Churchill
Churchill won seven consecutive races to establish himself as his generation’s champion at two and as a dual Guineas winner at three. His winning sequence featured four consecutive Gr.1 victories, including the National Stakes, the Dewhurst, the 2,000 Guineas and the Irish 2,000 Guineas.
Churchill represents one of the world’s most potent nicks. Galileo has 13 Group/Graded winners from 72 foals out of daughters of STORM CAT (18%) and no fewer than nine of them are Gr.1 winners (13%). Five became classic winners, which underlines the power of Churchill’s bloodlines.
Churchill enjoys the advantage of being free of the DANZIG blood which has been one of the other biggest contributors to Galileo’s success. His 2024 2yo Gr.3 winner Heavens Gate has a dam by DANZIG. Churchill looked sure to suit mares by DANEHILL and his sons and this is becoming fact, as his dual classic winner Blue Rose Cen is out of a grand-daughter of DANEHILL DANCER. He also has a 2024 Gr.2 winner from a mare by Epaulette and other BTWs out of mares by DANSILI, FASTNET ROCK, DANEHILL DANCER and EXCEED AND EXCEL. Gleneagles, another son of Galileo with a Storm Cat dam, already has nine Group winners out of grand-daughters of DANEHILL, the stallions involved being DANEHILL DANCER (4), DANSILI, CLODOVIL, DUKE OF MARMALADE, ORATORIO and FASTNET ROCK. Gleneagles has an impressive record with DANEHILL DANCER, with 5 black-type winners from 28 foals (18%), including Gr.1 winner Loving Dream and Gr.2 winners Insinuendo, Vero Atleta and Royal Dornoch. Galileo himself had a tremendous record with DANEHILL DANCER mares and with daughters of FASTNET ROCK (nine black-type winners, including Gr.1 winners Warm Heart and Russian Emperor, for 20%). Galileo also enjoyed further Gr.1 success with daughters of EXCEED AND EXCEL, ROCK OF GIBRALTAR, HOLY ROMAN EMPEROR, DANSILI, DESERT KING and MOZART. Churchill should also suit daughters of these stallions, as well as mares by such as KODIAC and CLODOVIL.
The GREEN DESERT branch also has plenty to offer, as Churchill’s female line produced the Nunthorpe winner Jwala to OASIS DREAM. Churchill has two BTWs and a Group-placed colt from 16 starters out of OASIS DREAM mares. Galileo sired an Oaks winner from a GREEN DESERT mare and the dual Derby winner Australia from a daughter of CAPE CROSS.
Churchill’s first 2 runners out of WAR FRONT mares include Gr.3 2yo winner Prime Art. Australia and Ulysses are other Galileo stallions with smart performers out of WAR FRONT mares.
Churchill’s 2yo Gr.3 winner Prime Art is inbred 3x3 to SADLER’S WELLS and his Group-placed son Chartwell is inbred 2x3 to GALILEO. The similarly-bred Gleneagles, together with Nathaniel, Teofilo and Frankel, is another of a growing number of Galileo’s stallion sons with important winners closely inbred to SADLER’S WELLS. Gleneagles’ Gr.1 winner Loving Dream is inbred 3x3, as is his American Gr.1 winner Highland Chief (out of a MONTJEU mare).
Galileo also enjoyed excellent results with the NUREYEV line and Frankel is shaping up extremely well with PIVOTAL mares, with the top-class Cracksman and the classic-winning Nashwa among his five Gr.1 winners. Gleneagles’ 2,000 Guineas third Royal Scotsman is another with a dam by PIVOTAL. There are encouraging signs that Churchill is also going to thrive with PIVOTAL mares, as he has two BTWs and a Group-placed performer among his first 11 starters out of them. Churchill’s Gr.2 winner The Foxes has a 2nd dam by NUREYEV.
New Approach, another son of Galileo, sired the Oaks winner Talent from a PEINTRE CELEBRE mare.
The Oaks winner Forever Together is among Galileo’s four Gr.1 winners out of daughters of THEATRICAL and STRAVINSKY.
Churchill’s third dam is by INDIAN RIDGE and his speed could be reinforced by mares with more AHONOORA blood. Galileo’s classic winners New Approach and Was respectively have a dam and a second dam by this top sprinter. Galileo also had three Group winners, including a classic winner, from mares by INDIAN RIDGE, and both Galileo and Frankel have sired Gr.1 winners from INCHINOR mares.
ACCLAMATION is out of an AHONOORA mare and his daughters have produced Group winners to four other sons of Galileo, including the very smart Diego Velazquez to Frankel.
Breeders hoping to produce high-class middle-distance winners by Churchill should consider sending him mares from the MILL REEF line. He has already sired the Gr.2 winner The Foxes from a DARSHAAN mare and his Gr.1 winner Blue Rose Cen has a 2nd dam by DARSHAAN’s son MARK OF ESTEEM.
Mares by MONSUN are another potential source of middle-distance winners. Churchill’s first runner bred this way is the top-class Vadeni. Galileo sired the Arc winner Waldgeist from another daughter of MONSUN.
Ladies Church, one of Churchill’s fastest Group winners, has a dam by RIO DE LA PLATA, a son of RAHY, and his Prix de Diane second Survie has a dam by Le Havre, a grandson of RAHY. RAHY sired the second dams of Galileo’s Gr.1 winners Decorated Knight, Marvellous, Gleneagles, Joan of Arc, Happily and Deauville. Frankel and Teofilo have both sired Gr.2 winners from daughters of RAHY.
Galileo’s Derby winner Ruler Of The World and his top-class son Ulysses have dams by KINGMAMBO.
Gleneagles’ smart daughter Novemba has a dam by Kingmambo’s son DUBAI DESTINATION, as does Churchill’s Gr.3 winner Grand Alliance. Churchill has the size to be a good match for DUBAWI’s daughters, which have the encouraging record of producing Group winners to four sons of Galileo.
Galileo sired the King George and Eclipse winner Nathaniel and the Irish Oaks heroine Great Heavens from daughters of SILVER HAWK and the Arc-winning Found from a mare by INTIKHAB. He also has Group winners from daughters of DYNAFORMER, KRIS S. LEAR FAN, RED RANSOM, DR FONG and SRI PEKAN.