Peel Hall, TopSpeed + An Interview with Tom Green & Will Kinsey – Part Two

Posted in Horse Racing by zoelouisesmithx

Good Evening!

Welcome to Part 2 of my interview with Tom Green and Will Kinsey – let’s just jump straight into it.

I think it is only right we mention the BBC Panorama episode, firstly did you watch it and secondly what can racing do as a sport to change the perception of racing that people now have due to that episode?

Will: I didn’t watch it live but I did watch it a few days later when it had all calmed down and there was some shocking images. But at the same time I felt like from a racing point of view a lot had to be taken with a pinch of salt because a lot of them didn’t look like race horses. The main problem was the slaughter house, if that’s how people think slaughter houses treat the horses then one thing is for sure, people in this industry will not be sending horses to places like that. You’re going to get some cases where with all due respect some horses are not safe to rehome or they have been injured and unfortunately need to be sent to be humanely put to sleep but those cases are very few and far between.

I think in this country racing does an awful lot for after care and does more and more for traceability and the transfer of responsibility and E-passports. They’re doing everything possible to make sure horses have the best life before, during and after racing. I felt like not a true picture was portrayed in that Panorama for sure, it was very one sided, they picked out a couple of examples and some pretty old footage on there as well, but that is not the norm. There is always going to be the odd case, there is always going to be human’s doing bad things in any walk of life but it is our responsibility to make sure we minimise this and give the horses the best care because ultimately we are breeding these horses for people to own them and train them for their pleasure so it’s only right and respectful we make sure they have good aftercare.

From my experience I don’t know anybody in this industry who thinks otherwise or treats horses badly because if they do they’re not in this industry, they’re soon out. I think in this country we do everything well and we’re striving to do it even better with that side of things.

Tom: Yeah, I think the industry as a whole needs to look at is and see that certain things need to be done straight away. They’re not fixes but they’ll make it harder. Bute is a common treatment, it’s like paracetamol for humans and if you went around and how many humans had taken paracetamol, the large majority would say they had. I think one of the things these people were trying to do was get contaminated meat into the food chain so what I would do is make every thoroughbred passport as not fit for consumption because most have been treated with bute anyway. It’s not going to fix the issues but it will make it a lot harder.

There are certainly question marks about how certain horses microchips have got from one horse to another that need to be looked into by the IHRB. However I do think it was very one sided, if you look at the transfer of responsibility that the BHA have brought in they are doing quite a lot and as I said we have rehomed one that now does dressage. I know a lot of people who have rehome horses that still keep in touch and still know what they’ve gone on to do. Every owner I know has made sure that their horse goes on to have a happy life after and that’s very important.

Certainly there’s question marks about the ‘reputable dealer’ because if I went to my trainer who said it’s not going to make a race horse but it’s a really nice horse and I know this man who looks after the horses and can find it a nice home then I’d be thinking yeah this is great because the horse will go on to have a really nice life. You trust the trainer to go that way, but he wasn’t named in the programme. There are definitely questions to be answered but I also agree that it was a quite one sided programme.

Will: The main character was a guy from Animal Aid that won’t stop until horse racing is stopped.

Tom: Well Animal Aid don’t want people to have animals as pets full stop.

Will: Exactly. There are far greater problems in this world. These horses get the best care, you’ve been here today and see how they’re treated. They are wild animals and we do breed them to do a job, but they will do terrible things. But with the lame horse on that programme, if he was transported like that then that is shocking but he could have done that, for all we know, whilst being transported. I do feel it was very one sided but we need to keep striving to do more and make these cases less. There was no side to that programme showing all the horses doing ROR (Retraining of Racehorses) and have a great after life. It was sensationalism in the large part and the majority of horses get really well looked after but unfortunately there are some sick people in this world who do sick things.

Tom: And anything we can do to minimise that is needed. Horse racing has always struggled with its image and I think syndicates are a great way to change that image and the sport should embrace that because people can be shown the realities so having TopSpeed we can bring people to see how the horses are treated. Like, how many people know that at Jonjo O’Neill’s there is a spa and a solarium and a swimming pool and a dedicated spa manager to make sure the animals are looked after. Racing needs to educate people because it’s got so much it can offer that other sports can’t.

Will: It’s come a long way, it’s made a lot of good changes like the whip and the fences at Aintree and stuff like that, horse welfare has come a long way. But there also has to come a point where there is so much we can do before it becomes something different.

And mentioning the whip there, where do you stand with the jockey bans, do they work or should the horse be disqualified if the jockey uses it too many times?

Will: I don’t think the horse should be thrown out of the race, it’s not the horses fault or the owners fault who pays the bills.

Tom: But I don’t think the jockey ban works, it’s not a big enough deterrent at the minute for those top races and that’s where they need to look at making changes. For example, The Hundred, they were fining teams for not bowling their overs quick enough and it didn’t work so now they’ve changed it, that’s what racing has been doing, they’re fining the jockey’s with bans and it hasn’t changed. Racing needs to have a look at how it can punish jockey’s who haven’t done it properly. But throwing the horse out as an owner, I can see both sides to the argument.

Perfect example is Native River in the Gold Cup, everyone knows I love Native River, but Richard Johnson used his whip too many times and ended up with a ban, in that race if he hadn’t Might Bite could have got up and beat him, so what can racing do?

Will: It’s a tough one, in terms of yes that was a gruelling race and to an outsider seeing a horse being hit it looks like it’s being beaten, but sometimes you need to keep the horse awake and keeping it decisive for the safety of the horse and the safety of the jockey. But ultimately Native River keeps coming back and winning races. If he didn’t like it he would just stop. In some respects the whip isn’t as bad as some people think it is. Richard was an old school jockey, who’s now obviously retired, so he’s seen all the rules come and go. I actually got banned in a close finish, but I only hit it twice after the last but it was the day after the new rules came in and I remember thinking I didn’t have a clue why the stewards wanted to see me. I think I hit it 10 times instead f 8 or something like that, but there was never more than 2 hits after 1 fence and I wasn’t a big man for using the whip at all but there is a time and a place when you need to use it when a horse is stopping underneath you. On a big occasion like the Gold Cup there is always the argument they’re only doing it because it’s the Gold Cup but sometimes you can lose count.

That was another question I had, in your head are you counting how many times you have used the whip or in that moment when you’re full of adrenaline do you lose count or forget to count?

Will: From the second last to the last to the line you have a fair old idea, but what if you gave them one earlier in the race? You may have forgotten about that one. So yes and no, you have a fair idea, but the argument to that is if in doubt don’t use it again. David Egan, he got fined on Mishriff this year and it was 10% of his winnings which was £100,000 because he won a million, which is an awful lot of money. If you said to a jockey would you win the Gold Cup or Grand National for no money, then I bet they would all say yes of course I would.

Tom: I think the issue is, take Might Bite and Native River, if he hadn’t gone over would Might Bite have won? I would probably say no, I think Native River still would have won because he’s a tough horse. But the bit I get annoyed with is interference, that needs to be looked at because the French have went too far one way but we’re too far the other. You can almost take a horse out of the race because as long as you’re a head clear you’re still fine. That can have a serious impact on the flat.

Will: Maybe a rule where for each hit over the ruled amount they lose a length or something like that, just putting ideas out there. It’s a pretty black and white rule then. So if they finish half a length ahead and hit 1 over then they lose a length and get demoted to second. But you are penalising the owner but that’s the jockey’s responsibility.

Tom: And as an owner, you get a say in what jockey rides your horses so if you have a jockey who has been found as a culprit multiple times who’s lost plenty of lengths you won’t put them on your horse so jockey’s will need to adapt. Having that rule, yes some jockey’s will make a mistake but over time jockeys will modify their behaviour and that’s what you need to do.

Will: It is difficult because riding a horse in a 7 furlong sprint is different to riding a horse in a 3 mile chase around Chepstow on heavy ground, if you’re coming to the last do you want to take that decision away from the jockey that you can’t use the whip if the horse needs it to get him to concentrate. In Richard’s defence, we’re a similar age, that’s how we were educated so you need to educate the jockeys coming through. I find it a grey area that there is the same rule for the flat as well as the jumps, it’s a real difficult one, without killing the sport as well. I was never one to use the whip so when I got my one and only ban it came as a shock but you know occasionally, the horse I rode was in head gear and lively. I’m not for a ban, I think the rules are pretty good at the moment but I don’t like seeing a jockey go over and I don’t like them doing it just because it’s a big event.

Looking from the other side, Richard Johnson as the example, if he hadn’t went over and he had been beaten by Might Bite, he would then potentially get penalised by the stewards for essentially throwing the race.

Tom: Then he’s able to say I gave him the best ride possible, I got to the limit. They keep reducing the number of times the whip can be used, has that resulted in jockeys getting better at riding and controlling a horse and motivating a horse? That’s an interesting side point.

Will: I have a bigger problem when a horse is being hit with no time to respond opposed to how many times it was hit over 3 miles.

Tom: Yeah, if it’s hit every so many miles but then it’s hit 3 times in a row with no time to react in between then that’s a bigger injustice. I think horse racing makes a lot of these issues for themselves by not being transparent and educating those outside of the sport.

Will: Ultimately Richard is not hitting Native River to hurt him, when they crossed the line he was hugging him and kissing him. That horse is then getting cuddled by owners, trainers, everybody. Nobody loves Native River as much as Richard Johnson.

Tom: Zoe would give him a run for his money!

Will: They’re both in it together, I felt like they were very much a match made in heaven. We need to do what we can without ruining the sport. Going off topic slightly, VAR has ruined football, you can keep trying to iron out these things, but I think the rules are pretty good.

You’re both very knowledgeable within breeding and pedigrees, so with the passing of Galileo earlier this year how much of an impact will that have on the breeding side of things within horse racing?

Tom: I’d argue not that big now actually because there are so many of his off-spring that are top class that Coolmore were using him less and less because they were needing crosses for his daughters. I think the legacy he leaves will be massive and it already is. You just need to look at Frankel who is another superstar who may go on to eclipse him.

Will: I think that that’s huge that he doesn’t belong to Coolmore.

