Gleneagles looks odds-on to become a Group 1 sire

GLENEAGLES (IRE) - 2012 bay horse

There are no guarantees in life, but it will be quite a shock if Coolmore Stud’s Gleneagles fails to become a sire of Group 1 winners. It remains to be seen whether or not they will significant horses among a long list of stakes and pattern winners, or just the occasional ones dotted throughout his career, but as a top-class son of Galileo (by Sadler’s Wells) who is out of a ‘blue hen’ full-sister to multiple US champion sire Giant’s Causeway (by Storm Cat), one could justifiably ask ‘how could he fail?’

Gleneagles never ran over less than seven furlongs, and his maiden success came on his second attempt, but then he swept the Group 3 Tyros Stakes, Group 2 Futurity Stakes and Group 1 Goffs Vincent O’Brien National Stakes before passing the post a half-length and short-neck in front of Full Mast and Territories in the Group 1 Prix Jean-Luc Lagardere at Longchamp only to lose the race in the stewards’ room.

He beat Territories again, this time by two and a quarter lengths, when making his seasonal debut in the Group 1 2000 Guineas at Newmarket the following May, added the Group 1 Irish 2000 Guineas at the Curragh, and then justified odds-on again with a two-and-a-half-length score in the Group 1 St James’s Palace Stakes at Royal Ascot.

​With a clear preference for fast ground, he bypassed several potential targets but took his chance on good-to-soft at Ascot in mid-October as a prep for a shot at the Grade 1 Breeders’ Cup Classic at Keeneland. Sadly, neither worked out. He was a three-length sixth in the former and then trailed home in rear behind American Pharoah, neither performance any reflection on his ability.

Gleneagles was Timeform-rated 113 at two and 128 at three. On offical ratings, he was a champion at two and also Europe’s champion three-year-old miler.

His dam, You’resothrilling – whom Timeform rated 117 following her Group 2 Cherry Hinton Stakes victory at two – has made a dream start to her broodmare career with five significant runners from her first five foals – all of them by Galileo.

Gleneagles is her second born, and his older sister Marvellous won the Group 1 Irish 1000 Guineas. Number three is Group 3 C L & M F Weld Park Stakes winner and Grade 1 Belmont Oaks Invitational Stakes third Coolmore, number four is Group 2 Sandown Classic winner and Grade 1 Secretariat Stakes runner-up Taj Mahal, and her fifth foal is Happily.

Timeform-rated 116 last year, she won the Group 1 Moyglare Stud Stakes at the Curragh before avenging her brother’s loss in France with victory against the colts in the Group 1 Prix Jean-Luc Lagardere. She also won the Group 3 Silver Flash Stakes and was runner-up in the Group 2 Debutante Stakes.

Happily is without a win so far in 2018 but was third to Billesdon Brook in the Group 1 1000 Guineas, third to Alpha Centauri in the Group 1 Irish 1000 Guineas, and only beaten a total of half a length when fourth to Laurens in the Group 1 Prix de Diane (French Oaks) in June.

In addition to being a pattern-winning full-sister to the famously tough multiple Group 1 star and influential stallion Giant’s Causeway, You’resothrilling is also a full-sister to Group 2-placed sprinter and leading New York-based sire Freud, and there is every reason to hope that Decorated Knight (by Galileo), the triple Group 1-winning son of her sister Pearling, will become a Group 1 sire from his Irish National Stud base.

The offspring of Grade 1-placed multiple Grade 2 winner Mariah’s Storm (by Rahy) also include Love Me Only (by Sadler’s Wells), the dam of dual Derby-placed Group 2 Great Voltigeur Stakes scorer Storm The Stars (by Sea The Stars), while the third dam of Gleneagles is the Grade 3 winner Immense (by Roberto).

For a horse like Gleneagles it seems not a question of whether or not he will sire Group 1 winners but, instead, a matter of how many he of them he will get. He is the most exciting stallion to go to stud in Europe since Sea The Stars and Frankel.

GLENEAGLES (IRE) - b.2012 - Galileo - You’resothrilling, 7 wins inc 2000 Guineas (Gr1), Irish 2000 Guineas (Gr1), St James’s Palace Stakes (Gr1), Goffs Vincent O’Brien National Stakes (Gr1), Futurity Stakes (Gr2), Tyros Stakes (Gr3), 3rd Prix Jean-Luc Lagardere Grand Criterium (Gr1). Sire in Ireland. First foals in 2017.

