on the outskirts of Newmarket, Suffolk, the international headquarters and historic home of thoroughbred horse racing. Darley currently stands more than 50 stallions around the world: in England at Dalham Hall Stud, in Ireland at Kildangan Stud, in the United States at Jonabell Farm, in Lexington, Kentucky, and on two stud farms in Australia: at Northwood Park, Victoria, and at Kelvinside in the Hunter Valley in New South Wales. Darley stallions also stand in France and Japan. Darley was founded in 1981 when Sheikh Mohammed purchased Dalham Hall Stud. Today, Darley studs are home to many of Europe's leading stallions. These include father and son super sires Dawn Approach and New Approach, and Dubawi, already sire of a number of G1 winners. Other famous stallions who have stood at Dalham Hall include Dubai Millennium, Sheikh Mohammed's favourite horse. Born on the stud and trained in Newmarket, he won the Dubai World Cup in 2000 and was the eight-length winner of the Prince of Wales's Stakes at Royal Ascot in the same year. When he retired from horse racing, Dubai Millennium returned to the stud but sired just one crop of foals before dying of grass sickness. In addition to standing stallions, Darley manages the racing interests of Sheikh Mohammed and various members of the Maktoum family, and has racehorses with a number of trainers in the UK, Ireland, France, the United States, Australia, and Japan. The best of these horses transfer to Godolphin, to race in the famous blue silks that have been carried to victory in numerous G1 races around the globe. In 2014, Darley Australia, together with rival Coolmore and a number of local viticulturists, won a battle against Anglo American Coal to stop the expansion of the company's Drayton South open cast mining operation in the Hunter Valley.