That was another question, with Frankel not being at Coolmore, what horse from Coolmore do you now see being their flagship stallion?

Tom: They’ve just brought Wootton Bassett who I think they’ll use to cross with Galileo’s daughters. I think it’s a really interesting time for Coolmore actually, I think they thought they’d solved all their problems with Deep Impact and part of the issue, because Galileo has been so dominant most of their top mares are by him so they can’t use a son of him so they’re going to have those out crosses. It’s interesting he had Gleneagles who lots of people knocked and there was a bit of a resurgence. Australia has done really really well. I just can’t get over the fact that when I visited Coolmore, Gleneagles is the spitting image of his dad, he is literally his twin. I could see him taking on from Coolmore, but I actually think that because they have so many of his daughters, they will focus on the out crossings and it’ll be a case of Camelot and Wootton Bassett.

Will: Obviously the Galileo impact is huge. But ultimately he is the sire of middle distance runners, but the commercial flat market doesn’t really want it anyway. He’s still going to have a legacy for many years to come, as Tom said, he has all of his mares and more foals to be born by him so a special horse may come through. Frankel is just doing amazingly well.

Tom: If you compare Frankel and Galileo like for like, Frankel is ahead of Galileo at the same stage. I think the biggest impact will be over the next few years seeing the relationship between Coolmore and Godolphin or Darley has got a lot better. So you’ve seen them send a lot of their top class Galileo mares get sent to them which has came at a really good time for Coolmore. I think they will also try to promote Wootton Bassett massively but in terms of a son it will be Frankel who will be a clear favourite. And Camelot has already proven he can produce good horses.

Will: It’ll be good because we’ll get to see top class mares go to other stallions too. It is a huge impact that he isn’t there and his legacy will last for years to come and other stallions will naturally take over, which will be a good thing for the breeding industry really.

On from that, Aidan O’Brien has always been given a large crop of Galileo’s off-spring, he also has his two sons who are very young and only just getting started, do you think either of them could beat their dad’s records or now without Galileo here to produce Aidan always had the one up on them?

Tom: I don’t think either of them will go on to beat his record. I think the main issue is that there is two of them. Even if they get supported by Coolmore, unless one of them takes the major role, Aidan get’s all of Coolmore’s power behind him, ultimately if you split that then they won’t have the same fire power he has got. I also thinkk with the way the cycle is going, Godolphin are coming back to when they were in their heyday and I think they will put up a fight with Coolmore for those top races.

You both know racing very well, so are there any young horses or stallions you’d tell people to keep an eye out over the next few years?

Will: In terms of national hunt stallions, it’s a very interesting time with a lot of top leading stallions gone. Walk In The Park has been doing very well in the sales so naturally he’ll have been seen by a lot of good broodmares, so you’d think him. He’s an obvious one to follow. This side of the water is very interesting, Kayf Tara has gone who was the leading light here. We’ve got a lot of younger, unproven stallions. It’s quite an exciting time, you could send a mare to one of these stallions cheaply, then in a couple of years time they become very popular. We have a few foals by Masterstroke who is very well bred and they have a great temperament. We support a lot of British stallions here this year, we’ve sent a few to Nathaniel. I think it’s an exciting time. People are all doom and gloom saying we have no nice stallions but we could be sat here in 5 years time saying how many brilliant stallions we have.

On the flat Bated Breath who is proven and as I said earlier, Gleneagles after being out in the cold a little bit last year.

On Thursday we seen the Racing League start, what did you both think, do you think it will work and do you think it will get a younger audience involved or do you think there is still more that needs to be done?

Tom: We have spoken about this a lot because Will was there as his new business venture Thoroughbid sponsors one of the teams.

Will: I’ve got to say it was a lot of fun, there was a great atmosphere. It was really refreshing. We had some owners in our team who had came all the way from Cornwall or Devon and they were in the last race but because all the horses were in the same colours and were trained by Richard Hannon or Andrew Balding they actually felt like the owner of every horse we had and when the horse ran well and still gained points for the team they felt like they were really a part of it. We had trainers cheering on other trainers horses and because on a day to day basis it’s an individuals game so the vibe was great and everybody there really brought into it and had more fun than they ever anticipated. I just think from a racing point of view, I seen people I knew from Liverpool there who shouted over and wanted a cap and then they were cheering on every horse in blue from there.

Most people who go racing don’t know anything about racing, they go for a day or night out and if you hand them a programme they have no idea what any of it means, they pick a horse on its colour or name or something like that and now they pick a team and know what horse they’re supporting and they have friends supporting other teams. The racing was supremely competitive and loads of prize money.

Being there I thought it was a great success and I’m sure there is loads of things they can change, they’ve had a lot of negative press but all of that is from people who are not involved because they feel like they can’t compete for the great prize money and I understand that but Rome wasn’t built in a day. We need change to appeal to a different audience, we can’t keep saying no to everything and I thought it was brilliant.

Tom: From a neutral point of view, I think there’s lots of good stuff and anything that can bring racing forward is needed. They could have done a few things definitely better, one thing I would do is look at The Hundred because it was highly controversial before it started but now everyone on social media is really enjoying it, including lots of kids, so they should look at The Hundred and learn from them, like the music and stuff. Racing has been panned by traditionalists for having concerts afterwards, whereas if I was the Racing League I would go and find a big name to be on stage and rather than have a concert at the end I’d have them sing a few songs before racing and a song or two in-between each race. You can then have the commentators speak to the band and ask them who they’re all supporting and the fans there for the band will hear them say for example ‘team Thoroughbid’ and suddenly they will be paying attention to the racing to support that team. With The Hundred they have used BBC DJ’s and Chris Hughes, who would have been brilliant for the Racing League – they have built it for the younger audience and racing should therefore bring those aspects into it because some people would go just for the music but then actually quite enjoy the racing because racing is a brilliant sport and has lots to offer.

Will: What I thought was key was every race was competitive and competitive racing, no matter what the standard generates an atmosphere. What generates the atmosphere is the team event because they’re supporting everything Hayley rides or they’re supporting team Thoroughbid and going with their team. If you have an atmosphere, people have fun and come back again. There are things that they can do, but they’ve had a great start and I’m looking forward to next week.

Comparing it to The Hundred which is shown on BBC, do you think it’s going to be a big hit that you can only watch the Racing League on Sky?

Will: To start with, of course, but lots of sport has been lost off terrestrial TV and if you’re doing evening racing a lot of people will want to watch Love Island or whatever, I record that, but the more channels the better.

Tom: I think it’s massive, BBC doesn’t have ads which on other channels annoy people because they’ll switch channels in the ad breaks. I was watching the Racing League but then an advert would come on and I’d turn over to The Hundred and get engrossed in that then all of a sudden switch back and miss a race. A lot of people would say and I am one of them that since BBC lost horse racing how many times have you seen horse racing on BBC for a good reason? Never is the answer to that. All I’ve seen and heard from BBC is all about The Hundred, they’ve got the full weight of their advertising behind it because it’s a big thing because they don’t have as much sport, whereas with Sky they have so many good sports now that it’s fighting with that.

Will: At the moment we’re in a weird time with the Olympics being pushed back and the Lions and a lot of people said why put it on the same day as Goodwood, where actually I think it was a good thing, because people were watching Goodwood and enjoying it and thought Racing League starts tonight lets put that on. I can understand why people think it’s a negative but I think it’s a positive too.

Tom: But if they were watching Goodwood on ITV which most people do, how much were ITV talking about the Racing League? I didn’t watch it so I don’t know the answer to that but I would guess not much.

Will: I think cricket already has an audience, in summer at school what sport do you play? Cricket, not horse racing. So we need to get the message out there because if your parents don’t watch it, you probably won’t either. I think it’s great and like with The Hundred, minds will get turned. If you don’t force change, change will never happen. It’s exciting because it’s racing hopefully moving forward

Will, you sponsor one of the teams with your new venture Thoroughbid, so can you tell people what Thoroughbid is?

Will: Thoroughbid is an auction house, predominantly online that we have just launched. It’s very much trying to bring the bloodstock world, firstly into the 21st century and make it more accessible to people. If a man on the street walked into Doncaster sales and went to buy a horse, they wouldn’t have a clue. Whereas what we’re trying to do is modernise things – physical auctions are great and they will always have their place but ultimately with racing a lot of things haven’t changed. The days of trainers having time off are gone, when you go to Doncaster sales in May there are jumps meetings in the day and on the evening, so if a trainer is going for their traditional end of season sale to buy and sell horses, they now have to send staff to the sales, staff to the meeting in the afternoon, staff on the evening meeting and where does the trainer actually go?

During the pandemic online auctions were huge because to continue working they had no choice, but in Australia online sales are huge partly because the size of the country and they can’t move their horses around as much. But we could tell an awful lot from the videos and pictures, they were very good. There is a huge market for it. This way if you want to see the horses once you see the videos then there is plenty of time to arrange a visit to see them. From an owners point of view you can apply for a horse without going through the trainer, where traditionally the trainer buys the horses then sells them to the owners.

We’re starting with a Sunday evening to start with where people may have a dinner and enjoy the process. It also takes that credit risk away from the trainer, it can be passed straight onto the owner. The biggest USP is that we are limiting credit. If you go to the sales you can buy it then don’t have to pay for 30 days and as the vendor you don’t receive the money for 30 days, whereas this way we are saying we’re going to receive the money and pay the vendor within 7 days. It also saves a lot of money and risks for the owners, trainers and vendors, they have to pay people to go there, look after the horses, the travel there and back and the risk of taking the horses away from their stable to a strange environment for 3 days, the hotels, meals, staff, all of that.

But mostly it’s to bring people in and see the process and the transparency. There’s a huge hunger for it from the owners and trainers so it’s exciting.

On Thursday evening you had a team Thoroughbid winner, from that, you still have Oisin Murphy and Sean Levey to come back, do you see your team doing well or even winning?

