Galileo Gold

THE 2,000 Guineas and St James’s Palace Stakes winner represents the same combination of Al Shaqab and Tally-Ho Stud that has successfully launched the stallion career of Mehmas, one of 2020’s brightest sire prospects.

By the top-class miler Paco Boy, who duelled with the brilliant Goldikova, Galileo Gold was classy juvenile winning the Group 2 Vintage Stakes over 7f at Goodwood and beaten less than 2l into third in the Group 1 Prix Jean Luc Lagardère for Hugo Palmer.

He made his seasonal debut at three in the 2,000 Guineas and defeated a field which included European champion two-year-old Air Force Blue, Ribchester and Marcel.

Galileo Gold was forced to settle for second in the Irish 2,000 Guineas behind Awtaad, but was back in the winners’ enclosure in the St James’s Palace Stakes (G1) when he beat that rival as well as the Poule d’Essai des Poulains winner The Gurkha. His Coolmore rival overturned him in the Group 1 Sussex Stakes, beating Galileo Gold by a neck with Ribchester in third, ahead of Group 1 winners Toormore, Lightning Spear and Awtaad.

Both sides of Galileo Gold’s pedigree boast positive pedigree influences – Paco Boy is from the outstanding Green Desert sire line which has produced stallions of the calibre of Oasis Dream, Invincible Spirit and Cape Cross, while he is out of a Sandhurst Prince mare, the same broodmare sire as Dandy Man, sire of four Group/Grade 1 winners and counting from the Danehill branch of Danzig’s line.

On his dam’s side, he hails from the family of the outstanding Montjeu, who is a half-brother to his third dam, the unraced Cuixmala (Highest Honor). She is also a half-sister to Cumbres, the dam of Group 1 Irish 1,000 Guineas and Moyglare Stud Stakes winner Again and Aris, the Listed-winning dam of Group 1 Prix de la Foret winner Aclaim, who also has his first yearlings this year.

His dam is an unraced half-sister to Goldream, an Oasis Dream gelding who won the King’s Stand Stakes and Prix de l’Abbaye (G1).

Galileo Gold retired as a five-year-old where he was warmly received by breeders and covered a book of 132 mares. Buttonhole, a Montjeu half-sister to the Group 1 Fillies’ Mile winner Red Bloom, has a yearling filly by Galileo Gold. Another member of that family with a Galileo Gold yearling is Red Fuschia, who also foaled a filly in 2019.

His fillies were popular with the three most expensive foals of the year all fillies, and all bought by Tally-Ho. The top price was €80,000 at Goffs November for Ringfort Stud’s half-sister to 2019’s Group 2 Gimcrack and Champagne Stakes winner Threat from the family of Ulysses.

Esker Lodge sold a half-sister to Listed winners Flaming Speer and Taqseem and to Desert Blossom, second in the Group 2 Rockfel Stakes and the dam of Listed winner Duneflower, while the Royal Ascotwinning breeder Robert Norton bred the third most expensive first crop foal. She is a half-sister to the Group 3 Flame Of Tara Stakes winner Sea Of Grace, who made €50,000 consigned by Newtownbarry House Stud.

Racing Form

12 runs, five wins, four places | Best Timeform Rating: 129 | Average winning distance: 7.20f

Stakes form

AT 2 Won Qatar Vintage Stakes, Goodwood, Gr.2, (7f. beating Ibn Malik (IRE) and Palawan (GB)), third in Qatar Prix Jean-Luc Lagardere Grand Crit, Parislongchamp, Gr.1, (to Ultra (IRE)).

AT 3 Jt 4th top rated 3yr old colt in Europe in 2016. Won Qipco 2000 Guineas Stakes, Newmarket, Gr.1, (8f. beating Massaat (IRE) and Ribchester (IRE)), St James’s Palace Stakes, Ascot, Gr.1, (7½f. beating The Gurkha (IRE) and Awtaad (IRE)), second in Qatar Sussex Stakes, Goodwood, Gr.1, (to The Gurkha (IRE)), Tattersalls Irish 2000 Guineas, Curragh, Gr.1, (to Awtaad (IRE)).