One of the most striking aspects of the field for Saturday’s Gr1 Betway Summer Cup is the role played by the legendary stallion Galileo.
Galileo is either paternal grandsire or maternal grandsire of five of the 20 runners in the 2023 renewal.
Legendary stallion Galileo (Pic – Supplied)
His son The United States is responsible for the Summer Cup hopefuls Billy Bowlegs and East Coast, with another Galileo horse, Flying The Flag, sire of Summer Cup starter Electric Gold.
Galileo, the leading Broodmare Sire in Britain for 2023, is also broodmare sire of a pair of Summer Cup runners in the form of Aragosta (Rafeef) and Anfields Rocket (Coup De Grace) respectively.
The 2022 Gr1 WSB SA Derby winner Aragosta was produced by the Galileo mare Miss Galidora, a half-sister to French classic winner and sire Clodovil (Danehill) and Gr3 Gordon Richards Stakes winner Colombian (Azamour), while last season’s Gr1 WSB Classic winner Anfields Rocket is out of Galileo’s daughter Milla’s Rocket.
The latter, also dam of Listed Winter Juvenile Stakes winner Counts Rocket, hails from the same family as now retired star Westover, whose sire Frankel, like Milla’s Rocket, was sired by Galileo.
Galileo’s own sire Sadler’s Wells plays an even more notable role in the pedigrees of runners in this year’s Summer Cup.
Billy Bowlegs – classy son of Gailileo’s son, The United States (Pic – JC Photos)
Sadler’s Wells is broodmare sire of the inform Pathfork, who is represented in the 2023 Summer Cup by his dual Gr2 Allied Steelrode Onamissionmile winning son Bingwa, as well as by last out Listed PinkDrive Michaelmas Handicap winner Royal Victory.
Sadler’s Wells’ Gr1 Grand Prix de Paris winning son Fort Wood is broodmare sire of 2023 Summer Cup runners Lady Of Power and Second Base.
Son Of Raj (Pic – JC Photos)
Fort Wood mare Rippling Star ranks as the granddam of Summer Cup entrant Son Of Raj (Duke Of Marmalade), with another Sadler’s Wells son, Casey Tibbs, damsire of former Equus Champion and Summer Cup hope Cousin Casey.
Yet another son of Sadler’s Wells, Doowaley, is broodmare sire of former Gr3 Victress Stakes winner Star Express, the dam of champion and Summer Cup runner, Bless My Stars.
Summer Cup hope East Coast is inbred to the all-conquering Sadler’s Wells, with his sire The United States a grandson of the mighty stallion and his dam Wisdom Stone (Dalakhani) a daughter of the Sadler’s Wells mare Watership Crystal.
With a carryover of R2 million boosting the Betway Summer Cup day Pick 6 mega pool to a projected R10 million, there is plenty to play for!
Other carryovers to note on the day:
- Race 2: Bipot Leg 1 Likely Pool R400 000
- Race 3: Place Accumulator Leg 1 – Likely Pool R750 000
- Race 5: Jackpot Leg 1 – Likely Pool R750 000
- Race 7: Betway Summer Cup – Quartet Maxi Pool – R1 million carryover; likely Pool R4 million.
- Race 7: Jackpot Two Leg 1 – likely Pool R400 000