Will: I didn’t back it by the way, I thought I did but I backed something else instead. We’re going to win it! It was really really competitive and when I was in the paddock in between race 1 or 2 there was that vibe that everyone had targeted these races and they’re going to for £50,000 a race and £150,000 for the winner of the competition so the trainers are taking it very seriously. I thought the format was really great, 5 furlongs, 6 furlongs, 7 furlongs, it made it really easy to understand and it worked really well. I think our strengths lie possibly in the longer races, but hopefully we will do okay. It’s all good sport.

And finally, for anyone who hasn’t joined TopSpeed yet, in a few short sentences can you tell us why they should join and how they can do so?

Tom: It’s the fun of ownership and having that shared experience with other like minded people and hopefully being able to experience top class horses in big races – that’s our aim for everyone. They can buy as many shares as they’d like on our website.

Will: The fun, the content they get is second to none, the all round experience and you’ll be very much made to feel a part of the team and become more knowledgeable about racing in general.

I want to say a massive thank you to Will and Tom for their hospitality, their time and their knowledge. I had a brilliant day meeting the horses and speaking about all things racing.

If you want to get involved with TopSpeed Thoroughbreds then visit their website to sign up and buy your shares: https://www.topspeedracing.co.uk/ – If you have any questions then please do message me or the guys and those will all be answered for you!

I hope you all enjoyed this interview as much as I have and I will see you all in my next post!

24Jul2021

The History of the King George VI and Queen Elizabeth Stakes

Posted in Horse Racing by zoelouisesmithx

Good Morning!

Welcome to a new post here at zoelouisesmithx.com! Ahead of today’s renewal of the King George VI and Queen Elizabeth Stakes let’s take a look at the history of the race, some records in the race and a little look at today’s runners. Let’s get right into it!

The King George VI and Queen Elizabeth Stakes is a Group 1 flat race which was inaugurated in 1951. The race is open to horses aged three and older. It is ran at Ascot racecourse in England over a distance of 1 mile, 3 furlongs and 211 yards and takes place in July each year. In 2020 the race was worth £400,000 with the winner receiving £226,840.

The race was formed as a result of an amalgamation of two separate races at Ascot, the first being the King George VI which was a 2 mile contest for three year olds held in October and the second being the Queen Elizabeth in honour of his wife which was a one and a half mile contest over one and a half miles held in July. The idea was raised by Major John Crocker Bulteel who was the Clerk of the Course at Ascot, who wanted to create an international race over one and a half miles for horses aged 3 or older. So the first ever run took place on July 21st in 1951.

In 2009, Betfair started to sponsor the race and its prize fund was increased from £750,000 to £1,000,000 and is now Britain’s second richest horse race, with a purse exceeded only by The Derby.

In 2011, the King George VI and Queen Elizabeth Stakes became part of the Breeders’ Cup Challenge Series, so the winner now earns an automatic invitation to compete in the same year’s Breeders’ Cup Turf.

So let’s take a look at some of the previous winners!

The first winner in 1951 was 3 year old Supreme Court who won for jockey Charlie Elliott, trainer Evan Williams and owner Vera Lilley.

Skipping forward 5 years, in 1956 Ribot – who I wrote about in this post: https://zoelouisesmithx.com/2021/05/19/ten-undefeated-racehorses/ won the race at 4 years old for jockey Enrico Camici, trainer Ugo Penco and owner Mario della Rocchetta.

Skipping forward again, in 1970 Nijinsky won at 3 years old for Lester Piggott, Vincent O’Brien and Charles Engelhard, with 3 year old Mill Reef winning in 1971 for Geoff Lewis, Ian Balding and Paul Mellon. In 1973 and 1974 Dahlia won the race at 3 and 4 years old respectively for trainer Maurice Zilber and owner Nelson Bunker Hunt with Bill Pyers riding in 1973 and Lester Piggott in 1974.

Skipping forward again, in 1981 the brilliant Shergar won the race at 3 years old for Walter Swinburn, (Sir) Michael Stoute and HH Aga Khan IV. Skipping to 1997 and 1998 now where Swain won the race for trainer Saeed bin Suroor and owners Godolphin, in 1997 at 5 years old for jockey John Reid and in 1998 at 6 years old (one of two horses to win this at 6 years old) for Frankie Dettori.

In 2001, the late, great Galileo won the race at 3 years old under Michael Kinane for Aidan O’Brien and Magnier / Tabor. In 2011 Nathaniel won at 3 years old for William Buick, John Gosden and Lady Rothschild. In 2015 Postponed won at 4 years old for Andrea Atzeni, Luca Cumani and Mohammed Obaid Al Maktoum.

In 2016 Highland Reel won at 4 years old for Ryan Moore, Aidan O’Brien and Magnier / Tabor / Smith. In 2017, 2019 and 2020 Enable won the race at 3, 5 and 6 years old (second of two to win this race at 6 years old) for Frankie Dettori, John Gosden and Khalid Abdullah. In the middle in 2018 Poet’s Word won at 5 years old for James Doyle, (Sir) Michael Stoute and Saeed Suhail.

So now onto some records in the race.

Firstly the oldest horse to win this race is joint between Swain and Enable who were both 6 years old when winning the race.

The most successful horse with 3 victories is Enable who won in 2017, 2019 and 2020.

The are two leading jockeys in the race both with 7 victories. Firstly Lester Piggott who won with Meadow Court (1965), Aunt Edith (1966), Park Top (1969), Nijinsky (1970), Dahlia (1974), The Minstrel (1977) and Teenoso (1984). And secondly Frankie Dettori who has won with Lammtarra (1995), Swain (1998), Daylami (1999), Doyen (2004) and Enable (2017, 2019, 2020).

The leading trainer with 6 victories is Sir Michael Stoute with Shergar (1981), Opera House (1993), Golan (2002), Conduit (2009), Harbinger (2010) and Poet’s Word (2018).

The leading owner, including part ownership, with 6 wins is Michael Tabor with Montjeu (2000), Galileo (2001), Hurricane Run (2006), Dylan Thomas (2007), Duke of Marmalade (2008) and Highland Reel (2016).

Now onto this years runners… Please not all odds are via Ladbrokes and are correct at the time of writing this post. (11pm on Thursday 22nd July 2021)

Of course we have the 5/4 favourite Love for Aidan O’Brien and Ryan Moore and I think she will be my pick this weekend. I think she’s a very impressive horse and has won over course and distance. I know Ryan can get into some questionable positions sometimes but I think Love is good enough to get him out of a tricky situation. She hasn’t lost a race since October 2019, winning the 1,000 Guineas, Oaks, Yorkshire Oaks and Prince of Wales’s since then. I really like the look of her and I, personally, will find it hard to bet against her.

Although, saying that this is a really competitive race. There are only 6 horses declared but between them they have won 11 Group 1’s and 4 Classics, so a very impressive line up and it should be a brilliant, competitive race, so let’s take a look at the other 5 runners.

Lining up alongside Love we have 9/4 shot Adayar for Charlie Appleby and William Buick. He’s ran the distance before and won The Derby just last month, so again another classy horse. Possibly more to offer after his Derby win and William Buick seems to be in good form also so I wouldn’t be surprised if he came close here.

Next up we have Lone Eagle for Martyn Meade and Frankie Dettori – currently a 5/1 shot. He came second by just a neck in the Irish Derby just a month or so ago clear of the 3rd placed horse. Again another horse you can’t rule out and Frankie Dettori has a habit of coming to the forefront in the big races so with him taking the ride anything is possible here.

We then have Mishriff for John & Thady Gosden and David Egan – currently around the 8/1 mark. Mishriff was very impressive the beginning of the year when winning the Saudi Cup and a Group 1 in Meydan and when returning to the UK he finished 3rd just a neck from Addeybb in the Coral Eclipse. Again not a horse we can rule out here, maybe 8/1 is a big price for a horse that could go very well here. He has won over this distance before, the big occasion won’t affect him at all and he and David seem to have a pretty good relationship so maybe one to watch.

We then have the 11/1 shot Wonderful Tonight for David Menuisier and Oisin Murphy. She has won course and distance before, winning 5 out of 9 races she has had in her career. Interestingly William Buick has rode her the last two times out, in which she won both, but here Champion Jockey Oisin Murphy takes the ride. Now Oisin is in top form lately and he cannot be ruled out whichever horse he rides. Is she as good as some of the others in this race? Maybe not. Could she still win here though if everything goes in her favour? Absolutely.

The final horse in the race is of course another Aidan O’Brien horse. Would this even be a Group 1 without multiple Aidan O’Brien horses? We have Broome at 28/1 under Wayne Lordan. For me 28/1 seems a big price, the second string horse for Aidan O’Brien but by no means a bad horse at all. Broome seems to have been around forever hasn’t he? Pretty impressive career so far and I don’t feel like he’s quite finished winning just yet. There are definitely better horses in the race here, but I definitely couldn’t rule him out. He won last time out in France over a very slightly longer distance of 1 mile 4 furlongs and he could very well win again here.

For me any of the 6 could win this race, they are all extremely talented horses and not one of them can be ruled out, however I am personally going with Love. I really do love her as a horse and I think she will show, once again, just how good she is. I couldn’t back against her, however any of the other 5 could win. It looks to be an absolutely brilliant renewal this year and one thing is for sure… If the running is as competitive as it looks on paper then we’re in for a very exciting race.

This years renewal looks to be an absolute cracker and I can’t wait to see who comes out on top. I will see you all Wednesday evening at 6pm for my last scheduled midweek post. If you did not see my previous post last weekend, from August I will only be doing 1 scheduled definite post on a Saturday and some extras throughout but not a guaranteed post every Wednesday as my current schedule just does not allow me the time to get two posts I am happy with up each week without burning myself out.

12Jun2021

Six of the Most Prolific Sires in British and Irish Horse Racing

Posted in Horse Racing by zoelouisesmithx

Good Morning!

Welcome to a new post here at zoelouisesmithx.com! Today’s post is a little different for me… Recently I have thoroughly been enjoying learning more about bloodstock, bloodlines and breeding. I am no expert, but I am really enjoying researching and reading into it more so today let’s take a look at the top 6 most prolific sires within British and Irish racing – they are the top 6 according to how many times they have won Champion Sire.

