The 21st century has been blessed by many stars on the racing front, thanks to Frankel, Sea The Stars and Enable, to name just three. However, if measured by their lasting impact on the breed, one horse stands above them all, and it isn’t even close.
We are, of course, speaking of the late, great Galileo – winner of the Epsom Derby, Irish Derby, and King George VI And Queen Elizabeth Diamond Stakes in 2001 and, in the opinion of many, the greatest stallion of all time.
A Sire Without Compare
From his Coolmore base, the son of the hugely influential Sadler’s Wells sired over 100 individual Group 1 winners, including five Epsom Derby champs, five Epsom Oaks heroines, four winners of the 1000 Guineas, three of the 2000 Guineas, and four of the St. Leger.
Sadly, nothing lasts forever, and Galileo passed away in 2021 at the ripe old age of 23. The winners have continued posthumously – notably in the 2024 St. Leger, where Jan Brueghel and Illinois handed Galileo a 1-2 in the oldest Classic in the world.
Will they be the last runners to put their illustrious father’s name up in lights? Possibly, but Galileo does get one last shot at Classic glory in 2025 – albeit with vastly reduced numbers than in previous years.
Lucky 13 in Final Crop
As with most successful stallions, Galileo’s numbers diminished with his advancing years, with his final season producing just 13 foals. Two years old in 2024, the final 13 will enter their Classic campaign in 2025. Here, we pick out the five who may be most likely to give Galileo one last hurrah.
Eternal Spirit
Our first selection boasts the distinction of being the final daughter of Galileo to be trained by Aidan O’Brien. Yet to hit the track, Eternal Spirit has a long way to go to follow in the hoofprints of Minding, Winter, and others, but does obviously appeal on pedigree.
Dam Anna Karenina raced 12 times for David Wachman, with the pick of her efforts seeing her land a 1m1f Listed contest at Gowran Park. Eternal Spirit is the eighth foal by Galileo and Anna Karenina, with five of the previous seven managing at least one win at the track. Precious Stone and Perhaps earned black type for placing in pattern company, but the pick was Battle Of Marengo, who won twice in Group 2 company and finished fourth in the 2013 Epsom Derby.
Medallion
Also based at Ballydoyle, Medallion is out of the Australian Group 1 winning mare Amicus, making him a full brother to Duke OF Edinburgh Stakes winner Okita Soushi and Chief Little Rock, who landed the 2024 edition of the Group 3 Gallinule Stakes at the Curragh. The efforts of his siblings suggest Medallion will be seen to best effect over 1m2f-1m4f.
Stay True
Stablemate to Medallion and Eternal Spirit, Stay True receives a healthy injection of speed from his dam, Bounce. Trained by Henry Candy, the daughter of Middle Park Stakes winner Bahamian Bounty twice finished placed in Listed 6f events. Stay True is the first and only result of crossing Galileo with a Bahamian Bounty mare but is closely related to Group 3 winners Prima Luce (7f) and Snow (1m4f).
Lombardi Trophy
Donnacha O’Brien has two of Galileo’s final crop, the pick of which may be this son of the Listed-winning sprinter and daughter of Danehill, Chanting. Lombardi Trophy is the eighth foal by Galileo and Chanting, with his predecessors producing mixed results at the track – Listed 1m2f winner Easter Lily being the pick of the bunch. That would suggest we shouldn’t expect too much, but Galileo has previously combined with Danehill mares to produce Japan, Kyprios, and Frankel, so who knows.
Last Galileo
Finally, this aptly named colt based in Yorkshire with Karl Burke. Dam Bye Bye Birdie was all speed – winning the Group 3 Grangecon Stakes at the Curragh but has already combined with Galileo to give us the Group 3 winning stayer Delphi and Credenza, who produced her best form over 1m-1m2f. Last Galileo made his debut at Redcar on 25th September, finishing second, and holds an entry for the Group 1 Futurity Trophy Stakes.
