Sensational Sousa Bound for Derby
4th October 2008
Europe’s number one sire Galileo has been making every post a winner in the Northern Hemisphere and at Royal Randwick on Saturday, Sousa (3c Galileo x Liberty Song, by Last Tycoon) provided Sheikh Mohammed with his first Australian Group One winner in a very long time.The Sheikh’s maroon and white colours were carried to victory at Randwick back in 1988 by the Hayes trained runner Authaal in the Queen Elizabeth Stakes, while imported stayer Water Boatman also carried them when winning the 1990 Adelaide Cup.
Since then there have been many placings and much success in minor Group races in Australia, but it’s taken dashing three year-old colt Sousa to break the drought.
Ridden a treat by Corey Brown, Sousa raced just off the pace and then rolled to the lead coming to the home turn, revelling in the soft ground and step up to 2000 metres in careering away to win the Group One AJC Spring Champion Stakes by six lengths from Takeover Target’s half-brother Predatory Pricer.
“I knew how fit he was and we were always going to go forward, he’s definitely a better horse in front,” said winning trainer Peter Snowden.
“I’m very happy with how the horse is, he’s a fit horse and a horse going places for sure.”
Snowden is now likely to send Sousa to Melbourne for a shot at the Victoria Derby saying, “I’ll have to talk to Henry [Plumptre] and Trevor [Lobb] about the Victoria Derby but it’s hard to knock back.”
Purchased by Woodlands Stud for $420,000 at the 2007 Inglis Australian Easter Yearling Sale, Sousa was the most expensive yearling sired by Galileo to sell in the Southern Hemisphere that year.
With three wins from six starts and prizemoney of $402,400, Sousa is well on the way to recouping costs and with $1.5 million in prizemoney attached to the Victoria Derby he could be well in the black by the end of spring.
A New Zealand bred son of Galileo offered by Trelawney Stud, Sousa is a half-brother to Irish stakes-winner Smuggler’s Song being from the Last Tycoon mare Liberty Song.
Sousa becomes the tenth Group One winner worldwide for champion sire Galileo, who was also represented at Randwick by quality mare Gallant Tess, which added another Group One placing to her resume when finishing third in the AJC Epsom Handicap.
The last Australian bred crop of yearlings by Galileo will be offered at sales in 2009 and includes the first foal of triple Melbourne Cup winner Makybe Diva, a handsome bay colt that will be offered at the Inglis Australian Easter Sale.