Regulus
Godolphin Arabian x Grey Robinson

**https://www.rimondo.com/horse-details/181818/Regulus-xx**

First up, in 6th place is a horse called Regulus who won Champion Sire 8 times, in 1754, 1755, 1756, 1757, 1761, 1763, 1765 and 1766. He was bred in England by Lord Chedworth in 1739 out of Grey Robinson and by Godolphin Arabian and after the death of Lord Chedworth he was sold to Mr Martindale.

Regulus won 8 Royal Plated in 1745 and a £50 plate and ended up retiring unbeaten to stud.

Regulus sired horses such as Royal (1749), South (1750) and Fearnought (1755). As well as producing the undefeated Alipes. He also produced a successful broodmare in Spilletta who produced an undefeated champion Eclipse who ran 18 times winning all 18 times and earning 2,149 Guineas. (I speak about Eclipse in more detail right here: https://zoelouisesmithx.com/2021/05/19/ten-undefeated-racehorses/)

Regulus passed away at 26 years old.

St. Simon
Galopin x St Angela

***https://www.thoroughbredracing.com/articles/st-simon-he-enriched-breed-extent-unmatched-any-other-horse/***

In 5th place being crowned Champion Sire a total of 9 times in 1890, 1891, 1892, 1893, 1894, 1895 1896, 1900 and 1901 we have St. Simon. St. Simon was bred in Great Britain by Prince Gustavus Batthyany in 1881 by Galopin out of St. Angela. He was owned by the Duke of Portland and went into training with Mathew Dawson.

St. Simon finished his racing career undefeated winning 9 out of 9 runs and winning £4,676 in prize money, his wins included an Ascot Gold Cup, Goodwood Cup and Epsom Gold Cup all in 1884.

St. Simon was retired to stud in 1886 at 5 years old and he went on to sire 423 living foals who between them won 571 races and over £500,000 in prize money. Among his foals were 10 English Classic winners who won 17 Classics between them, the 10 Classic winners is the 3rd highest total of all time, only behind Stockwell and Sadler’s Wells who both have 12, however the 17 Classic race wins by his offspring ties him for the all time record with Stockwell.

His Classic winners were:

Memoir (Epsom Oaks & St Leger)
Semolina (1,000 Guineas)
Mrs Butterwick (Epsom Oaks)
Amiable (1,000 Guineas & Epsom Oaks)
Persimmon (Epsom Derby, St Leger, Ascot Gold Cup + Champion Sire four times)
St Fusquin (2,000 Guineas, Eclipse Stakes + Champion Sire twice)
Diamond Jubilee ( Triple Crown Winner, Eclipse Stakes + Argentina Champion Sire four times)
La Roche ( Epsom Oaks)
Winifreda (1,000 Guineas)
La Fleche who was sold for a world record price as a yearling in 1890 and went on to win the Fillies Triple Crown (1,000 Guineas, Epsom Oaks and St Leger) plus the Ascot Gold Cup, Champion Stakes, Cambridgeshire Handicap and a 2nd in the Epsom Derby.

St. Simon died when he was 27 years old on April 2nd 1908 and his skeleton belongs to the British Museum of Natural History.

Sir Peter Teazle
Highflyer x Papillon

***https://artuk.org/discover/artworks/sir-peter-teazle-11362***

In 4th place is Sir Peter Teazle who won Champion Sire 10 times, in 1799, 1800, 1801, 1802, 1804, 1805, 1806, 1807, 1808 and 1809. He was bred in Great Britain in 1784 by Edward Smith-Stanley and the 12th Earl of Derby who both also owned him through his career. He was by Highflyer and out of Papillon.

Sir Peter Teazle had 21 runs in his career, winning 16 times with one of his wins being the Epsom Derby in 1787.

When he was retired from racing, Sir Peter Teazle stood at Derby’s Knowsley Stud in Lancashire where he sired a Doncaster Cup winner, 4 Epsom Derby winners, 2 Epsom Oaks winners, 4 St Leger winners and many more. He produced Walton and Sir Harry who also went on to be crowned as Champion Sire’s – Walton in Britain and Sir Harry in America.

Some of his biggest winners were:

Hermione (1791) who won 21 races including the Oaks in 1794.
Parisot (1793) who won the Oaks in 1796
Ambrosio (1793) who won 18 races, including the St Leger in 1796.
Sir Harry (1795) who won the Derby in 1798 – He was then imported to America for the highest price ever paid for a horse brought there. He went on to be a Leading Sire in America.
Archduke (1796) who won the Derby in 1799.
Ditto (1800) who won the Derby in 1803.
Fyldener (1803) who won the St Leger in 1806.
Paris (1803) who won the Derby in 1806
Paulina (1804) who won 8 races including the St Leger in 1807
Petronius (1805) who won the St Leger in 1808

Sir Peter Teazle passed away aged 27 on August 18th 1811.

Galileo
Sadler’s Wells x Urban Sea

***https://coolmore.com/farms/ireland/stallions/galileo***

Third on the list is Galileo who won Champion Sire 12 times and is the current reigning Champion Sire. He has won in 2008, 2010, 2011, 2012, 2013, 2014, 2015, 2016, 2017, 2018, 2019 and 2020. Galileo was bred in Ireland by David Tsui and Orpendale in 1998 by Sadler’s Wells out of Urban Sea. He was owned by Sue Magnier and Michael Tabor and went into training with Aidan O’Brien.

Galileo ran 8 times, winning 6 times including the Epsom Derby, Irish Derby and King George VI and Queen Elizabeth Stakes all in 2001.

Galileo retired to stand as a stallion at Coolmore Stud, where originally he would stand at their County Tipperary stud in Ireland for part of the year and then move to their Australian branch in New South Wales for the other half of the year. However since 2012, he has stood exclusively in Ireland. Interesting since 2008 his stud fee has always been privately negotiated, but he is known to be the most expensive stallion in the world with some saying his fee was north of €400,000″ and suggested to be as high as €600,000 in 2018.

In August 2018, Sizzling gave Galileo his 328th European Group race win as a sire, which took him past the record previously held by his own sire Sadler’s Wells. On November 9th 2019 Magic Wand became his 84th individual Group/Grade 1 winner putting him level with Danehill for most such winners sired. After Minding’s victory in the 2016 1,000 Guineas, Galileo became the sire of winners of all 5 British Classics. Also in 2016, in the Prix de l’Arc de Triomphe he sired the first 3 finishers, Found, Highland Reel and Order of St George. In the 2019 Derby he was the sire, grandsire or great grandsire of 12 out of 13 runners and was the broodmare sire of the 13th.

If I name every horse he has produced we would be here all day, so here are just a few of his big winners: (If you want a more in depth look you can read all about him right here: https://zoelouisesmithx.com/2021/03/12/galileo-what-makes-a-peoples-horse/)

Nightime (2003) who won the Irish 1,000 Guineas
Sixties Icon (2003) who won the St Leger
Celestial Halo (2004) who won the Triumph Hurdle
Soldier of Fortune (2004) who won the Irish Derby and Coronation Cup
Frankel (2008) who won the Dewhurst Stakes, 2,000 Guineas, St James’s Place Stakes, Sussex Stakes Queen Elizabeth II Stakes, Lockinge Stakes, Queen Anne Sakes, International Stakes and Champion Stakes
Treasure Beach (2008) who won the Irish Derby and Secretariat Stakes
Great Heavens (2009) who won the Irish Oaks
Ruler of the World (2010) who won the Epsom Derby
Australia (2011) who won the Epsom Derby, Irish Derby and International Stakes
Order of St George (2012) who won the Irish St Leger x 2 and Ascot Gold Cup
Churchill (2014) who won the National Stakes, Dewhurst Stakes, 2,000 Guineas and Irish 2,000 Guineas
Anthony Van Dyck (2016) who won the Epsom Derby
Love (2017) who won the Moyglare Stud Stakes, 1,000 Guineas, Epsom Oaks and Yorkshire Oaks
Peaceful (2017) who won the Irish 1,000 Guineas
Serpentine (2017) who won the Epsom Derby
Empress Josephine (2018) who won the Irish 1,000 Guineas just last month.

Galileo has also produced sons who have went on to be sires themselves including Teofilo, New Approach, Nathaniel and probably the most famous of them Frankel.

Galileo is currently 23 years old and living at Coolmore Stud in Ireland.

Highflyer
Herod x Rachel

***https://www.thoroughbredracing.com/articles/tony-morriss-100-shapers-breed-outstanding-sire-18th-century/***

In second place is Highflyer who was Champion Sire 13 times, in 1785, 1786, 1787, 1788, 1789, 1790, 1781, 1792, 1793, 1794, 1795, 1796 and 1798. Highflyer was bred in Great Britain by Sir Charles Bunbury in 1774 by Herod, out of Rachel.

In his racing carer, Highflyer had 14 races and won all 14 times, he was retired to stud undefeated. Sadly the owners of Highflyer had a plan to make them rich and their plan was to breed Highflyer to as many mares as possible to bring in the stud fees. Many criticised them for this and believed they were over-breeding him which later they were proven correct when he died at just 19 years old.

During his stud career, Highflyer produced 469 winners which included 3 Epsom Derby winners, 3 St Leger winners and 1 Epsom Oaks winner.

Some of his big winners were:

Noble (1783) who won the Epsom Derby
Sir Peter Teazle (1784) – Who we looked at above – who went on to win 16 races including the Epsom Derby
Skyscraper (1786) who won the Epsom Derby
Volante (1789) who won the Epsom Oaks
Diamond (1792) who won many races including the 1,000 Guineas

Highflyer sadly passed away at just 19 years old on October 18th in 1793.

Sadler’s Wells
Northern Dancer x Fairy Bridge

***https://www.bloodhorse.com/horse-racing/articles/136609/sadlers-wells-dies***

Number 1 on the list is Sadler’s Wells who was Champion Sire 14 times, in 1990, 1992, 1993, 1994, 1995, 1996, 1997, 1998, 1999, 2000,2001, 2002, 2003 and 2004. He was also the leading sire in France in 1993, 1994 and 1999.