YEARLINGS CATALOGUED
Bc - Acquainted (by Shamardal)     Tattersalls     October     not sold
Bc - Alive Alive Oh (by Duke Of Marmalade)     Goffs     October     €140,000
Bc - Araqella (by Oasis Dream)     Tattersalls     October     10,000gns (p/s)
Bf - Archangel Gabriel (by Arch)     Arqana     August     €170,000
Bf - Banimpire (by Holy Roman Emperor)     Tattersalls     October     withdrawn
F - Better Not Cry (by Street Cry)     Keeneland     September     not sold
Chc - Bora Blues (by Peintre Celebre)     Tatts IRE     September     €30,000
Chc - Brasileira (by Dubai Destination)     Arqana     August     €115,000
Bc - Bratislava (by Dr Fong)     Tattersalls     October     57,000gns
Bc - Bridal Dance (by Danehill Dancer)     Tattersalls     October     withdrawn
Bf - Cap Coz (by Indian Ridge)     Goffs     October     €20,000
Chc - Cape Columbine (by Diktat)     Tattersalls     October     60,000gns
Bc - Caphene (by Sakhee)     Tattersalls     October     not sold
Grc - Convocate (by Exchange Rate)     Goffs     October     €90,000
Bc - Coquet (by Sir Percy)     Tattersalls     October     42,000gns
B/brf - Crazy Volume (by Machiavellian)     Tattersalls     October     27,000gns
Bf - Crossover (by Cape Cross)     Goffs     October     €18,000 (p/s)
Chf - Crystal Valkyrie (by Danehill)     Goffs     October     withdrawn
Chf - Daltiana (by Selkirk)     Osarus     September     €62,000
Bf - Deter (by Nayef)     Goffs     October     not sold
Bf - Dingle View (by Mujadil)     Tattersalls     October     90,000gns
Bc - Don’t Forget Faith (by Victory Gallop)     Tattersalls     February     28,000gns
Bc - Don’t Forget Faith (by Victory Gallop)     Tattersalls     October     16,000gns
Bf - Dubai Media (by Songandaprayer)     Tattersalls     October     25,000gns
Bc - Elle Woods (by Lawman)     Goffs     October     €110,000
Bf - Elitiste (by Danehill Dancer)     Arqana     August     €50,000
Chc - Euphrasia (by Windsor Knot)     Goffs     October     €220,000
Chc - Fluvial (by Exceed And Excel)     Goffs     October     €50,000
Bf - Fondly (by Dansili)     Tattersalls     October     withdrawn
Bc - Four Eleven (by Arch)     Arqana     August     not sold
Bf - Fusion (by Cape Cross)     Tattersalls     October     200,000gns
Bc - Gotlandia (by Anabaa)     Arqana     August     €180,000
Chc - Hallouella (by Halling)     Tattersalls     October     55,000gns
Bf - Kiss Of Spring (by Dansili)     Arqana     August     €80,000 (p/s)
Bc - Lady Eclair (by Danehill Dancer)     Goffs UK     August     £380,000
Bc - Lethal Quality (by Elusive Quality)     Goffs     October     €160,000
Bf - Liberally (by Statue Of Liberty)     Tattersalls     October     75,000gns (p/s)
Brf - Lips Arrow (by Big Shuffle)     Baden-Baden     August     not sold
Bc - Lookup (by Inchinor)     Arqana     October     
Bc - Love Excelling (by Polish Precedent)     Tattersalls     October     not sold
Bf - Mikkwa (by Elusive Quality)     Arqana     August     €150,000
Bc - Milady (by Shamardal)     Tattersalls     October     not sold
B/brf - Miss Lacey (by Diktat)     Tattersalls     October     not sold
B/brf - Miss Lahar (by Clodovil)     Tattersalls     October     not sold
Chf - Mythie (by Octagonal)     Goffs     October     €82,000
Bc - Native Picture (by Kodiac)     Goffs UK     August     £42,000
Bc - No Explaining (by Azamour)     Tattersalls     October     190,000gns
Bf - Nocturne (by Rock Of Gibraltar)     Goffs     October     withdrawn
Chc - Norwegian Pride (by Diktat)     Baden-Baden     August     €150,000
Bf - Nuit Polaire (by Kheleyf)     Arqana     August     €400,000
Bf - Obama Rule (by Danehill Dancer)     Goffs     October     €110,000
Bc - One Chance (by Invincible Spirit)     Tatts IRE     September     €70,000
Chf - Pipalong (by Pips Pride)     Goffs     October     €150,000
Chc - Precious Dream (by Mr Greeley)     Tattersalls     October     62,000gns
Bf - Que Puntual (by Contested Bid)     Tattersalls     October     200,000gns
Brf - Red Lips (by Areion)     Baden-Baden     August     not sold
Bc - Rivara (by Red Ransom)     Tattersalls     October     200,000gns
Bf - Rive Gauche (by Fastnet Rock)     Tattersalls     October     55,000gns
Bf - Sitara (by Salse)     Tattersalls     October     115,000gns
Bc - Snowfields (by Raven’s Pass)     Goffs UK     August     £100,000
Bf - Sogno Verde (by Green Desert)     Tattersalls     October     300,000gns
Bf - Street Style (by Rock Of Gibraltar)     Tattersalls     October     not sold
Bf - Sugar Mill (by Oasis Dream)     Goffs UK     August     £140,000
Bc - Sweet Coincidence (by Mujahid)     Tattersalls     October     72,000gns
Bf - Tarbela (by Grand Lodge)     Tattersalls     October     500,000gns
Bf - Temida (by Oratorio)     Tattersalls     October     not sold
Bc - Unbelievable (by Fastnet Rock)     Goffs     October     ​€260,000
Bf - Vadirima (by Selkirk)     Arqana     October     ​