There are many ways to assess and classify the progeny of the incomparable Galileo – a discussion which could stretch on for hours, if not days. Here we rank the stallion’s 10 biggest earners during their racing careers.

Highland Reel – £7,513,355

A quite astonishing haul for a horse that would not feature among the 10 best 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 via his two Hong Kong Vase wins, but Breeders’ Cup Turf and King George successes underline his class, with notable placed efforts behind legendary mares Winx and Enable also on his record.

Found – £5,058,029

A three-times 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 already produced a Royal Ascot winner with her first foal, Battleground – suggesting the apple does not fall far from the tree.

Magical – £4,875,498

Another super-tough mare, although one who was unfortunate to bump heads with the great Enable throughout her career. A seven-times 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.

Waldgeist – £4,298,561

Famed as the horse that scuppered Enable’s Arc hat-trick, Waldgeist could be hailed a consistent runner for Galileo, with his final defeat of Enable sending his rating soaring to 128. A four-times Group 1 winner, Waldgeist was so nearly a French Derby winner in 2017, beaten just a short head, and Andre Fabre was brave in campaigning him across Europe, as well as running in America and Hong Kong.

Magic Wand – £3,705,970

Not a superstar by any measure, but an admirable international campaigner who enjoyed her moment in the sun when she won the Group 1 Mackinnon Stakes in Australia.

Her victory that day is 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 when 10th 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.

Frankel – £2,998,302

The unbeaten superstar needs little introduction and were we looking at ratings, he would be 10lb clear of his nearest relation. Frankel retired with a perch of 140, unbeaten in 14 starts, a 10-times Group One winner and the darling of the racing world. His earning potential was somewhat limited by the fact he did not chase global megabucks, but he surely remains a future beacon of the family line.

Cape Blanco – £2,574,670

Winner of the 2010 Irish Derby, Cape Blanco stunned his better-fancied stablemate Rip Van Winkle when prevailing by five and a half lengths in the 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 Man O’War Stakes, Arlington Million and the Joe Hirsch Turf Classic.

Anthony Van Dyck – £2,360,481

Best of a blanket finish to the 2019 Derby, it is hard to get away from the fact Anthony Van Dyck only triumphed once more in 10 subsequent starts. That victory over superstayer Stradivarius in the Prix Foy certainly showed he could still mix it with the best and a narrow second in what was to be his final completed start in the Caulfield Cup underlined what might have been. Sadly, he suffered a fatal injury in the Melbourne Cup, perhaps leaving more questions than answers.

Minding -£2,327,295

A dual Classic winner, Minding was a mare out of the top drawer. Winner of the 1000 Guineas and Oaks in 2016, she also placed second in the Irish Guineas and won both the Pretty Polly and Nassau Stakes in her three-year-old campaign. Minding became the first filly in 29 years to win the QEII Stakes when seeing off all comers at Ascot and she finished her Classic year with an incredible seven-times Group 1 winner, having added to two top-level juvenile triumphs.

Australia – £2,090,503

By a Derby winner out of an Oaks victor in Ouija Board, if ever a horse was bred to be a star, it was Australia. Third in a quality, if marginally unsatisfactory renewal of the 2000 Guineas, Australia 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.