Sadler’s Wells was foaled on April 11th 1981 by Northern Dancer, out of Fairy Bridge by Breeders at Swettenham Stud in America. He was owned by Robert Sangster and was trained by Vincent O’Brien.

In his racing career Sadler’s Wells had 11 runs winning 6 of them and finishing 2nd in 4 of them. In the 6 wins was the Beresford Stakes in 1983 and the Derrinstown Stud Derby Trial, Irish 2,000 Guineas, Eclipse Staes and Phoenix Champion Stakes in 1984.

In 1985 Sadler’s Wells was syndicated by Coolmore for €800,000 a share with a total value of €32 million. His initial stud fee was around £125,000 with it increasing in 1990 to £150,000.

In 1989 Sadler’s Wells set a world record by having 11 stakes winners in one year and in 1990 his daughter Salsabil won the 1,000 Guineas, Epsom Oaks and Irish Derby which very much helped steer him to his first Champion Sire title. In 2004 when he won his 14th title, this made him another record breaker after breaking Highflyer’s record of 13 titles.

Sadler’s Wells sired 12 English Classic Winners which were:

Salsabil who won the 1,000 Guineas and Oaks
Intrepidity who won the Oaks
Moonshell who won the Oaks
Entrepreneur who won the 2,000 Guineas
King of Kings who won the 2,000 Guineas
Imagine who won the Oaks
Galileo who won the Derby
Milan who won the St Leger
High Chaparral who won the Derby
Brian Boru who won the St Leger
Refuse to Bend who won the 2,000 Guineas
Alexandrova who won the Oaks

In 2001, his daughters held the first 3 positions in the Oaks. Sadler’s Wells also sired 14 Irish Classic winners including in 1999 his sons held the first three positions in the Irish Derby.

In 2001 his stud fee increased to £200,000 with roughly 200 mares each year visiting him which increased his winners rapidly. Briefly he held the all time record for the number of Stakes winners when Roman Saddle became his 177th Stakes winner in July 2001, passing Mr. Prospector’s record of 176 stakes winners.

In 2002, Sadler’s Wells sired his 200th Stakes winner becoming the first stallion to achieve that landmark, however Danehill passed him reaching 300 Stakes winners in 2005, in which Sadler’s Wells achieved in 2008.

In 2011 when Sadler’s Wells passed away he had sired 323 Stakes winners including 73 individual Group/Grade 1 winners on the flat, also producing several National Hunt winners too.

Some of his big winners not yet mentioned are as follows (again we cannot go through every single one as we will be here all day so here are just a few):

Saddlers’ Hall (1988) who won the Coronation Cup
Barathea (1990) who won the Irish 2,000 Guineas and Breeders’ Cup Mile
Pridwell (1990) who won the Aintree Hurdle
Istabraq (1992) who won the Royal Sunalliance Novices’ Hurdle, Irish Champion Hurdle x 4, Champion Hurdle x 3 and Punchestown Champion Hurdle
Ebadiyla (1994) who won the Irish Oaks and Prix Royal Oak
Kayf Tara (1994) who won the Ascot Gold Cup x 2 and Irish St Leger x 2
Galileo (1998) probably one of his best known children who won the Epsom Derby, Irish Derby and King George VI and Queen Elizabeth Stakes as well as going on to be a Champion Sire 12 times (so far)
Gossamer (1999) who won the Irish 1,000 Guineas and Fillies’ Mile
Yesterday (2000) who won the Irish 1,000 Guineas
Percussionist (2001) who won the American Grand National
Yeats (2001) who won the Ascot Gold Cup x 4, Coronation Cup, Irish St Leger and Prix Royal Oak
Alexandrova (2003) who won the Epsom Oaks, Irish Oaks and Yorkshire Oaks
Synchronised (2003) who won the Welsh Grand National, Lexus Chase and Cheltenham Gold Cup

Also interesting to mention, in November 2007 Sadler’s Wells daughter Playful Act out of Magnificient Style wa sold at the Keeneland Breeding Stock Sale for a world record price of $10.5 Million USD.

On May 13th in 2008, Coolmore announced Sadler’s Wells would be retiring from breeding due to declining fertility and on April 26th 2011 he passed away peacefully at home in Ireland at Coolmore Stud.

So there we have it, according to the amount of Champion Sire title’s they hold those are the 6 most prolific sires in the United Kingdom and Ireland over the years. I have found it so interesting to research this kind of stuff recently so I hope you have all enjoyed reading it too! I will see you all on Monday for a full week of posts starting with The History of the Queen Anne Stakes ahead of Tuesday’s renewal!

5Jun2021

The History of the Epsom Derby

Posted in Horse Racing by zoelouisesmithx

Good Morning!

Welcome to a new post here at zoelouisesmithx.com! Ahead of today’s renewal of the Cazoo Derby, let’s have a look into the history of the race!

The Epsom Derby Stakes is a Group 1 flat race which is ran at Epsom Downs racecourse and is open to three year old colts and fillies. It is ran over a distance of 1 mile, 4 furlongs and 6 yards and it takes place in late May or early June each year and the first running of the race was in 1780. It is Britain’s richest flat horse race and the most prestigious of the 5 Classic races as well as the middle leg of the Triple Crown, with the 2,000 Guineas before and the St Leger following. In the previous running in 2020 the race was worth £491,850 with the winner getting £283,550.

The first winner of the race in 1780 was a horse called Diomed for jockey Sam Arnull, trainer R. Teasdale and owner Sir Charles Bunbury. Jumping into the 1800’s, Robert Robson who dominated the Epsom Oaks, started to dominate the Epsom Derby winning firstly in 1802 with Tyrant who partnered up with Frank Buckle and owner the 3rd Duke of Grafton, winning again in 1809 with Pope for jockey Tom Goodisson and owner the 3rd Duke of Grafton. In 1810 with Whalebone for Bill Clift and owner the 3rd Duke of Grafton with plenty more victories to follow up to 1823.

In 1828, interestingly there was a deadheat, however Cadland for Jem Robinson, Dixon Boyce and the 5th Duke of Rutland ended up winning in a ‘run off’ against The Colonel.

Skipping forward quite a few years, in 1896, Persimmon won the race for jockey John Watts, trainer Richard Marsh and the Prince of Wales, with another winner for the Prince of Wales in 1900 when Diamond Jubilee won for jockey Herbert Jones and trainer Richard Marsh.

In 1909, Minoru won for jockey Herbert Jones, trainer Richard Marsh and owner King Edward VII.

In 1930, Aga Khan III won with Blenheim with jockey Harry Wragg and trainer Dick Dawson, winning again in 1935 with Bahram for jockey Freddie Fox and trainer Frank Butters and again in 1936 with Mahmoud for jockey Charles Smirke and trainer Fred Butters again. As well as a victory in 1952 with Tulyar for jockey Charles Smirke and trainer Marcus Marsh.

In 1954, Lester Piggott won the race for the first time on Never Say Die for trainer Joseph Lawson and owner Robert Sterling Clark.

In 1970, the very famous Nijinsky won the race for Lester Piggott, Vincent O’Brien and Charles W. Engelhard Jr. Mill Reef in 1971 for Geoff Lewis, Ian Balding and Paul Mellon.

Another notable name is Shergar who won the race in 1981 for Walter Swinburn, (Sir) Michael Stoute and Aga Khan VI. (If you don’t know the story of Shergar you can read all about it right here: https://zoelouisesmithx.com/2020/07/25/what-happened-to-shergar/)

If we now skip forward to the 21st century, we see Galileo win the race in 2001 for Michael Kinane, Aidan O’Brien and Magnier / Tabor. (You can read all about him, his racing career and his career in stud right here: https://zoelouisesmithx.com/2021/03/12/galileo-what-makes-a-peoples-horse/)

Motivator won the race in 2005 for Johnny Murtagh, Michael Bell and the Royal Ascot Racing Club. Authorized in 2007 for Frankie Dettori, Peter Chapple-Hyam and Al Homaizi / Al Sagar. In 2009, Sea The Stars won the race for Michael Kinane, John Oxx and Christopher Tsui. With Camelot winning in 2012 for Joseph and Aidan O’Brien and owners Smith / Magnier / Tabor, followed by Ruler of the World for Ryan Moore, Aidan O’Brien and Magnier / Tabor / Smith and in 2014, Australia for Joseph and Aidan O’Brien and Smith / Magnier / Tabor / Khing.

2015 we seen Golden Horn win the race for Frankie Dettori, John Gosden and Anthony Oppenheimer. And in 2016, the late, great, Pat Smullen won the race on Harzand for Dermot Weld and owner Aga Khan IV.

In 2019 the late Anthony Van Dyck won the race for Seamie Heffernan, Aidan O’Brien and Smith / Magnier / Tabor. And the most recent winner in 2020 which was ran in July due to the Covid 19 pandemic was Serpentine for Emmet McNamara, Aidan O’Brien and Tabor / Smith / Magnier.

Now onto some records within the race!

The fastest winning time was set in 2010 when Workforce won the race in 2 minutes 31.33 seconds.

The longest odds winners were Jeddah in 1898, Signorinetta in 1908 and Aboyeur in 1913 who all won at 100/1.

The shortest odds winner was in 1894 when Ladas won at 2/9.

The widest winning margin was in 1981 when Shergar won by 10 lengths.

The race with the most runners was in 1862 when 34 horses ran.

The race with the fewest runners was in 1794 when only 4 horses ran.

Now onto the leading jockey, trainer and owner!

Firstly the leading jockey who is Lester Piggott who won the race 9 times. Never Say Die in 1954, Crepello in 1957, St Paddy in 1960, Sir Ivor in 1968, Nijinsky in 1970, Roberto in 1972, Empery in 1976, The Minstrel in 1977 and Teenoso in 1983.

The leading trainer is Aidan O’Brien, who to date has won 8 times. Galileo in 2001, High Chaparral in 2002, Camelot in 2012, Ruler of the World in 2013, Australia in 2014, Wings of Eagles in 2017, Anthony Van Dyck in 2019 and Serpentine in 2020.

