Coolmore Stud issued a statement on Saturday confirming that the winner of the 2001 Epsom and Irish Derbies had been euthanized on humane grounds.

The statement from the County Tipperary outfit read as follow:

“Regretfully our world-renowned Champion Sire Galileo was put to sleep earlier today on humane grounds owing to a chronic, non-responsive, debilitating injury to the left fore foot.

“It is a very sad day,” said John Magnier, “but we all feel incredibly fortunate to have had Galileo here at Coolmore. I would like to thank the dedicated people who looked after him so well all along the way. He was always a very special horse to us and he was the first Derby winner we had in Ballydoyle in the post M V O’Brien era. I would also like to thank Aidan and his team for the brilliant job they did with him. The effect he is having on the breed through his sons and daughters will be a lasting legacy and his phenomenal success really is unprecedented.”

Coolmore Stud’s statement continued:

“Following Galileo’s strikingly impressive Epsom Derby success the front-page headline in the Racing Post was the single word ‘PERFECTION.’ It could not have been more apt.

“Bred in the purple by Sadler’s Wells out of ‘Arc’ heroine Urban Sea and unbeaten in his first six starts, Galileo proved an immediate success at stud siring Irish 1,000 Guineas winner Nightime from his first crop. Appropriately he became the most successful Group 1 sire of all time when his daughter Peaceful won the same race in June of last year.

His total of individual Group 1 winners now stands at 91 while no less than 20 of his sons have sired Group 1 winners on the flat, headed by Frankel and Australia.”

To learn more about the career of Galileo and his influence on breeding and racing, read The Greatness of Galileo, written by Paul Rhodes with Anne Alston.

The post Galileo 1998-2021 appeared first on SportsNewsIreland.

Whether you are a big horse racing fan or not, anyone with even just a cursory knowledge of flat racing has heard of Galileo. Say his name to those involved in the ‘Sport of Kings’ and its mention is greeted with reverence and honour. This is because Galileo is no ordinary racehorse, he is the ultimate sire of thoroughbreds, the most famous and sought-after stallion on planet earth. His story comes to life in an excellent publication ‘The Greatness of Galileo’, by Paul Rhodes (with Anne Alston), founder and tireless administrator of the Aidan O’Brien Fan Site.

Rhodes, from Rosegreen near Cashel in Co. Tipperary, lives in Ballydoyle and Coolmore country. The author has a passion for all things Aidan O’Brien, Ballydoyle and Coolmore-related and remembers with clarity the beginnings of the O’Brien era of success with winners such as Giant’s Causeway and Rock of Gibraltar. Despite having followed the career of Galileo the racehorse closely, Rhodes freely admits to almost being obsessed with Galileo the stallion, following the sire’s phenomenal success over the last number of years.

Rhodes’ first effort at telling the incredible story of Galileo, ‘The Greatness Of Galileo’, was released in the first quarter of 2018 on the Amazon store, receiving 5 star feedback. This 2019 version, however, has been completely updated, with some new content added to the book.

The detailed publication shows the love, respect and absolute obsession of the author with this special thoroughbred, detailing from the moment Galileo was born, covering his successful racing career on the track, as well as highlighting his amazing stud career which has seen him overtake his own sire Sadler’s Wells as flat racing’s ultimate stallion, and detailing his own progeny which includes Frankel.

This beautiful publication is divided into the six parts, with the first detailing Galileo’s birth and early life. A highly comprehensive account of the horses track career covers his racing life from the Irish Business Maiden Stakes for 2 Year Olds, through his dual Derby successes as a three-year-old, and concludes with his participation in the Breeders’ Cup Classic in the USA.

The sire’s stud career covers a total of 13 well-researched and details chapters. Each one shows Galileo’s progression and increased success as a stallion, providing information about his progeny at the sales, as well as enlightening readers about his own sons who are now successful and acclaimed stallions in their own right. The latter chapters of this section of the book are fascinating by their showing the amount of prize money won by his sons and daughters, as well as informing the reader about his progeny’s awards.

Towards the end of the book, Rhodes the researcher and statistician comes clearly into view with profile pages of Galileo’s 75 Group 1 winners, yes 75 Group 1 winners. The author ends by looking into his crystal ball, and mentions some potential Group 1 winners for the star stallion this year.

Flat racing is the source from which all future champions are bred. Horses by Galileo continue to dominate the sport in an exceptional way. ‘The Greatness Of Galileo’ explains just why.

‘The Greatness Of Galileo’ is available in digital format on the Amazon Kindle store while Amazon has paperback copies for purchase.

The post The Greatness of Galileo by Paul Rhodes appeared first on SportsNewsIreland.