The King is dead, long live the King. Coolmore supremo Galileo was humanely euthanised this past weekend at the age of 23.
As the world pays homage to the perennial 12-time British and Irish champion sire, broodmare sire and phenomenal sire of sires, we can but rue the fact that only a handful of his sons are available to South African breeders.
On reflection, that sad state of affairs can probably be attributed to two reasons.
From a commercial point of view, Galileo’s classically-bred or -performed sons are considered too stout for South Africa, where the racing programme is geared mainly towards speed up to a mile, notwithstanding the fact that our premier races are run over 2000m (Met, Summer Cup) and 2200m (Durban July).
Secondly, a weak exchange rate has severely impacted on the international buying power of South African breeders and has virtually put many well-bred or performed stallion prospects beyond their reach.
Be that as it may, a handful of Galileo’s sons have done stallion duties in South Africa.
The first high-profile son of Galileo to arrive in this country was Kingsbarns, the second leading juvenile in Europe in 2012.
The late Kingsbarns
Trained at Ballydoyle by Aidan O’Brien, he put up a career-best effort at two when claiming the Gr1 Racing Post Trophy at Doncaster.
Forced to miss the early part of his three-year-old season due to a hoof infection, the colt nevertheless managed to claim third place in Ascot’s Gr1 Queen Elizabeth II Stakes.
Initially retired to Coolmore’s Castlehyde, Kingsbarns was found to be sub-fertile, yet Drakenstein owner Gaynor Rupert was prepared to take a chance on the handsome bay, who shared the same female line as Galileo’s multiple champion son and former Ballydoyle Rip Van Winkle.
However, Kingsbarn’s fertility remained an issue and according to Jockey Club returns, he sired no more than 37 registered foals in three small local crops.
Sadly, he died at the tender age of eight and ironically, boasts arguably the best record as the sire of a first crop Gr1 winner.
Kingsbarns Gr1-winning daughter Gabor (Pic – Candiese Lenferna)
His premature loss was underlined when his first-crop daughter Gabor won the Thekwini Stakes and was named the champion juvenile filly. She was followed by King Of Gems, who landed the Gr2 Concorde Cup.
Kingsbarn’s second crop is headed by the filly Rain In Newmarket, who has been knocking at the stakes door with three Listed seconds this season. Juvenile colt Night Ruler, from Kingsbarn’s final crop of just eight foals, recently picked up his first black type when third in the Gr3 Langerman.
Galileo’s graded stakes winners Global View and Flying The Flag both joined the local stallion ranks in 2016.
The former arrived at Ascot Stud as a rare American-raced son of the global powerhouse, where he proved himself a fine miler with Gr2 and Gr3 victories on turf.
A strapping bay, he is out of a Storm Cat mare, as is the successful young Coolmore stallion, Galileo’s champion son Gleneagles.
Global View made an immediate impact when his first two runners scored on debut, one of which, Global Drummer, also became his sire’s first stakes winner.
Successful in the Listed East Cape Nursery, Dahlia Plate and Champion Juvenile Cup, he was voted Port Elizabeth’s leading juvenile.
Together with stakes-placed Storyland and Fireview, this trio headed a total of seven juvenile winners for their young sire, who ended the 2019-20 season as the country’s leading freshman sire.
Global View’s son Global Drummer (Pic – Pauline Herman)
Global Drummer has since enhanced his reputation with additional Listed stakes wins in the Racing Association and Ibhayi Stakes, while the East Cape Fillies Nursery winner Sound Check became her sire’s first second crop stakes winner.
Global View’s popularity has been such that he has covered close on 100 mares in each of the past two seasons, and with plenty of ammunition to go to war with, he should continue to bolster his standing among the country’s leading young sires.
Also part of the 2016 intake of new sires was Galileo’s blue-blooded son Flying The Flag.