And the leading owner – including part ownership – like many of these posts I have done are Sue Magnier and Michael Tabor who have won it 9 times. Galileo in 2001, High Chaparral in 2002, Pour Moi in 2011, Camelot in 2012, Ruler of the World in 2013, Australia in 2014, Wings of Eagles in 2017, Anthony Van Dyck in 2019 and Serpentine in 2020.

So there we have it, a little look into the history of the Epsom Derby. Today’s renewal looks to be another brilliant race so I cannot wait to see how it goes! I hope you enjoyed this one and I will see you all on Wednesday evening for a new post and it is a very interesting post – Eight Interesting Horse Racing Facts You May Not Know!

2Jun2021

Enable: What Makes a People’s Horse?

Posted in Horse Racing by zoelouisesmithx

Good Evening!

Welcome to a new post here at zoelouisesmithx.com! Today’s post is another post in my What Makes a People’s Horse series and of course we had to look at the Queen that is Enable. After her retirement being confirmed in October 2020, the racing world shown an outpouring of love to her which is proof in itself that she is in fact a people’s horse, so let’s have a look back at her career to see just exactly why the world fell in love with her. Without further ado, let’s get right into it!

Enable was foaled on February 12th 2014 at Juddmonte Farms. She is by Nathaniel out of Concentric. With her Grandsire being Galileo and her Damsire being Sadler’s Wells (Galileo’s father) so all in all – she was destined to be an all time great coming from an incredible bloodline on both sides of her family.

Enable’s owner Khalid Abdullah sent her into training with John Gosden and her first race quickly approached at 2 years old on November 28th 2016 in a Maiden Fillies’ Stakes over 1 mile on the all weather track at Newcastle. She started at 7/2 under Robert Havlin and impressively won on debut by 3 and 3/4 lengths to Gallifrey (8/1) for Richard Kingscote and Lucy Wadham.

Enable then took a 144 day winter break and returned to the track on April 21st 2017, this time heading to Newbury for a Class 3 Stallions Conditions Stakes over 1 mile, 2 furlongs. This time she started at 5/1 with William Buick riding. However she could only manage a 3rd place behind the winner and stable mate for the same owner Shutter Speed at 5/4F for Frankie Dettori and in second place Raheen House (7/2) for Jimmy Fortune and Brian Meehan.

Just a couple of weeks later on May 10th 2017, Enable headed to Chester for a Class 1 Listed Race, the Arkle Finance Cheshire Oaks over 1 mile 3 and 1/3 furlongs. For the first time Frankie Dettori took the ride and 2/1 was their starting price. She ended up winning by 1 and 3/4 lengths to the Evens favourite Alluringly for Ryan Moore and Aidan O’Brien.

The next race for Enable was less than a month later and it was a big one. The Group 1 Investec Oaks at Epsom where under Frankie Dettori she was a 6/1 shot. Coming out of stall 9, she ended up winning quite impressively by 5 lengths to the odds on 8/11 favourite Rhododendron for Ryan Moore and Aidan O’Brien once again.

Just over a month later on July 15th 2007 Enable headed over to Ireland and to the Curragh with her partner Frankie Dettori for the Group 1 Darley Irish Oaks. This time she started as the odds on 2/5 favourite and to nobodies surprise she won by 5 and 1/2 lengths to Rain Goddess (7/1) for Seamie Heffernan and Aidan O’Brien.

Exactly 2 weeks later on July 29th 2017, Enable headed to Ascot for the Group 1 King George VI and Queen Elizabeth Stakes where she started as the 5/4 favourite with her now regular partner Frankie Dettori. Here she won again, this time by 4 and 1/2 lengths to Ulysses (9/1) for Jim Crowley and Sir Michael Stoute.

Next up for Enable would be the Group 1 Darley Yorkshire Oaks at York on August 24th, again starting as the odds on 1/4 favourite under Frankie Dettori. Here she beat her stable mate Coronet (16/1) for Olivier Peslier by 5 lengths.

Enable’s final run in 2017 came on October 1st when she headed over to France and to Chantilly for the Group 1 Qatar Prix de l’Arc de Triomph. Starting as the 10/11 favourite under Frankie Dettori, she was once again crowned the winner, this time beating Cloth Of Stars (20/1) for Mickael Barzalona and A Fabre by 2 and 1/2 lengths.

We then head into 2018 and in May of that year, it was announced that Enable had suffered a ‘training setback’ and she would not return until August at the earliest. So after a 342 day break, Enable’s much anticipated return finally happened when she headed to Kempton on September 8th for the Group 3 September Stakes. Although she had been off the track for the majority of a year she returned as the 8/15 favourite with her regular partner Frankie Dettori. She ended up winning by 3 and 1/2 lengths to Crystal Ocean (6/4) for David Probert and Sir Michael Stoute.

A month later on October 7th, she headed back to France, this time to Longchamp for the Group 1 Qatar Prix de l’Arc de Triomphe. This time as the Evens favourite, again with Frankie Dettori riding, this time winning by just a short neck to Sea Of Class (6/1) for James Doyle and William Haggas.

We then head into November and on the 3rd of the month, Enable headed to America for the first time, this time to Churchill Downs for the Grade 1 Longines Breeders’ Cup Turf. Frankie Dettori travelled with her and they started as the 8/13 favourites where they ended up winning by 3/4 of a length to Magical (13/2) for Ryan Moore and Aidan O’Brien.

Enable then took a 245 day winter break and returned to the track on July 6th 2019 for the Group 1 Coral Eclipse at Sandown. She was the odds on favourite at 4/6 with Frankie Dettori once again taking the ride. Here she ended up beating Magical (11/4) for Ryan Moore and Aidan O’Brien by 3/4 of a length once again, practically re-living her previous race.

Three weeks later on July 27th 2019, Enable headed to Ascot for the Group 1 King George VI and Queen Elizabeth Stakes, this time as the odds on 8/15 favourite again, with her regular partner Frankie Dettori riding. Here she won by just a neck to Crystal Ocean (7/2) for James Doyle and Sir Michael Stoute.

Moving into August, Enable headed to York on the 22nd for the Group 1 Darley Yorkshire Oaks where she was the 1/4 favourite under Frankie Dettori. She beat Magical (4/1) by 2 and 3/4 lengths for Ryan Moore and Aidan O’Brien.

On October 6th 2019, Enable headed back to Longchamp in France for the Group 1 Qatar Prix de l’Arc Triomphe once again. This time she was 1/2 favourite with Frankie Dettori, however she only managed a second place by 1 and 3/4 lengths to the winner Waldgeist (131/10) for Pierre-Charles Boudot and A Fabre.

After a 273 day break, Enable returned to the track on July 5th 2020 this time at Sandown for the Group 1 Coral Eclipse once again. Here she was the Evens favourite under Frankie Dettori, once again she could only manage a second place, this time by 2 and 1/4 lengths behind Ghaiyyath (9/4) for William Buick and Charlie Appleby.

Enable then returned to winning ways on July 25th 2020 when she went to Ascot for the Group 1 King George VI and Queen Elizabeth Stakes as the 4/9 favourite under Frankie Dettori and won by 5 and 1/2 lengths to Sovereign (12/1) for William Buick and Aidan O’Brien.

On September 5th 2020 Enable had her final race in the UK when she headed to Kempton for the Group 3 September Stakes on the all weather surface. She was the 1/14 favourite and Frankie Dettori took the ride. Her final run in the UK would be a victorious one when she won by 7 lengths to Kirstenbosch (33/1) for James Doyle and James Fanshawe.

Enable’s final run came on October 4th 2020 when she headed to Longchamp in France for another go at the Group 1 Qatar Prix de l’Arc de Triomphe. The public were aware this quite possibly would be her final run so she was heavily backed into the 9/10 favourite under Frankie Dettori. Unfortunately she would have her worst finish of her career when finishing 6th, however she still got an incredible standing ovation when returning from the race from the whole crowd and everybody watching from home.

On October 12th 2020 it was confirmed that Enable would be retired with trainer John Gosden saying:

Enable has retired happy and sound after an extraordinary career. We all here at Clarehaven Stables have been very fortunate to be with her for the past five years. She’s been a joy to be around.”
https://www.greatbritishracing.com/news/all-hail-the-queen-enable-retires/

With her regular partner Frankie Dettori also saying:

Obviously I shed a tear as I was a bit emotional. She’s done so brilliant for all of us and I love her. I’m never going to forget her. I went to see her this morning. We had a tremendous journey for three and a half, four years. She was the horse that most touched my heart.”
https://www.greatbritishracing.com/news/all-hail-the-queen-enable-retires/

So all in all, Enable finished her racing career with some incredible figures:

1/3111111/111/1112/2116-

Other than her 6th place in her final appearance, Enable never finished outside of the first 3. She had:

19 x runs
15 x 1st
2 x 2nd
1 x 3rd
1 x 6th

Winning over £10.7 million in her career including some major wins and awards along the way. The Cheshire Oaks, Epsom Oaks, Irish Oaks and Yorkshire Oaks in 2017 as well as the King George VI and Queen Elizabeth Stakes in 2017, 2019 and 2020, the Prix de l’Arc de Triomphe in 2017 and 2018, the September Stakes in 2018 and 2020, the Breeders Cup Turf in 2018, the Yorkshire Oaks again in 2019 and the Eclipse Stakes in 2019. As well as winning the Cartier Champion Three Year Old Filly in 2017, the Cartier Horse of the Year in 2017 and 2019 as well as the Cartier Champion Older Horse in 2018 and 2019.

Enable has now went on to be a broodmare standing at Juddmonte and on March 2nd 2021 it was confirmed by Juddmonte via Twitter that Enable is successfully in foal to Kingman. So therefore her story is far from over and if her foals are anything like her or the family she has came from then they will be a force to be reckoned with and I am very excited to see how the future goes.

