GALILEO
Sons set to shine for the King of Epsom...
ThOSE standing around the parade ring before the 2001 Derby could not fail to notice the bay colt with an arrogant swagger that told you he was very much the leader of this pack.
Minutes later, Galileo was proving it on the undulations of Epsom.
From the moment the starting stalls opened and jockey Mick Kinane positioned his mount on the heels of the leaders until the second he flashed past the finishing line three-and-ahalf lengths clear of 2,000 Guineas winner Golan, defeat never looked remotely likely.
Galileo was the undisputed king of Epsom that day. And, as by far the most influential stallion of his generation, he still is 16 years later.
Five of the six real contenders running in this afternoon’s Classic for Galileo’s old trainer Aidan O’Brien are his sons.
In a 19-runner line-up, Galileo is also the grandsire of four of the other runners thanks to the efforts of his sons Nathaniel, Teofilo and mighty Frankel.
No wonder Jimmy George, spokesman for Tattersalls in Newmarket, where 16 of his offspring fetched a combined total of £10.25million when auctioned at the company’s prestigious Book 1 sale in October, says of Galileo that it is ‘hard to overstate his significance as a stallion’.
Indeed, not having a son or daughter of Galileo in your stable — or at least a strain of his super- charged bloodline — could leave you seriously underpowered.
It was similar in Formula One until this year’s resurgence by Ferrari: if you didn’t have a Mercedes engine in your car you might as well park up on the starting grid and watch the passing traffic.
The success of Galileo’s offspring is the cornerstone of the overwhelming success enjoyed by O’Brien, while his performance in the breeding shed largely enables the Coolmore Stud in County Tipperary, whose partners are headed by John Magnier, Derrick Smith and Michael Tabor, to dominate the European bloodstock arena.
For them, he is an equine cash machine. his earnings far outstrip the prize-money he landed on the racetrack. Since 2007, when Galileo’s stud fee was listed as €150,000, the cost of mating with such a treasured hunk of horseflesh has remained ‘private’ but it is a fair bet the number is a fair bit north of that figure.
AppOINTMENTS will only be considered with mates — many of them Coolmore’s own choicely bred mares — considered worthy of his services and despite surgery for colic and his advancing years, Galileo’s fertility remains as strong as the performances of his stock.
They are instilled with enough speed to make him a four-time champion two-yearold sire but also pass on the stamina that is so thoroughly tested over the Derby’s mile-and-a-half.
Churchill and Winter, who this season respectively completed the double of English and Irish 2,000 and 1,000 Guineas, were sired by him.
Three previous Derby winners — New Approach (2008), Ruler Of The World (2013) and Australia (2014) — are just part of his success story and even though Rhododendron was yesterday unable to give Galileo his fourth Oaks victory, she finished runnerup to Enable, sired by Nathaniel.
his prodigious record means Galileo could soon overtake the 73 Group One race wins by sons of his father, 13-time champion Coolmore sire Sadler’s Wells.
George said: ‘We all thought Sadler’s Wells was a stallion the like of which we were unlikely to see in the near future. he was an incredibly hard act to follow but Galileo is as influential, if not more so, than his amazing dad.’
Unsurprisingly, O’Brien loudly sings the praises of the children of Galileo that he trains. he eulogises about their ‘natural speed’ and stamina. And he identifies a crucial spirit which sets his progeny apart.
‘Most horses, if you work them before they’re fit enough, or when they’re feeling any pain, they’ll stop,’ O’Brien said in a recent interview. ‘They will never give you their all again. But Galileo’s never question anything they are asked.’
If one of O’Brien’s Galileo colts wins him a sixth Derby today, it will match the achievement of Vincent O’Brien, the unrelated renowned namesake who also trained at Ballydoyle.
It was Vincent, Magnier and the late owner Robert Sangster who chose to buy into the progeny of 1964 Kentucky Derby winner Northern Dancer. It proved an inspired move. Northern Dancer was to become a foundation stone to the modern Coolmore. his sons included 1970 Derby and Triple Crown winner Nijinsky and Sadler’s Wells. A Galileo colt or filly is a must-have for any multi-millionaire racehorse owner, apart from members of Dubai’s Maktoum family, who have boycotted Coolmore Stud stallions since 2005.
It is one reason why the only occasion a relation of Sheik Mohammed has won the Derby since Lammtarra in 1995 came when Jim Bolger-trained New Approach was successful in 2008 for princess haya, the Sheik’s wife.
New Approach was bought from Bolger after initially being owned by his wife Jackie. he is a son — yes, you’ve guessed it — of Galileo.
New Approach is now one of the Sheik’s stallions along with another son of Galileo bought from Bolger — Teofilo, the sire of Mark Johnston-trained Dante Stakes winner permian, who carries the colours of the Sheik’s son.
Through the backdoor, the purchases have given the Sheik access to the Galileo bloodline that he can also access by buying progeny of Frankel. As the old saying goes: if you can’t beat them, join them.