Galileo’s full-brother Black Sam Bellamy
The fact that Galileo is an outstanding stallion is hardly a secret, but events in Chicago on Saturday, plus the extended exposure of the horse named after one of America’s greatest trainers, Frankel, will have helped the Coolmore star to attain even greater recognition beyond Europe.
The Irish Derby winners Cape Blanco (2010) and Treasure Beach (2011) gave Aidan O’Brien a memorable stateside Grade 1 double in the Arlington Million and the Secretariat Stakes, and two days later one of the best-related fillies in European racing, Goldikova’s half-sister Galikova, reinforced a great run for Galileo with victory in the Prix Guillaume d’Ornano at Deauville.
That great run is not restricted to recent weeks, however. So far this year, Galileo’s offspring have won 29 Group races around the world, with Frankel tying with South African-trained filly Igugu on three Group/Grade 1s apiece. They are just two of eight individual top-flight winners for their sire in 2011.
Galileo’s full-brother Black Sam Bellamy has dwelt in his elder sibling’s shadow, both as a racehorse and as a stallion, but he achieved a notable landmark over the weekend by siring his first Group 1 winner, Earl Of Tinsdal, who won the Rheinland-Pokal in Cologne.
His future stud career will almost certainly contain more high-class winners, though they are likely to be over jumps, as Black Sam Bellamy has now been resident for several seasons at one of Britain’s best known National Hunt nurseries, Shade Oak Stud in Shropshire.
