Galileo
Galileo, the world’s premier stallion, turned 21 this year. But this great producer’s legacy appears safe through a growing number of top class broodmare daughters and increasingly successful stallion sons.
His champion sons Teofilo, Frankel, and New Approach have all proved to be high class sires, while another son, the multiple Gr1 winner Nathaniel, is the sire of the outstanding seven time Gr1 winner Enable and the Gr1 winning God Given.
Enable – top class granddaughter
Sarah Whitelaw writes that yet another son by Galileo, the former Investec Derby winner Ruler Of The World, made a pleasing start with his first 2yos last year including Gr1 bet365 Fillies’ Mile winner Iridessa, while Galileo’s French Derby winning son Intello made a very bright start with his first crop headed by Gr1 Prix Jean Prat hero Intellogent.
On A Mission
Frankel’s triple Gr1 winning son Noble Mission also made a splash with his first crop. The Lane’s End based Noble Mission’s first crop includes Gr2 Fountain Of Youth Stakes winner and likely Kentucky Derby starter Code Of Honour.
Teofilo, the most accomplished Galileo sire son thus far in terms of numbers of both stakes winners and Gr1 winners, is already the sire of a Gr1 producing sire in the form of his Prix Jean Prat winner Havana Gold.
Teofilo
To date, Teofilo, who like another unbeaten top class Galileo sire son Frankel is out of a Danehill, has more than 80 stakes winners to his name, with his progeny having won such major international races as the Melbourne Cup, Irish 1000 Guineas, Irish Derby, Hong Kong Vase, Prix du Cadran and Maktoum Challenge
While Teofilo has proved a consistent producer of high-class performers, his paternal half-brother Frankel looks likely to surpass his achievements in the coming years. The unbeaten superstar got off to the widely expected good start at stud, and to date Frankel’s 37 stakes winners (from 220 odd runners) include six Gr1 winners plus the exciting filly East. Frankel’s outstanding four time Gr1 winning son Cracksman retired to stud for 2019 and that blue blooded star (he is directly descended in female line from Mumtaz Begum, the dam of Nasrullah) looks more than capable of furthering his sire’s legacy.
The brilliant Dawn Approach
The Galileo sired Epsom Derby winner New Approach made a blistering start to his stud career, when his first 2yos included three winners at Royal Ascot. While he has not maintained that start, New Approach has proved a successful stallion, and his 40 plus stakes winners include the English classic winners Dawn Approach, Talent and Masar -who emulated his sire when landing the Epsom Derby.
Dawn Approach has also come up with some smart sorts early in his stud career, with the former 2000 Guineas winner already responsible for group winners Musis Amica and Madhmoon, as well as 2018 Gr1 Premiers Champion Stakes runner up Alyaasaat.
Other sons of Galileo to have sired at least one Gr1 winner include Heliostatic, Roderic O’Connor, Soldier Of Fortune and Sixties Icon, and this list looks sure to grow substantially in coming seasons.
Down Under
Galileo’s latest stallion son to make a big impression is the classically bred Australia.
Not only one of the best bred sons of his sire to retire to stud, Australia also ranked as one of the very best sons of Galileo – the handsome chestnut (sparingly raced) won five of only eight outings with Australia scoring handsome wins in all of the Gr1 Epsom and Irish Derbies and Gr1 Juddmonte International and looking a little unlucky not to win the Irish Champion Stakes as well. Never out of the money, Australia always looked a popular sire prospect, as a dual Classic winning son of two outstanding performers in Galileo and Ouija Board respectively.
Australia wins the 2014 Investec Derby
He made an instant impression with his first 2yos in 2018, including dual group winner Beyond Reason, and the Gr1 performers Broome, Sydney Opera House (a half-brother to KZN sire Golden Sword) and Western Australia.
Australia enjoyed success in both Ireland and South Africa on Saturday, with his British bred daughter Sleeping Single becoming her sire’s first South African winner (she is Australia’s first runner in South Africa) when shedding her maiden emphatically by three and a quarter lengths at Durbanville on Saturday.
In Ireland, Australia had a pair of winners at Leopardstown on Saturday with his son Buckhurst making a winning debut over a mile and more importantly his promising son Broome scoring a decisive eight length win in the G3 P.W. McGrath Ballysax Stakes (a race won by previously by Galileo himself), with another Australia son, Sydney Opera House taking fourth.
With a number of highly rated 3yos set to represent him this year, Australia could be set for a very big year in 2019.
Masar wins The Investec Derby.
As a side note, Australia’s champion dam Ouija Board was sired by Cape Cross, who also ranks as the damsire of New Approach’s Derby winning son Masar.
His outstanding sire Galileo inevitably made his mark in this country, with the Equus Champions Igugu and Mahbooba – both dams of smart recent overseas winners – and his sons currently standing at stud here include Flying The Flag, Global View, The Assayer, and The United States.
With a plethora of top class sons yet to be represented on the track, including the likes of The Gurkha, Highland Reel, Churchill and Gleneagles and a growing number of high class grandsons retiring to stud, the Galileo legacy looks set to go from strength to strength in the coming years.