Flying The Flag
An Irish Gr3 winner for Aidan O’Brien before his transfer to Mike de Kock, he scored once more in Dubai, while his best South African effort for co-owners Mary Slack, Michael Javett and Mauritzfontein Stud was a third behind French Navy in the Gr3 London News Stakes.
Contrary to expectations that the blue-blooded son Flying The Flag would enter stud at either Wilgerbosdrift or Mauritzfontein, the chestnut retired to Bush Hill Stud in Kwa-Zulu-Natal.
Boasting an impeccable pedigree he is the first foal of Irish 1000 Guineas winner Halfway To Heaven, a daughter of leading broodmare sire Pivotal.
Flying The Flag sister Magical wins The Qipco Champion Stakes.
She went on to produce Flying The Flag’s exceptional own sisters Magical, an exceptional globetrotter who defeated males in the Gr1 Tattersalls Gold Cup and Irish Champion Stakes, while year-older sister Rhododendron landed the Gr1 Lockinge Stakes, Gr1 Prix de l’Opera and Gr1 Dubai Fillies Mile.
Flying The Flag has yet to live up to his fine credentials as a stallion and to date, has sired just ten winners.
Moutonshoek-based The United States is the most recent son of Galileo to take up stud duties in South Africa.
Gr3-placed in Ireland at 3 and effective up to 2500m, this Australian Gr1 winner is also out of a Pivotal mare, Beauty Is Truth, whose broodmare career remarkably mirrors that of Flying The Flag’s dam.
The United States
She too, bred a Galileo stakes trio, for in addition to The United States, she is the dam of Irish and English 1000 Guineas winner Hermosa and the dual Gr1 queen Hydrangea. The female line is that of champion sprinter and successful sire Last Tycoon.
To say that The United States has made an auspicious start to his stallion career would be an understatement.
His very first runner, the juvenile filly Sheela, made her debut in the Listed Storm Bird Stakes and went on to give her male rivals a galloping lesson.
The United States daughter Sheela (Pic – JC Photos)
She proved that was no fluke when she again defeated the boys in the Gr2 SA Nursery. Sheela is one of just eleven first-crop foals for her young sire, who had covered no more than a dozen mares when a foot injury sent him to the sidelines. Now fully recovered, he has sizeable second and third crops on the ground.
As to the future, Galileo currently has one grandson at stud in South Africa, this the dual Gr2 winning sprinter/miler New Predator, whose first foals arrived in 2020.
A powerful individual of size and substance, the Australian-bred is by Galileo’s champion son New Approach, who has already made his mark as the sire of the Epsom Derby winners Dawn Approach and Masar and Oaks victress Talent.
New Predator joined the Bush Hill stallion barn in 2019 following a fine racing career.
Galileo grandson New Predator
A relentless frontrunner, he opened his stakes account in the Gr2 Drill Hall Stakes where he had the likes of Horse of the Year Legislate and Vodacom Durban July winner The Conglomerate behind him.
Also successful in the Gr2 Charity Mile at four, some of New Predator’s best efforts came in defeat at the top level.
He twice ran third to Horse of the Year Legal Eagle in the Gr1 HF Oppenheimer Horse Chestnut Stakes and also finished in that position when beaten just a length in the Gr1 Mercury Sprint.
New Predator – top racehorse and first foals catching the eye
A powerful individual of size and substance, New Predator is out of a Fastnet Rock mare who is inbred to the multiple champion Australian stallion and sire of sire Better Boy.
For what it’s worth, he also traces in female line to the wonderful taproot mare Absurdity, as does, wait for it, Vodacom Durban July hero Kommetdieding!
Retired Stud Manager Ken Twort told the Sporting Post that they are impressed by the New Predator foals.
“They stuck out in all the paddocks. They have big quarters and look like early comers!” he added.
With another three classic crops waiting in the wings, Galileo’s final chapter has yet to be written.
Suffice to say, he will continue to exert his influence and who knows, in time we may yet welcome more of his sons/grandsons to our stallion ranks.
