The Godolphin Horse and the Byerley Turk are two of the three foundation sires of the modern thoroughbred, the third being called the Darley Arabian. Thoroughbreds originated in England at the turn of the 18th century. It maybe difficult to understand the full impact these horses had upon the breed, and upon all the subsequent breeds their blood poured into over the past three hundred years, however, there are some fascinating insights.

Fortunately for breeds other than the British Thoroughbred, some direct sireline descendants of the Byerley Turk found themselves owned by people who had objectives other than horse racing. In America, this sireline had a profound effect; contributing to the formation of new breed of horse, in a brand new nation. It should come as no surprise that Figure, renamed Justin Morgan, was a direct sireline descendant of the Byerley Turk. No surprise at all.