While a growing number of sires have been touted as ‘the best stallion in the world’ few, if any, will exert the influence on the breed to the extent that the late Galileo has done.
The incomparable Galileo (Pic – Supplied)
His influence was once again well and truly felt this past weekend, when he made his mark all over the world in days, and not for the first time.
His sons Jan Brueghel and Illinois gave Galileo a 1-2 when they fought out the finish to Saturday’s Gr1 Betfred St Leger, with the unbeaten Jan Brueghel becoming the champion’s 101st Gr1 winner with his neck victory. Galileo is either sire or grandsire of five of the seven runners in the 2024 Betfred St Leger!
Remarkably, Galileo’s star son Kyprios provided his sire with a Leger double of sorts when he won Sunday’s Gr1 Comer Group International Irish St Leger.
He was also victorious in the 2022 Irish St Leger. Galileo runners have captured the Irish St Leger seven times in the past ten years.
A full-brother to 2019 Gr1 Dubai Duty Free Irish Derby winner Sovereign, Jan Brueghel is his sire’s fourth St Leger winner, with Galileo sons Sixties Icon (2006), Capri (2017) and Kew Gardens (2018) having preceded him Galileo is also the broodmare sire of 2023 Betfred St Leger winner Continuous (by Heart’s Cry out of the Galileo mare Fluff).
Sixties Icon led home his paternal half-brothers The Last Drop and Red Rocks to give Galileo a memorable 1-2-3 finish in the 2006 Ladbrokes St Leger.
Galileo sire sons and broodmare daughters also made their mark over the weekend.
His star son Frankel had a memorable few days with Frankel colt Diego Velazquez victorious in Saturday’s Gr2 Tonybet Solonaway Stakes, and Frankel fillies Lake Victoria and Exactly running first and third in Sunday’s Gr1 Moyglare Stud Stakes.
Former Qipco 2000 Guineas/Al Shaqab Lockinge Stakes winner Night Of Thunder (by Dubawi out of the Galileo mare Forest Storm) had a mighty few days with his unbeaten daughter Desert Flower landing Thursday’s Gr2 Betfred May Hill Stakes and son Economics victorious in Saturday’s Gr1 Royal Bahrain Irish Champion Stakes.
The Galileo was well to the fore in the 2024 Irish Champion Stakes -not only did Night Of Thunder sire the winner, but runner up Auguste Rodin and third place finisher Shin Emperor are both out of daughters of Galileo.
Night Of Thunder, bred on the hugely successful Dubawi/Galileo cross, has had a wonderful year in 2024 with his flagbearers including, at the time of writing, 15 individual stakes winners.
Saturday stakes winners this past week produced by Galileo mares include Green Impact (Gr2 KPMG Champions Juvenile Stakes) and Point King (Gr3 Lexus Archer Stakes), while Galileo’s son Teofilo is broodmare sire of Saturday’s Gr2 Betfred Champagne Stakes winner Bay City Roller (New Bay). Another Galileo son, New Approach, is broodmare sire of Sunday’s Gr1 Goffs Vincent O’Brien National Stakes winner Scorthy Champ (Mehmas).
Galileo is also broodmare sire of Saturday’s Gr1 E.P. Taylor Stakes winner Full Count Felicia (War Front), a daughter of the Galileo mare Clair De Lune.
At the time of writing, Galileo mares have produced 58 Gr1 winners, and his daughters have enjoyed notable success with War Front.
Full Count Felicia is the 12th stakes winner bred on the War Front/Galileo cross and she joins siblings Roly Poly and U S Navy Flag, as well as Fog Of War, as Gr1 winners.
Galileo also made his presence felt in South Africa on Saturday. Top sprinter Dyce, whose dam is the Galileo mare Beshaayir, picked up his eighth career win when running out a convincing winner over 1000m at Turffontein, having won all of the Gr1 World Pool Cape Flying Championship, Gr3 New Turf Carriers Merchants and Listed Golden Loom Handicap last season.
Anfields Rocket (SA Classic), Aragosta (SA Derby), Dyce, Green With Envy (Cape Derby, Daily News 2000) and Hero’s Honour (SA Derby) are all South Africa Gr1 winners out of Galileo mares,with runners out of Galileo daughters winning ten black type races in South Africa last season.
