Coolmore needs little introduction having stood Britain and Ireland's most successful sires for the last twenty consecutive years. Sadler's Wells and Danehill both proved to be a collossus. Both have come and gone and with their passing have left a huge legacy at Coolmore, not just for the number of sire championships won between them but the sire talent they handed down. Danehill has provided multiple Australian champion Fastnet Rock as well as leading juvenile sire Danehill Dancer and former world champion Rock Of Gibraltar. Sadlers Wells supplied Coolmore with Montjeu, sire of four epsom derby winners and Galileo, a multiple champion sire since his first classic crop debuted in the spring of 2006.
Each of these stallion sons have performed admirably but perhaps none more so than Galileo. A stallion blessed with raw talent on and off the racecourse, his dam is the outstanding matriarch Urban Sea. Galileo has been champion sire in consecutive years since 2010, his only blop when just losing out to stud companion Danehill Dancer in 2009.
This year marked Galileo's nineteenth birthday and he bids to again become champion having supplied last years European champion two year old colt and filly in Churchill and Rhodedendron. He also became the first stallion to ever sire the first three home in the Arc de triomphe. There is an endless supply of other smart Galileo's at Ballydoyle including champion Minding.
The cycle repeats for Coolmore to find the heir apparent to Galileo. The farm has an intriguing roster for 2017 which includes five stallion sons of Galileo. Dual derby winner Australia, a son of champion mare Ouija Board, Ruler Of The World also a winner at epsom and a half brother to Duke Of Marmalade, Gleneagles, a champion miler and brother to a classic winner and new recruit The Gurkha, runaway winner of the French 2000 guineas and Magician, who stands at Ashford in Kentucky.
Galileo has proved himself a creditable sire of sires with Teofilo and New Approach both going on to sire classic winners however they both stand at Darley. Juddmonte farms homebred sire Frankel, the best horse sired by Galileo also made a promising start to his stud career having supplied a host of stakes winners. Coolmore have yet to house a sire son of Galileo with the accomplisments of the aforementioned. One of their first sire sons was Rip Van Winkle, himself a top colt over ten furlongs managed to sire one Group 1 winner among his first juvenile crop. He was expected to build highly after his sophomore year but unfortunately he slipped from breeders interest and remained in New Zealand this year.
Although Fastnet Rock has been the heir apparent to Danehill in Australia, champion sire sons of Danehill have diminished in the Northern Hemisphere. Rock Of Gibraltar has proved a consistant and durable sire but he has never had ammunition to challenge the better sires. HolyRomanEmperor, who was a replacemnt to the subfertile George Washington has too been consistant but again has never challenged. This perhaps prompted Coolmore to bring Fastnet Rock to the Northern Hemisphere in the hopes of repeating the same feat with his sire previously. Fastnet Rock has performed admirably siring classic winner Qualify as well as Rivet, one of Europes leading juveniles.
Unfortunately success can often come with downfalls and Coolmore were undoubtedly highly unlucky when they lost Montjeu, he proved a reliable source of classy two year olds that perform as three year olds. He surely had the capability to sire a few more derby winners had he not contracted septicaemia. His legacy was left to be passed down through Hurricane Run and Pour Moi, both derby winners however neither sired any high class horses. The year Montjeu died, his son Camelot came on the scene. An unbeaten winner of the racing post trophy. He proved to be an outstanding horse winning the guineas and both derbies and so narrowly missing out on triple crown glory. A big year awits Camelot as his first two year olds begin to appear. In the years since his death Montjeu has turned the table in regards to his ability to sire a stallion son. He has made a huge impact over jumps with his sire sons producing the likes of Douvan, this prompted Coolmore to switch Pour Moi to jumps after the sudden loss of Fame And Glory, yet another son of Montjeu. One also has to wonder how George Washington would have fared had he not sadly broken down mid race having proved to be in fertile in his first year at stud. He did however produce one live foal, a filly subsequently named Date With Destiny, she was stakes placed at two which makes one wonder had George Washington produced a number of live foals, would he have been a successful heir to Danehill.
Over the years Coolmore have began tapping into new blood with No Nay Never, a son of Scat Daddy who was fast becoming a sensation for Coolmore before he untimely passed away from a heart attack. Green Desert lined sires Ivawood and Most Improved both represent that fast early speed which has been demanded by sales markets in recent years. Coolmore also heavily supported War Front, a paternal half brother to Danehill. This has brought about the likes of Declaration Of War and War Command who stand in America and Ireland respectively. American based sire Uncle Mo has been a revelation for the operation supplying derby winner Nyquist among his first crop which included a number of first crop stakes winners. While High Chaparral who sadly passed in 2014 from colic has supplied So You Think whose recent success in his native Australia has prompted a rise in his stud fee for 2017. With much talent still to come the future does look to be in safe hands.
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