Hampered by injury, illness, and not being the most fertile of stallions, Teofilo (IRE) left six Australian crops ranging from as low as forty-two to a high of sixty-nine.
Despite averaging just 55 live foals per crop, the son of Galileo left an incredible legacy through the likes of Humidor, Happy Clapper, Palentino, Kermadec, and Sonntag.
Two of Teofilo's twenty-three Group 1 winners, Cross Counter (IRE) and Twilight Payment (IRE) earned their Group 1s in the Melbourne Cup.
Teofilo has two of the top chances in Saturday's $5,000,000 Group 1 Carlton Draught Caulfield Cup, Without A Fight and West Wind Blows, while the hope of the locals, Montefilia, is a 4-time Group 1 winning daughter of Teofilo's dual Group 1 winner Kermadec.
Without A Fight cruises to victory in the Q22 (image Grant Courtney)
Without A Fight is trained by Anthony and Sam Freedman after beginning life with Simon and Ed Crisford, trainers of West Wind Blows. He was left with the Freedmans after disappointing behind Gold Trip (FR) in the Melbourne Cup.
The Sheikh Mohammed Obaid homebred won his two starts in a winter campaign, the Group III Lord Mayors Cup (1800m) and Group II The Q22 (2200m), both at Eagle Farm.
He comes to the Caulfield Cup off just one lead-up, a close-up sixth behind Alligator Blood in the Group 1 Underwood Stakes (1800m) at Caulfield on September 23.
The 7-year-old gelding won three European stakes races, including the Group III John Smith's Silver Cup Stakes (14f) at York. He is the best of four winners from five to race for the Group III-winning Dubawi mare Khor Sheed, whose unraced daughter Sharja Princess (Invincible Spirit) is the dam of Grade II John C Mabee Stakes winner Avenue de France (Cityscape).
A half-sister to Group 1 Prix d'Ispahan winner Prince Kirk (Selkirk), Khor Sheed is a granddaughter of Group 1 winner Halo's Princess (Halo), a half-sister to the imported mare Curator (CAN).
A daughter of Assert (IRE), Curator left her mark as the dam of Group 1 SAJC South Australian Oaks and Group 1 WATC Western Australian Derby winner Voile D'Or (Dieu d'Or); Group 1 STC Mercedes Classic (Tancred Stakes) winner Curata Storm (Dieu d'Or); and Listed Gosford Belle Of The Turf Stakes winner Imperatrix (Strategic), dam of the Listed Canberra Cup winner Court Connection.
Teofilo (image Mark Smith)
Curata Storm's win as a $101 chance in the Mercedes Classic is still a topic of conversation today.
Coming off a maiden win at Hawkesbury at his tenth start, Curata Storm left the likes of Tie The Knot, Hill Of Grace, Freemason, Kaapstad Way, Giovana, Sky Heights, Showella and Second Coming trailing in his wake at Rosehill.
Curata Storm failed to win another race in 20 starts.
Galileo's influence on the Caulfield Cup does not rest solely with Teofilo.
His champion son Frankel has two live chances in the Chris Waller-trained pair Francesco Guardi and Soulcombe, and Nathaniel has the underrated Spirit Ridge.
Galileo himself has the unheralded Joseph O'Brien-trained Okita Soushi and one of O'Brien's former protegees, the first emergency United Nations.
Galileo (image Mark Smith)