All in all, I don’t think I even need to say much, Enable was and is still loved by so many and that shows by the emotion when she had her final run, not only from Frankie, John and those involved with her personally, but also those at home who have just watched her. I think it shows how loved she is by the reaction to her also being in foal, the excitement on social media that her story will be continuing was amazing and I think that speaks for itself. Enable is a true people’s horse and for me she will go down as one of the greatest and I cannot wait to see how well (hopefully) her career as a broodmare goes and how successful her foals will go on to be.

I personally love Enable and I loved being able to have a look back at her career, I hope you all enjoyed reading. I will see you all Saturday morning at 11am for a new post!

12Mar2021

Galileo: What Makes a People’s Horse?

Posted in Horse Racing by zoelouisesmithx

Good Evening!

Welcome to a new blog post here at zoelouisesmithx.com and a new piece in my What Makes a People’s Horse series. However, today’s is slightly different. I have decided to focus on Galileo today, however the difference being, he is more well known for his ability to produce incredibly talented offspring opposed to his career on the track. So today, as normal, I will go through his racing career, which was a very short one but I will also have a look at some of the horses he has produced whilst being based at Coolmore Stud. So, without further ado, let’s just jump right into it.

Galileo was foaled on the 30th of March 1998, by Sadler’s Wells out of Urban Sea. He was bred by David Tsu and Orpendale in Ireland, “Orpendale” is a name used by Coolmore Stud for some of their breeding interests.

Interestingly. Galileo’s sire Sadler’s Well (1981-2011) went on to sire the winners of over 2000 races, which included 130 Group 1/Grade 1 races. He was the most successful sire in the history of British racing, being named the 14 time record breaking leading sire in Great Britain and Ireland. Galileo’s dam Urban Sea (1989-2009) went on to be the dam of Sea the Stars, Black Sam Bellamy, My Typhoon and many more.

Galileo was owned by Sue Magnier and Michael Tabor and was sent straight into training with Aidan O’Brien at Ballydoyle.

Galileo’s first race came when he was 2 years old on the 28th of October 2000 when he ran at Leopardstown. He was the Evens favourite and Mick Kinane took the ride. Impressively, Galileo won by 14 lengths to Taraza (5/2) with Johnny Murtagh on board.

Galileo took a 170 day break, before returning to Leopardstown on the 16th of April 2001 for a listed race over 1 mile 2 furlong, where as the odds on 1/3 favourite under Mick Kinane again he beat stable companion Milan (7/1) by 3 1/2 lengths. Just one month later, he returned to Leopardstown, this time under Seamie Heffernan, starting as the odds on 8/15 favourite, winning again, this time by 1 1/2 lenghts to Exaltation I (10/1).

Galileo then travelled across the Irish sea for a Group 1 at Epsom in the Derby Stakes Class A Showcase Race, where he started the race as the 11/4 joint favourite under Mick Kinane. He beat the other joint favourite Golan by 3 1/2 lengths. After this race, reports said Mick Kinane had described Galileo as the best horse he had ever ridden.

One month later, Galileo returned to Ireland to the Curragh for the Irish Derby on the 1st of July, where he was made the odds on 4/11 favourite under Mick Kinane. He won by 4 lengths after his jockey eased him in the closing stages.

On the 28th of July 2001, Galileo returned to England to Ascot this time for the King George VI & Queen Elizabeth Diamond Stakes. He started the race as the 1/2 favourite, with regular jockey Mick Kinane riding. Galileo won by 2 lengths to the second favourite Fantastic Light (7/2) with Frankie Dettori on board.

Galileo returned to Ireland and attended Punchestown on the 8th of September 2001, where he went to the Irish Champion Stakes. He was the 4/11 favourite under Mick Kinane, however unfortunately the tables were turned and this time he finished second behind Fantastic Light (9/4) with Frankie Dettori.

For Galileo’s last ever race he headed to Belmont Park in America for the Breeders’ Cup on the 27th of October 2001. This was his first time racing on dirt and he started at 100/30 under Mick Kinane, however he could only manage 6th place. Immediately after this race his retirement was announced.

Galileo was retired to Coolmore Stud in County Tipperry, he was stood there during the Northern Hemisphere breeding season, then moved to Coolmore Stud in New South Wales, Australia during the Southern Hemisphere breeding season. However since 2012, he has stood exclusively in Ireland.

So now, let’s jump in to what I think everybody is here for and what he is mainly known for, his offspring. I’m going to go through some of the notable horses, however there are a lot so I won’t mention every single name, I will try and pick out multiple from each year.

The first horse I am going to mention is Nightime who was foaled on the 5th of April 2003, out of Caumshinaun. She went on to win the Irish 1,000 Guineas in 2006 before being retired in 2007 and has since become a successful broodmare. Also foaled in 2003 on the 14th of February, Sixties Icon out of Love Divine, who went on to win the St Leger Stakes as a 3 year old in 2006, he also went on to win five other Group races before being retired to stud.

Galileo also produced jumps horses, one being Celestial Halo who was foaled on the 7th of May 2004 out of Pay The Bank. He went on to be trained by Paul Nicholls, and in March 2008 at 4 years old won the Grade 1 Triumph Hurdle as well as finishing second in the Champion Hurdle in 2009, also winning multiple other races throughout his career.

Also foaled in 2004 was Soldier of Fortune who was foaled on the 20th of February out of Affianced. He went on to win the Group One Irish Derby in 2007 as well the Group One Coronation Cup in 2008.

Moving into 2005, we have Alandi who was foaled on the 4th of April out of Aliya. He went on to win the Vintage Crop Stakes, Ballycullen Stakes, Irish St Leger and Prix du Cadran all in 2009. He was retired in 2012 and became a breeding stallion in Poland.

We also have New Approach who foaled on the 18th of February 2005 out of Park Express. He went on to win the Tyros Stakes, Futurity Stakes, National Stakes and Dewhurst Stakes all in 2007 and the Epsom Derby, Irish Champion Stakes and Champion Stakes in 2008. He also won the award for the European Champion Two Year Old Colt in 2007, the European Champion Three Year Old Colt in 2008 as well as the Irish Horse of the Year in 2008. He was retired and stands as a stallion for the Darley Stud, spending half of his year at the Dalham Stall Stud at Newmarket and the Northwood Park Stud Farm in Victoria, Australia for the other half of the year where he has produced horses such as Masar, Dawn Approach and Talent.

On the 12th of February 2006, Rip Van Winkle was foaled out of Looking Back. He went on to win the Tyros Stakes in 2008, the Sussex Stakes and Queen Elizabeth II Stakes both in 2009 and the International Stakes in 2010. He was retired to Coolmore Stud in 2010 and went on to sire 3 Group 1 winners, Dick Whittington (2012), Te Akau Shark (2014) and Jennifer Eccles (2016). He sadly passed away on the 1st of August 2020 at 14 years old after suffering a short illness.

In 2007, on the 20th of April, Cape Blanco was foaled out of Laurel Delight. He went on to win the Tyros Stakes and Futurity Stakes in 2009, the Dante Stakes, Irish Derby and Irish Champion Stakes in 2010 and then the Man o’War Stakes, Arlington Million and Joe Hirsch Turf Classic Stakes in 2011. He also won the Irish Three Year Old Colt in 2010 and the American Champion Male Turf Horse in 2011.

In to 2008, we see probably the most famous offspring of Galileo’s produced and that is, of course, Frankel who was foaled on the 11th of February out of Kind. Frankel went on to be unbeaten in his fourteen race career, winning over £2.9 million with wins in many big races. The Royal Lodge Stakes and Dewhurst Stakes in 2010, the Greenham Stakes, 2,000 Guineas Stakes, St James’s Palace Stakes, Sussex Stakes and Queen Elizabeth II Stakes all in 2011. Then the Sussex Stakes, Lockinge Stakes, Queen Anne Stakes, International Stakes and Champion Stakes all in 2012. Frankel was then retired and stood at Banstead Manor Stud at Cheveley in Suffolk where he was born. Some noticeable offspring of Frankel includes some Group 1 winners including Call the Wind, Cracksman, Dream Castle, Mirage Dancer, Mozu Ascot, Soul Stirring, Veracious, Without Parole, Anapurna, Logician, Quadrilateral and Grenadier Guards.

Another key horse in 2008 to mention is Nathaniel who was foaled on the 24th of April out of Magnificent Style who won the King Edward VII Stakes and King George VI and Queen Elizabeth Stakes in 2011 as well as the Eclipse Stakes in 2012. Nathaniel was retired to stand stud as the Newsells Park Stud and out of his first set of foals, included a horse that almost everybody knows… Enable. Enable went on to win the Cheshire Oaks in 2017, Epsom Oaks in 2017, Irish Oaks in 2017, King George VI & Queen Elizabeth Stakes in 2017, 2019 and 2020, the Yorkshire Oaks in 2017 and 2019, the Prix de l’Arc Triomphe in 2017 and 2018, the September Stakes in 2018 and 2020, the Breeders’ Cup Turf in 2018 and the Eclipse Stakes in 2019.

On the 25th of February 2009, Noble Mission was foaled out of Kind. He went on to win the Newmarket Stakes and Gordon Stakes in 2012, the Tapster Stakes in 2013 and the Gordon Richards Stakes, Huxley Stakes, Tattersalls Gold Cup, Grand Prix de Saint-Cloud and Champion Stakes in 2014. He also won the Cartier Champion Older Horse award in 2014. Noble Mission then went on to sire a Grad 1 winner in Code of Honor.

Moving into 2010, we start with Magician who was foaled on the 24th of April out of Absolutelyfabulous. Magician went on to win the Dee Stakes, Irish 2,000 Guineas and Breeders’ Cup Turf in 2013 and the Mooresbridge Stakes in 2014. As well as winning the Cartier Champion Three Year Old Colt Award in 2013.

We also have Ruler of the World who was foaled on the 17th of March 2010 out of Love Me True. He went on to win the Chester Vase and Epsom Derby in 2013 and the Prix Foy in 2014. It was announced on the 24th of October 2014 that he would be retired and stand alongside his father Galileo at Coolmore Stud. A notable offspring of Ruler of the World’s is Iridessa who went on to win the Fillies’ Mile, Pretty Polly Stakes, Matron Stakes, Breeders’ Cup Filly and Mare Turf.

