It's Groundhog Day - Another Two Group 1 Winners for Galileo

Mark Smith - Monday September 16

It may start sounding like a broken record but the incomparable Galileo sired a further two Group 1 winners at the Curragh on Sunday to take his Group 1 tally over the two-day Irish Champions carnival to four.

Both his winners on Sunday were first timers so Galileo takes his Group 1 total to 82 as he rapidly chases down Danehill's record of 84.

The Aidan O'Brien-trained 2yo filly Love opened the batting in the Group 1 Moyglare Stud Stakes and it was the Moyglare Stud Farm homebred Search For A Song who led home Galileo's Kew Gardens and Southern France in the Irish St Leger to credit the Coolmore phenomenon with his ninth Group 1 trifecta. (images Sporting Life)

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A Coolmore homebred, Love is a sister to Group III winners Peach Tree and Flattering out of the Pivotal mare Pikaboo.


She only broke her maiden in July before adding in the Group III Silver Flash Stakes at Leopardstown before prepping for the Moyglare with a fifth in the Group II Debutante Stakes at the Curragh.

"She's genuine, has a beautiful pedigree and stays very well," O'Brien said.

"She has a beautiful action and when Ryan asked her to get down and lengthen she stuck her head out.

"She's been working lovely and progressing with every run.

"We thought she was a filly that would be crying out for a mile this year, and we were trying to keep her at seven for as long as we could with the view to coming here and then maybe finishing off in the Fillies Mile and being a classic filly next year.

"That family all get a mile and a half well at three so it's very exciting for her and she has a lovely mind too.

"The ground was probably a bit soft for her the last day."

The Dermot Weld-trained Search For A Song was a well-beaten fifth in the Irish Oaks but she was impressive in winning the Group III Galtres Stakes at her most recent start. 


"It's a very special win on a very special and emotional day," Weld said.

"We're having wonderful horse racing but I'm very proud of our industry the way we are supporting Pat Smullen and cancer research.

"This has been a very special race for me over the years and it's the eighth time I've won it.

"She was running very free early on and he'd a hard call to make. I was happy he made the right call because I didn't want to see him spend the rest of the race trying to settle her.

"I know how well she stays so I wasn't too worried. There is a lot of stamina there as her brother is Falcon Eight.

"She was very fit and very well and often horses that run that free will relax when they get to the front.

"Potentially she is a really high-class stayer. That was as good a St Leger as I've won when you look at the ratings of the horses in the race. The world is her oyster next year and there is huge improvement potentially in this filly. She loves fast ground.

"She put up an excellent performance at York and has progressed throughout the year. I'd say that will be it for this year, and hopefully she will make into a lovely four-year-old."

Search For A Song is one of six stakes winners out of the 2015 Broodmare Of The Year Polished Gem (Danehill).

They include the former Cornerstone Stud shuttler Free Eagle (High Chaparral) the winner of the Group 1 Prince of Wales's Stakes, and the Group II winner Custom Cut (Notnowcato) and Sapphire (Medicean) as well as Valac (Dark Angel) who won the Group III Queens Cup in May for Lindsay Park.

A daughter of the Group 1 Irish One Thousand Guineas winner Trusted Partner (Affirmed), Polished Gem has a 2yo filly by Galileo named Amma Grace who finished third at Cork at her career debut earlier this month, a yearling colt by Galileo and visited him again this year.

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