Galileo Triumphs Again in Sires' Race

He's done it again.

For the eighth consecutive year, Galileo (Ire) wrapped up 2018 as the leading general sire by European earnings.

The dual Derby and King George winner-who had his first runners in 2005-earned his first sire championship in 2008. His then Coolmore barnmate Danehill Dancer (Ire) took the title the following year, but Galileo redeemed himself in 2010 and has not relinquished his crown since.

According to the TDN's year-to-date general sire list (which includes worldwide black-type stats but earnings restricted to Europe), Galileo's 244 starters in 2018 amassed £8,639,420. Those include 104 winners of 151 races. His 38 stakes winners (an excellent 12.5% of starters), 59 stakes horses, 28 group stakes winners (9.2% of starters), 49 group horses, seven Group 1 winners and 20 Group 1 horses lead each of their respective categories. Those Group 1 winners were St Leger and Grand Prix de Paris victor Kew Gardens (Ire) (also his leading earner by money earned in Europe with £872,983), Grand Prix de Saint-Cloud winner Waldgeist (GB), G1 Irish St Leger winner Flag of Honour (Ire), G1 British Champions Fillies & Mares S. victress Magical (Ire) (his leading worldwide earner of the year), GI Breeders' Cup Juvenile Turf scorer Line of Duty (Ire), G1 Epsom Oaks winner Forever Together (Ire) and G1 Lockinge S. winner Rhododendron (Ire).

Perhaps Galileo's dominance in Europe is best articulated in the fact that he is by far the continent's leading lifetime active sire, his total progeny earnings of over £98-million more than double those of Pivotal (GB)'s progeny. His 75 worldwide Group 1 winners-70 in the Northern Hemisphere and five in the Southern–is more than double the next best, Dubawi (Ire), at 38.

Galileo's influence as a broodmare sire this year has also been substantial. His daughters produced 10 Group 1 winners worldwide, including GI Breeders' Cup Filly & Mare Turf winner Sistercharlie (Ire) (Myboycharlie {Ire}), G1 2000 Guineas winner Saxon Warrior (Jpn) (Deep Impact {Jpn}) and G1 July Cup winner US Navy Flag (War Front); three Classic winners in Australia and one in South Africa, and Group 1-winning 2-year-olds Magna Grecia (Ire) (Invincible Spirit {Ire}) and Fog Of War (War Front). He was third behind Pivotal (GB) and his own sire Sadler's Wells on the 2018 broodmare sires' table.

Galileo's legacy looks set to carry on through both his daughters and sons. His best son on the racecourse, Frankel (GB), wound up fourth on the general sires' list; an excellent achievement considering his oldest crop are just four. Galileo was second on the sires' list at the same stage and earned his first title the following year. Nathaniel (Ire), from the same sire crop, was fifth on the 2018 general sires' list and is the sire of superstar Enable (Ire), while New Approach (Ire) sired this year's Derby winner Masar (Ire) and Teofilo (Ire) provided the G1 Melbourne Cup winner Cross Counter (Ire). Australia (GB) was third on the first-season sires' list and sired Group 2 winner Beyond Reason (Ire), while fellow first-crop Coolmore sire and Derby winner Ruler Of The World (Ire) provided G1 Fillies' Mile winner Iridessa (Ire).

Darley's Dubawi (Ire) was second to Galileo by European earnings (£6,061,403), but he was Europe's leading sire by worldwide earnings in 2018 ($19,159,292 to Galileo's worldwide tally of $16,058,499). His leading earner was Benbatl (GB), winner of a remarkable three Group 1s in three different countries: the Dubai Turf, the Munich Bayerisches Zuchtrennen, and the Caulfield S. Dubawi's five other Group 1 winners in 2018 were Nassau S. and Prix de l'Opera winner Wild Illusion (GB), G1 Prix Vermeille winner Kitesurf (GB), G1 Al Maktoum Challenge Round 3 victor North America (Ire) and top-rated 2-year-old colts Too Darn Hot (GB) and Quorto (GB), winner of the Dewhurst and National S., respectively. In July, Dubawi reached a major milestone when becoming the first-ever British-based sire to reach 100 group winners worldwide.

The already enormous stature of Galileo's dam Urban Sea continues to grow, and her Sea The Stars (Ire) (Cape Cross {Ire}), eight years younger than Galileo, continues to establish himself as an elite sire. He wound up third on the general sires' list and was represented by two high-class Group 1 winners: the Irish and Yorkshire Oaks winner and Arc runner-up Sea Of Class (Ire), and the champion stayer Stradivarius (Ire).

Galileo's influence has been so massive that it has created a unique 'problem' for Coolmore: with so many members of its top-class broodmare band–and even its young stallions–being by the great sire himself, Coolmore must find worthy outcrosses for Galileo. It has done well with War Front, and Deep Impact has been successful too, but Coolmore now has a potential superstar outcross sire right in its own barn with No Nay Never (Scat Daddy), Europe's dominant champion first-season sire. No Nay Never led by earnings (£986,254) and winners (28), with Charm Spirit (Ire) (£494,259) barely edging out Australia (£494,243) for second. Kingman wound up fourth after a very promising season where he tied with No Nay Never and Sea The Moon (Ger) for group winners (two): 'TDN Rising Stars' Calyx (GB) and Persian King (Ire). He had five total TDN Rising Stars from his first crop-that's more than some very respected sires have had in their careers.

Returning to No Nay Never, the G2 Norfolk S. and G1 Prix Morny winner led also by black-type winners (six, 10% of starters), black-type horses (14) and group horses (five). He and Ruler Of The World were the only two newcomers last year to sire a Group 1 winner: his was the Middle Park winner Ten Sovereigns (Ire), while he also provided G2 Richmond S. winner Land Force (Ire) and four listed winners.

Siyouni Leads French Sires

Among French sires, Haras de Bonneval's Siyouni (Fr) was the leading sire by European earnings. His total European progeny earnings were £3,684,803, with £1.08 million of that amassed by Laurens (Fr), winner of four Group 1s last year. He sired 11 stakes winners in 2018 and five group winners.

Whipper, sire of the 2018 dual Group 1 winner Recoletos (Fr) (and four total stakes winners), was second among French general sires with earnings of £1,886,093, while Montfort & Preaux's Le Havre (Ire) was third with six black-type winners, two group winners and £1,763,060 in earnings.

The first-season sires' table holds some very exciting clues for the French stallion ranks. Haras du Quesnay's Anodin (Ire) (Anabaa) was the country's leading first-season sire, and he was fifth among European first-crop sires. Haras de Bouquetot's Group 1 winners Toronado (Ire) (High Chaparral {Ire}) and Olympic Glory (Ire) (Choisir {Aus}) both showed plenty of late-season promise and wound up sixth and eighth, respectively. Charm Spirit has alternated between Tweenhills Stud in Britain and Haras de Bonneval in France through his first four seasons, and his second crop of 2-year-olds this year are French-conceived.