Second champion juvenile for Galileo
15th January 2008
For a second consecutive season, Galileo has sired the World Champion Two-Year-Old. New Approach (3c Galileo-Park Express, by Ahonoora) was given an official rating of 126 for his exploits in 2007 by the international handicappers who compile the World Thoroughbred Rankings following a season in which he was unbeaten in five starts.
New Approach, who was bred by Seamus Burns’s Lodge Park Stud, follows in the footsteps of the 2006 Champion Two-Year-Old Teofilo (4c Galileo-Speirbhean, by Danehill) by topping the World Thoroughbred Rankings.
"He’s got the same profile as Teofilo - the same five races won, same sire and same trainer and we’d be hopeful in 2008 that he can get to the racetrack and build on that promise," said Senior Irish Handicapper Garry O’Gorman.
Indeed only one in the last dozen years as the champion two-year-old been rated higher than New Approach.
Just 1lb below New Approach, on a ranking of 125, was Danehill Dancer’s son Fast Company (3c Danehill Dancer-Sheezalady, by Zafonic), who was bred in partnership by Limetree Stud and finished second in the G1 Dewhurst Stakes at Newmarket.
Meanwhile Galileo was also responsible for Europe’s second highest rated three-year-old of 2007 in Soldier Of Fortune (4c Galileo-Affianced, by Erins Isle), who was bred by New Approach’s trainer Jim Bolger and was a brilliant nine-length winner of the G1 Irish Derby