The grey Capri’s win in Saturday’s Gr1 William Hill St Leger at Doncaster completed a clean-sweep of the 2017 English and Irish classics for male line descendants of Sadler’s Wells.
Sadler’s Wells
The latter, whose progeny won all of the British and Irish classics – including the Epsom Oaks five times, is responsible for the world’s premier stallion Galileo, who, is sire of not only Capri (Irish Derby, English St Leger), but also Winter and Churchill, respective winners of this year’s English and Irish 1000 and 2000 Guineas.
Another son of Galileo, Nathaniel, is the sire of Enable, winner of both the Investec Oaks and Darley Irish Oaks, while yet another son of the all conquering Galileo, Order Of St George, recently romped to a convincing win in the open to all ages Gr1 Irish St Leger.
Galileo (Sadler’s Wells – Urban Sea)
Galileo went close to enjoying a classic clean sweep with his son Cliffs Of Moher narrowly touched off in the Investec Derby earlier this year. He was denied victory only by Wings Of Eagles, while two grandsons of Galileo (both sired by his finest son Frankel), Cracksman and Eminent, filled the minor positions in the Epsom based classic.
Sadler’s Wells’ son Montjeu, is the sire of four English Derby winners, of which Pour Moi is responsible for Wings Of Eagles.
Enable
The dominance of Sadler’s Wells is reflected in the pedigree of four time Gr1 winner and dual classic winner Enable, who is sired by a grandson of Sadler’s Wells and out of one of his daughters.
The Epsom Derby has now been won by horses descended in male line from Sadler’s Wells ten times, and Sadler’s Wells also features as broodmare sire of the 2010 winner Workforce (King’s Best). Fittingly, it was Galileo who gave Sadler’s Wells his first English Derby success when the bay triumphed in the 2001 renewal.
Sadler’s Wells and his descendants have proved even more dominant in the Irish Derby-with that Curragh classic falling to this all powerful tribe on 17 occasions.
Sadler’s Wells was responsible for siring the first four home back in 2002, while Galileo’s five Irish Derby winners include not only Capri, but also Australia, whose first yearlings made a stir at the recent Keeneland September Yearling Sale, who accounted for paternal half-brothers Kingfisher and Orchestra to win the Irish Derby back in 2014.
Galileo son Teofilo also got on the Irish Derby board when his son Trading Leather won in 2013.
Montjeu (Sadler’s Wells – Floripedes)
Montjeu, who scored a scintillating win in the 1999 race, also made his mark on the Irish classic, with four winners to his name –and his son Hurricane Run beat another son of the sire, Scorpion, when triumphant in 2005. Other Irish Derby winners for Montjeu include the now very promising young sire Camelot, as well the ill-fated Fame And Glory, whose other notable triumphs included the Gold Cup and Coronation Cup.
Oaks
Sadler’s Wells sired five English Oaks winners, while Galileo has two to his credit. Sadler’s Wells is also broodmare sire of Oaks winner Taghrooda (by Galileo’s half-brother Sea The Stars), while Galileo emulated his sire when his maternal granddaughter Qualify (Fastnet Rock) caused a 50-1 shock to win the Oaks in 2015.
Galileo’s Epsom Derby winning son New Approach also got on the board when his daughter Talent won the Investec sponsored classic in 2013.
Capri also maintained the great dominance that Sadler’s Wells and his progeny enjoyed in the St Leger, with the Doncaster classic falling to this male line six times (Sadler’s Wells also featuring as damsire of past Leger winners Conduit and Simple Verse). Galileo, who was enjoying his second success in the race on Saturday, was responsible for the first three home in 2006 when Sixties Icon beat home The Last Drop and subsequent Breeders’ Cup winner Red Rocks.
While not as dominant as in the Derby, Oaks or St Leger, descendants of Sadler’s Wells have also enjoyed plenty of success in both the Irish and English one mile classics.
Approachable
Sadler’s Wells sired three 2000 Guineas winners and one 1000 Guineas winner (Salsabil), while his sons Barathea and Saffron Walden both won the Irish 2000 Guineas and daughters Imagine, Yesterday and Gossamer all took out the fillies equivalent. Galileo, whose three 2000 Guineas winners include the unbeaten Frankel, is also damsire of former winners Galileo Gold and Night Of Thunder, while his son, New Approach, is responsible for 2000 Guineas winner Dawn Approach. In fact, Galileo features in the pedigree of the past five 2000 Guineas winners! His paternal half-brother Montjeu sired the 2012 winner Camelot.
Minding – a champion and Horse Of The Year
Galileo, sire of the first three home in last year’s 1000 Guineas and first two home this year, is responsible for the past two 1000 Guineas winners, Minding and Winter, while the Irish 2000 Guineas and 1000 Guineas has fallen to a son/daughter on four times each. Teofilo is responsible for 2015 Irish 1000 Guineas winner Pleascach.
While his influence has been largely felt in Europe on turf, descendants of Sadler’s Wells, due to the consistently successful Medaglia D’Oro, are also now making their presence felt in major North American dirt races. Among the major races won by Sadler’s Wells line descendants in the US are the Preakness Stakes, Kentucky Oaks-twice, Breeders’ Cup Juvenile Fillies, and, in 2017, the Alabama Stakes and Del Mar Futurity.
