THE GREAT GALILEO
Galileo was a son of Saddler’s Wells. He was born in Ireland in 1998 and started his racing career in October 2000. Although he retired from racing in October 2001 he packed a lot into a short amount of time and in 2001 was named European champion Three Year Old Colt.
one of the most impeccably bred horses in training
He only raced on 8 occasions for 6 wins and 1 second which amounted to £1,621,110 in prize money. His major wins included the Ballysax Stakes, Derrinstown Stud Derby Trial, Epsom Derby, Irish Derby, King George VI and Queen Elizabeth Stakes.
He retired to stud in 2001 where he quickly became one of the most sought-after stallions in the world. This rise to fame saw him take out leading sire in Great Britain and Ireland 12 times between 2008 and 2020 and Leading broodmare sire in Great Britain and Ireland in 2020 and 2021.
Unfortunately, in 2021 he was euthanized after a debilitating injury to his near foreleg which failed to heal after surgery earlier that year. His legacy certainly lived on for a long time after his death and in 2022 he was inducted into the British Champions Series Hall of Fame.
Galileo sired some great horses in his time and is the sire of Highclere Racing Australia’s Great House.