THERE are many ways to assess and classify the progeny of the incomparable Galileo, a discussion or debate that could stretch on for hours, if not days. Here are 10 of the stallion’s biggest earners during their racing careers.
1. Highland Reel (Ire) – £9,389,272
A quite astonishing haul for a horse who would bot head the list under a ratings criteria. Highland Reel was an exceptionally tough international campaigner, racing over four seasons and racking up seven Group 1 wins, from Royal Ascot to Hong Kong. A considerable chunk of his earnings came from his two Hong Kong Vase wins, but Breeders’ Cup Turf and King George VI and Queen Elizabeth Stakes successes underline his class, with notable placed efforts behind legendary mares Winx and Enable also on his record. The Coolmore stallion is off the mark with his first runners.
2. Found (Ire) – €6,778,425
A three-time Group 1 winner, Found has the distinction of having won both the Prix de l’Arc de Triomphe and Breeders’ Cup Turf. She inflicted only the second defeat of his career on the all-conquering Golden Horn at Keeneland in 2015 before taking home the French highlight at Chantilly the following season. She has produced a Royal Ascot winner with her first foal, Battleground, suggesting the apple does not fall far from the tree.
3. Magical (Ire) – €5,424,902
Another super-tough mare, although one who was unfortunate to bump heads with the great Enable throughout her career. A seven-time Group 1 winner, Magical placed a further nine times at the highest level, most notably when twice being edged out in the Breeders’ Cup Turf. Magical was the only horse to beat Ghaiyyath in his career-defining 2020 campaign, the last of her four seasons in Aidan O’Brien’s care.
4. Waldgeist (GB) – €4,850,253
Famed as the horse who scuppered Enable’s Arc hat-trick, his final defeat of Enable sent his rating soaring to 128. A four-time Group 1 winner, Waldgeist was so nearly a Prix du Jockey Club-French Derby winner in 2017, beaten just a short head, and André Fabre was brave in campaigning him across Europe, as well as running in America and Hong Kong. He has just completed his second season at Ballylinch Stud.
5. Magic Wand (Ire) – €4,196,403
An admirable international campaigner who enjoyed her moment in the sun when she won the Group 1 Mackinnon Stakes in Australia. Her victory was all the more laudable when you consider she was turning out to win over 10 furlongs just four days after being beaten only three and a half lengths in the Melbourne Cup over a gruelling two miles. Magic Wand acquitted herself well in Hong Kong and America too, underscoring Galileo’s international reach.
6. Frankel (GB) – €3,589,166
The unbeaten superstar needs no introduction, and were we looking at ratings he would be lengths clear of the rest. Frankel retired with a rating of 140, unbeaten in 14 starts, a 10-time Group 1 winner, and the darling of the racing world. His earning potential was somewhat limited by the fact he did not chase global megabucks. With 15 Group 1 winners, the Juddmonte stallion is chasing Galileo’s mantle.
7. Cape Blanco (Ire) – €2,894,178
Winner of the 2010 Group 1 Irish Derby, Cape Blanco stunned his better-fancied stablemate Rip Van Winkle when prevailing by five and a half lengths in the Group 1 Irish Champion Stakes later that summer. Cape Blanco developed into a top US turf horse the following year, claiming three of the country’s biggest prizes in the Grade 1 Man O’War Stakes, Arlington Million and the Joe Hirsch Turf Classic.
8. Minding (Ire) – €2,327,295
A dual classic winner, Minding was a mare out of the top drawer. Winner of the Group 1 1000 Guineas and Oaks in 2016, she also placed second in the Irish 1000 Guineas and won the Group 1 Pretty Polly and Nassau Stakes in her three-year-old campaign. Minding became the first filly in 29 years to win the Group 1 Queen Elizabeth II Stakes when seeing off all-comers at Ascot. She finished her classic year as an incredible seven-time Group 1 winner, having won twice at that level at two.
9. New Approach (Ire) – €2,630,366
Unbeaten at two when his five wins included the Group 1 National Stakes in Ireland and the Group 1 Dewhurst Stakes in England, he added three more top-level successes the following year, landing the Derby, the Irish Champion Stakes and the Champion Stakes at Newmarket. His nemesis was Henrythenavigator who denied him a Guineas double. Among his Group 1 and classic winners is Masar, who is a descendent of Galileo’s dam Urban Sea.
10. Australia (GB) – €2,556,902
By a Derby winner out of the Oaks winner Ouija Board, if ever a horse was bred to be a star, it was Australia. He met his moment with Epsom destiny head on, finding for pressure to repel Kingston Hill and secure his classic verdict. Australia added the Irish Derby and Juddmonte International before a hoof problem brought a premature end to his career. His stud career is already flying with St Leger winner Galileo Chrome and Breeders’ Cup Mile winner Order Of Australia among his progeny.