‘Love at first sight’: Daughter of legendary racehorse Galileo sells for €3.2m
A BUSINESSMAN who forked out an eye-watering €3.2m for a racehorse said it was “love at first sight” following the incredible purchase.
Amer Abdulaziz, of Phoenix Thoroughbreds, turned heads at Goffs in Co Kildare yesterday when he splashed out the mammoth sum for the daughter of legendary horse Galileo.
While expectations were high for the sale of the filly at the Goffs Orby sale, the seven-figure sum still raised eyebrows as the highest amount paid for a yearling in the world this year.
Speaking after the hammer came down at auction, Mr Abdulaziz said he fully expected the filly to win races at the top level.
He told Rishi Persad: “With a filly like that you assume she will go and win top races.”
The Bahrain businessman only saw the horse for the first time yesterday and said he knew straight away that she was a winner.
He said: “You won’t have anything like her in the market for the next 10 or 15 years.
“It was definitely love at first sight, I saw her this morning for the first time and she walked like a beautiful lady, you know, and that is how it should be with these top fillies.”
Meanwhile, John O’Connor, of Ballylinch Stud, said everyone was ecstatic at the €3.2m price tag achieved for the filly.
“There is a certain amount of relief, we are delighted, we expected her to sell well,” he said. “It is our job to be professional and not to get too excited.”