Galileo dominates with three Group winners

Not for the first time, Galileo dominated proceedings on the racetrack on Thursday with a pair of smart Group winners at Chester and another at Longchamp in France.

At Chester, the Aidan O’Brien-trained Orchestra (3c Galileo-Bywayofthestars, by Danehill) advertised his Derby credentials when winning the G3 Chester Vase under Ryan Moore. The race was won 12 months ago by subsequent Derby winner Ruler Of The World (4c Galileo-Love Me True, by Kingmambo) and connections were delighted with this success.

“He's a lovely horse and travelled beautifully,” said Moore. “He's a big, strong horse and it's only his third ever run. The ground was probably a bit too loose for him and they think a bit of the second and third.”

Kevin Buckley, Coolmore's UK representative, added: “We are very, very pleased with that. Ryan was delighted with the horse, they got into a nice rhythm and travelled into the race.

“It was only his third career start. He's a fine, big type of animal by Galileo with lots of quality, size and scope. He had a nice action and to do that around Chester, we have to be pleased. Aidan was happy with how he was going at home and was looking forward to seeing how he got on here.”

Shortly beforehand, there was a 1-2 for Galileo when Frankel’s brother Noble Mission (5h Galileo-Kind, by Danehill) took the G3 Huxley Stakes impressively from Telescope (4c Galileo-Velouette, by Darshaan).

“Noble Mission did so well over the winter - he seemed better and stronger,” said winning trainer Lady Cecil. “We just thought this year he would find a lot more improvement. The aim is to get a Group One, but to have those two Group Threes is good. He's remarkably consistent.”

Lord Grimthorpe, racing manager to owner-breeder Khalid Abdullah, added: “He got into a nice rhythm and toughed it out. He’s much more mature mentally and physically and looked fantastic in the paddock. He’s five and never been out of the frame - I would love a stable full of Noble Missions. He’s honest and genuine and we could go up a grade to the G2 Hardwicke Stakes at Royal Ascot.”

Runner-up Telescope could also now head to the G2 Hardwicke Stakes for a rematch.

Meanwhile, at Longchamp in France, the Pascal Bary-trained Spiritjim (4c Galileo-Hidden Silver, by Anabaa) played his part in Galileo’s excellent day when winning the G3 Prix D'Hedouville. The improving four-year-old realised 310,000 euros as a yearling and was bred by Haras Des Sablonnets and partners.