THERE are few guarantees in life, but it is hard to imagine Gleneagles failing to become the sire of at least a few Group 1 winners. He was a top-class performer at both two and three years of age – which attracts breeder support – he is a son of the greatest living European stallion who has a double-digit tally of sons with at least one top-level to their name, and he is out of a talented full-sister to a multiple champion sire.
That bare description is enough to show that he is a horse of tremendous potential, but there is much more to his family’s story. Gleneagles is the second foal out of the Group 2 Cherry Hinton Stakes winner You’resothrilling (by Storm Cat), a mare who has established herself as one of the very best in the world even though she has only just turned 13.
Her first foal is the Group 1 Irish 1000 Guineas heroine Marvellous, her third is juvenile Group 3 scorer and Grade 1 Belmont Oaks Invitational Stakes third Coolmore, number four is the Grade 1-placed Australian Group 2 winner Taj Mahal, and her fifth is Happily, winner of both the Group 1 Moyglare Stud Stakes and Group 1 Prix Jean-Luc Lagardere and a leading classic prospect for 2018.
All are by Galileo.
Nobody can expect any mare to develop such an outstanding produce record, but her potential to produce at least one Group 1 scorer was obvious. And as she is a full-sister to prolific Group 1 star and multiple US champion sire Giant’s Causeway, and also to leading New York-based stallion Freud, any top son that she might have would be an excellent stallion prospect.
Giant’s Causeway’s first season was at Coolmore and that initial crop gave us the Group/Grade 1 stars Aragorn, Maids Causeway, Footstepsinthesand and Shamardal, the latter pair now prolific Group 1 sires. Now at Coolmore’s US division, Ashford Stud, he has sired 176 stakes winners, including 31 top-level scorers.
His year-younger full-brother Freud is at Sequel Stallions, with four Grade 1 stars among more than 50 stakes winners, while their full-sister Pearling is the dam of triple Group 1 ace Decorated Knight (by Galileo). That chesnut, who excelled at 10 furlongs, is about to cover his first book of mares and was reviewed here last week.
Gleneagles, who had a string of six-figure foals sold in Goffs and at Tattersalls last year, is among the most exciting prospects to go to stud in recent years.
GLENEAGLES (IRE), Bay 2012. Champion 2yr old colt in Ireland in 2014. Champion 3yr old miler in Europe in 2015. Won seven races, £934,200, from 7 furlongs to 1 mile, at 2 and 3 years including Goffs Vincent O’Brien National Stakes, Curragh, Gr.1, QIPCO 2000 Guineas, Newmarket, Gr.1, St James’s Palace Stakes, Ascot, Gr.1, Tattersalls Irish 2000 Guineas, Curragh, Gr.1, Galileo EBF Futurity Stakes, Curragh, Gr.2, Japanese Racing Authority Tyros Stakes, Leopardstown, Gr.3, also placed 3rd Qatar Prix Jean-Luc Lagardere Grand Criterium, Longchamp, Gr.1.
Retired to stud in 2016, first crop now yearlings.
Stands at: Coolmore Stud, Fethard, Co Tipperary, Ireland.
Contact: Christy Grassick, David O’Loughlin, Eddie Fitzpatrick, Tim Corballis, Maurice Moloney, Gerry Aherne, Mathieu Legars or Jason Walsh
Telephone: +353 (0)52 6131298
Email: sales@coolmore.ie
Web: www.coolmore.com
Fee: €40,000