Into 2011, we have Australia who was foaled on the 8th of April out of Ouija Board. Australia went on to win the Breeders’ Cup Juvenile Turf Trial in 2013, then winning the Epsom Derby, Irish Derby and International Stakes in 2014. He also won the World’s top rated intermediate distance horse as well as the World’s top rated three year old colt both in 2014. On the 11th of October of 2014, it was announced Australia had developed a hoof infection and a suspected abscess and due to continued lameness the decision was made to retire him. He was to stand alongside his father Galileo at Coolmore Stud. Notable offspring include Galilo Chrome (2017) who went on to win the St Leger Stakes as well as Order of Australia (2017) who won the Breeders’ Cup Mile.

Also foaled in 2011, was Marvellous who was foaled on the 9th of January out of You’resothrilling. Marvellous went on to win the 1,000 Guineas in 2014.

In 2012, we have Found who was foaled on the 13th of March out of Red Evie. She went on to win the Prix Marcel Boussac in 2014, the Royal Whip Stakes and Breeders’ Cup Turf in 2015 then the Mooresbridge Stakes and Prix de l’Arc de Triomphe in 2016. She also won multiple awards including: Top rated European Two Year Old Filly in 2014, the World’s Top Rated Three Year Old Filly in 2015, the Top Rated European Female and Top Rated Irish Horse and the Cartier Champion Older Horse all in 2016. Found then became a broodmare, her first foal being a colt by War Front called Battleground on the 10th of May 2018. Battleground went on to win the Chesham Stakes and Veuve Cliquot Vintage Stakes and finished second in the Breeders’ Cup Juvenile Turf.

Also foaled in 2012 was Gleneagles who was foaled on the 12th of January out of You’resothrilling. He went on to win the Tyros Stakes, Futurity Stakes and National Stakes in 2014. He was also the first past the post in the Prix Jean-Luc Lagardère, however he hampered multiple horses so was put back to 3rd place. He also won the 2,000 Guineas, Irish 2,000 Guineas and St James’s Palace Stakes all in 2015. He also won the Cartier Champion Two Year Old Colt in 2014.

Another incredible horse foaled in 2012 is Highland Reel who was foaled on the 21st of February out of Hveger. Highland Reel went on to win the Vintage Stakes in 2014, the Gordon Stakes, Secretariat Stakes and Hong Kong Vase in 2015, the King George VI and Queen Elizabeth Stakes and Breeders’ Cup Turf in 2016 then the Hong Kong Vase, Coronation Cup and Prince Wales’s Stakes in 2017. Highland Reel currently stands at Coolmore Stud with a Stud Free of €10,000 for 2021.

On the 22nd of February 2012, Order of St George was foaled out of Another Storm. He went on to win the Irish St Leger Trial Stakes in 2015, 2016 and 2017. The Irish St Leger in 2015 and 2017. The Saval Beg Stakes in 2016, 2017 and 2018. The Ascot Gold Cup in 2016, the British Champions Long Distance Cup in 2017 and the Vintage Crop Stakes in 2018. He also won many awards, including the Top Rate Irish Racehorse and the World’s Top Rated Racehorse (Extended Distance) in 2015 then the Cartier Champion Stayer both in 2016 and 2017. Order of St George currently stands at Castlehyde Stud with a 2021 Stud Fee of €6,500.

Moving into 2013, we have Alice Springs who was foaled on the 4th of May out of Aleagueoftheirown. She went on to win the Tattersalls Millions Two Year Old Fillies’ Trophy in 2015, the Falmouth Stakes, Matron Stakes and Sun Chariot Stakes all in 2016.

On the 14th of March 2013, Idaho was foaled out of Hveger. He went on to win the Great Voltigeur Stakes in 2016, the Hardwicke Stakes in 2017 and the Ormonde Stakes in 2018. At the end of the 2018 season he was retired and stood at Beeches Stud with a 2021 Stud Fee of €3,500.

Another 2013 foal is Minding who was foaled on the 10th of February out of Lillie Langtry. She went on to win the Moyglare Stud Stakes and Fillies’ Mile in 2015, the 1,000 Guineas, Epsom Oaks, Pretty Polly Stakes, Nassau Stakes and Queen Elizabeth II Stakes in 2016 and the Mooresbridge Stakes in 2017. She also won the Cartier Champion Two Year Old Filly and Top Rated European Two Year Old Filly in 2015. As well as winning the Cartier Champion Three Year Old Filly, Cartier Horse of the Year, Irish Horse of the Year and the World Top Rated Three Year Old Filly all in 2016.

Moving into 2014, we have Churchill who was foaled on the 31st of December out of Meow. He went on to win the Chesham Stakes, Tyros Steaks, Futurity Stakes, National Stakes and Dewhurst Stakes all in 2016, then the 2,000 Guineas and Irish 2,000 Guineas in 2017. He also won the Cartier Champion Two Year Old Colt and the Top Rated European Two Year Old in 2016. Churchill currently stands at Coolmore Stud and has a 2021 Stud Fee of €30,000.

Also in 2014, we have Winter who was foaled on the 15th of February out of Laddies Poker Two. She went on to win the 1,000 Guineas, Irish 1,000 Guineas, Coronation Stakes and Nassau Stakes all in 2017.

In 2015, Happily was foaled on the 27th of February out of You’resothrilling. She went on to win the Silver Flash Stakes, Moyglare Stud Stakes and the Prix Jean-Luc Lagadère all in 2017. As well as the Cartier Champion Two Year Old Filly in 2017.

Also foaled in 2017, we have Kew Gardens who was foaled on the 20th of January out of Chelsea Rose. He won the Zetland Stakes in 2017, the Queen’s Vase, Grand Prix de Paris and St Leger in 2018 as well as the British Champions Long Distance Cup in 2019. In June 2020, it was announced that Kew Gardens would retire from racing and stand at Castlehyrde Stud with a 2021 Stud Fee of €5,000.

Another horse foaled in 2015, was Magical who was foaled on the 18th of May out of Halfway to Heaven. She went on to win the Debutante Stakes in 2017, the Kilboy Estate Stakes and British Champions Fillies & Mares Steaks in 2018. The Alleged Stakes, Mooresbridge Stakes, Tattersalls Gold Cup, Irish Champion Stakes and Champion Stakes in 2019, followed by the Tattersalls Gold Cup, Irish Champion Stakes and Pretty Polly Stakes in 2020. In December 2020, connections announced that Magical would be retired to become a broodmare.

We now move into 2016. On the 19th of May Anthony Van Dyck was foaled out of Believe’N’Succeed. He went on to win the Tyros Stakes and Futurity Stakes in 2018, the Derby Trial Stakes and Epsom Derby in 2019 and the Prix Foy in 2020. Unfortunately Anthony Van Dyck was put to sleep on the 3rd of November 2020 when he broke down in the Melbourne Cup at only 4 years old.

On the 22nd of February 2016, Japan was foaled out of Shastye. He went on to win the Beresford Stakes in 2018 and the King Edward VII Stakes, Grand Prix de Paris and International Stakes in 2019. He failed to win in 5 attempts as a four year old in 2020.

Another horse foaled in 2016 was Search For A Song out of Polished Gem. She went on to win the Galtres Stakes and Irish St Leger in 2019 and the Irish Leger again in 2020.

Now onto 2017, we have Love who was foaled on the 13th of April 2017 out of Pikaboo. She won the Silver Flash Stakes and Moyglare Stud Stakes in 2019 and the 1,000 Guineas, Epsom Oaks and Yorkshire Oaks in 2020. As well as winning the Cartier Champion Three Year Old Filly in 2020.

We also have Mogul who was foaled on the 3rd of April 2017 out of Shastye. He has went on to win the Juvenile Stakes in 2019 followed by the Gordon Stakes, Grand Prix de Paris and Hong Kong Vase in 2020.

Peaceful was foaled on the 22nd of January 2017 out of Missvinski, who won the 1,000 Guineas in 2020. As well as Serpentine who was foaled on the 20th of March 2017 out of Remember When, who won the Epsom Derby in 2020.

The final horse to mention is Shale who was foaled on the 26th of March 2018 and in 2020 won both the Silver Flash Stakes and the Moyglare Stud Stakes.

So, all in all, Galileo had a wonderful career, although it was short. He then went on to produce some of the best horses we’ve all had the honour of watching, some of those who have gone on to produce some incredible horses also. Overall we wouldn’t have some of the talented horses we see today if it wasn’t for Galileo. Currently and for many years now, since 2008, Galileo’s Stud Fee has been privately negotiated, but it is believed that he is the most expensive stallion in the world.

In 2016, after Minding won the 1,000 Guineas, Galileo became the sire of winners of all five British Classics. In 2018, there was a rumour that his Stud Fee was as high as €600,000. In August 2018, Galileo passed his own sire’s record of the most European Group races as a sire with Sizzling giving him his 328th. On the 1st of June 2019, Galileo had sired 192 Group winners. In the 2019 Derby, Galileo was the sire, grandsire or great-grandsire of 12 out of 13 runners and was the broodmare sire of the 13th horse. On the 9th of November 2019, Magic Wand became his 84th individual Group/Grade One winner, putting him level with Danehill for the most winners sired.

So, with all of that being said, I can see why so many people love Galileo. I decided to write a post up about him because it was slightly different. He is a people’s horse but mainly for the horses he’s produced, opposed to his own career so I thought it would be interesting to research it all a little more and name some of those incredible horses he has given us.

I enjoyed researching this one and I hope you all enjoyed reading it. This one is a very long one, so I do apologise for that but I felt like it was one I really wanted to do. I shall see you all in my next post!

zoelouisesmithx

Horse Racing Content Creator

Tag Archives: galileo

Peel Hall, TopSpeed + An Interview with Tom Green & Will Kinsey – Part Two

The History of the King George VI and Queen Elizabeth Stakes

Six of the Most Prolific Sires in British and Irish Horse Racing

The History of the Epsom Derby

Enable: What Makes a People’s Horse?

Galileo: What Makes a People’s Horse?