O’Brien hails Galileo following 100th individual Group One success

Aidan O’Brien paid tribute to the remarkable Galileo after Content provided the late superstar stallion with his 100th individual Group One winner at York on Thursday.

For all the son of Sadler’s Wells achieved great things on the track, with a CV featuring big-race victories in the Derby, Irish Derby and King George in 2001, his racing career almost pales into insignificance compared to the astonishing things he has achieved at stud.

His first Group One winner was the Dermot Weld-trained Nightime in the Irish 1,000 Guineas of 2006. His countless top-class offspring of course includes the mighty Frankel, who can lay claim to being the greatest racehorse of them all and who following an unbeaten 14-race career has also gone on to establish himself as a pre-eminent stallion in his own right.

Galileo has also sired five Derby winners in New Approach, Australia, Ruler Of The World, Anthony Van Dyck and Serpentine, as well as a whole host of top-class performers such as Order Of St George, Magical, Minding, Highland Reel and Kyprios.

Galileo died at the age of 23 in 2021, but his legacy very much lives on and he reached the remarkable three-figure mark in terms of top-level triumphs as Content lifted the Yorkshire Oaks.

The three-year-old, who is fittingly out of a dual Nunthorpe winner in Mecca’s Angel, may not be the best horse Galileo has produced, but her trainer views her as a perfect example of the talent and tenacity he handed down to his offspring.

“Galileo is incredible, they (his progeny) are so honest and so genuine. It’s so incredible for us to have had so many of them,” he said.

“You can see what has happened at Ballydoyle, since the end of Sadler’s Wells and then he arrived and won us the Derby.

“The mark he’s going to leave on pedigrees is incredible, from generation to generation.

“She (Content) is a typical example of Galileo. Even if there’s no more left, if their legs can move they put them out there and that’s what she did.

“Right to the end, Ryan said there was no stopping her. Ninety-nine per cent of thoroughbreds will get to that stage and hold up the flag, but Galileos don’t. They’re so genuine and they could be tired today and come out the next day and still put up their best. It’s a very unusual trait in an animal.”

O’Brien admits replacing a horse of Galileo’s influence at Coolmore Stud is an impossible task, but believes in Justify – sire of Wednesday’s Juddmonte International hero City Of Troy – the team have the perfect heir to his throne.

When asked if we would see the likes of Galileo again, he added: “I don’t think so. Obviously we’re so excited about Justify – we think he’s Galileo with more class.

“That’s why we’re so excited about City (Of Troy), you think he’s tired but he’ll still keep putting out his legs.”