First British Classic For Al Shaqab As Galileo Gold Strikes

With Air Force Blue (War Front) putting in a no-show in Saturday's G1 Qipco 2000 Guineas at Newmarket, it was left to Al Shaqab Racing's Galileo Gold (GB) (Paco Boy {Ire}) to record a commanding success at 14-1 and provide the operation with a first British Classic victory. Initially taking the far-side group along in exuberant fashion under Frankie Dettori before accepting a lead, last year's G2 Vintage S. winner who was last seen finishing third in Longchamp's G1 Prix Jean-Luc Lagardere regained the advantage with two furlongs remaining. Despite drifting across to the stand's rail, the chestnut who holds an Epsom Derby entry and was also registering a landmark win for trainer Hugo Palmer comfortably beat Massaat (Ire) (Teofilo {Ire}) by 1 1/2 lengths, with Ribchester (Ire) (Iffraaj {GB}) two lengths away in third. The 4-5 favourite Air Force Blue only beat one home after looking in trouble after halfway. “It's such a great team effort and Hugo is a young trainer who has trained this horse brilliantly,” Al Shaqab's Harry Herbert commented. “This is very special–the greatest thrill of all.”

Saturday, Newmarket, Britain
QIPCO 2000 GUINEAS S.-G1, £500,000, NEW, 4-30, 3yo, 8fT, 1:35.91, g/s.
1–&GALILEO GOLD (GB), 126, c, 3, by Paco Boy (Ire)
1st Dam: Galicuix (GB), by Galileo (Ire)
2nd Dam: Clizia (Ire), by Machiavellian
3rd Dam: Cuixmala, by Highest Honor (Fr)
(7,500gns RNA Wlg '13 TATFOA; €33,000 Ylg '14 TISEP). O-Al Shaqab Racing; B-Brian O'Rourke (GB); T-Hugo Palmer; J-Frankie Dettori. £283,550. Lifetime Record: G1SP-Fr, 6-4-1-1, $651,546. Werk Nick Rating: A+. Click for the eNicks report & 5-cross pedigree.
2–Massaat (Ire), 126, c, 3, Teofilo (Ire)–Madany (Ire), by Acclamation (GB). O-Sheikh Hamdan bin Rashid Al Maktoum; B-Shadwell Estate Company Ltd (IRE); T-Owen Burrows. £107,500.

3–Ribchester (Ire), 126, c, 3, Iffraaj (GB)–Mujarah (Ire), by Marju (Ire). (€78,000 Wlg '13 GOFNOV; €105,000 Ylg '14 GOFORB). O-Godolphin; B-A Thompson & M O'Brien (IRE); T-Richard Fahey. £53,800.
Margins: 1HF, 2, HF. Odds: 14.00, 9.00, 33.00.
Also Ran: Air Vice Marshal, Kentuckyconnection, Zonderland (GB), First Selection (Spa), Herald The Dawn (Ire), Buratino (Ire), Zhui Feng (Ire), Stormy Antarctic (GB), Air Force Blue, Marcel (Ire).

Like five of the last 10 winners of this Classic, Galileo Gold ran over six furlongs as a 2-year-old and began with a second at that trip at York at the end of May before breaking his maiden in convincing style over the same distance at Salisbury in June. Upped to seven on good-to-soft ground in a conditions event at Haydock in early July, he readily doubled his tally before swooping late to capture the Vintage on rain-softened conditions at the Glorious Goodwood meeting later that month. Not seen until finishing a staying-on third to Ultra (Ire) (Manduro {Ger}) in the Lagardere on ground that could have been faster than ideal on Arc day, he was due to take in the French equivalent of this race until Dettori called for a change of plan after partnering him in a recent gallop. Breaking smartly from the outside one draw to lead until joined and headed by the outsider Zhui Feng (Ire) (Invincible Spirit {Ire}), Galileo Gold continued to take the eye whereas attention focused on Air Force Blue became increasingly anxious as Ryan Moore's body language became less assured. As Massaat struck for home with the pace collapsing ahead, Dettori was alive to the threat and sent his mount upsides to challenge with just over a quarter mile to race. Veering across to the rail, his mind was concentrated when he had that to guide him and he pulled away from the Shadwell representative with zest in the closing stages. “I had a lot of faith in him and I knew we'd be in the first three,” his rider said 20 years on from his first win in the Classic on Mark of Esteem (Ire). “He had galloped brilliantly, but I had the worst draw and it shows what a good horse he is to do it on his own. His main forte is that he stays and he galloped out really strong–he'll get a mile and a quarter.” Palmer was understandably overwhelmed after greeting his first British Classic winner and added, “He's quite a horse and Frankie rode the most masterful race on a willing partner. I've never believed in a horse quite like I believe in this one. I don't know what makes him different, he just keeps getting better. He's quirky, we have to work with him and not against him, but he's rewarded us. When we bought him he was out of a sister to a 98-rated handicapper called Goldream, but Robert Cowell worked his mastery with that horse and made him a dual group 1 winner and the fourth dam is Floripedes, the dam of Montjeu. He's got a real stallion's page now and he's the most gorgeous horse physically. I don't feel that cut in the ground is important to him and its no slower than good today.” His trainer was not ruling out a tilt at the blue riband at Epsom June 4, although he has alternative options. “He looked like he stayed the mile the best of those that ran there, but none were prominent in the Derby market so I don't know,” he said. “He's out of a Galileo mare from the family of Montjeu, as I said, and he's entered in the [G1] Irish 2000 Guineas [at The Curragh , the St James's Palace S. and the French Derby so we'll let the dust settle and discuss it. The great thing about racing is that we don't know until it happens, but we're going to have a huge amount of fun finding out. He's a big horse, he's 16'2 and developing all the time. They say this is the last two-year-old race, but he's not unfurnished–he's there now and the world's his oyster.” Massaat's trainer Owen Burrows said of the runner-up, “I'm very pleased, as he's run a blinder and there are no excuses. I can't be disappointed with second in a Guineas. Paul [Hanagan] said he'll get a mile and a quarter, but we'll have a chat with the team and make a plan for the rest of the season. Two out he thought it would take a good one to pass him, but one did.” Ribchester's trainer Richard Fahey commented, “He is still a weak horse, who is still maturing. I think he is going to get better and better as he gets older. He will have a bit of a break now and go straight to Royal Ascot for the [June 14] G1 St James's Palace S.” From the second crop of the triple group 1-winning Paco Boy, Galileo Gold is the first Classic winner for his Highclere Stud-based sire. He is the first foal out of Galicuix (GB) (Galileo {Ire}), who as Palmer explained is a half-sister to the dual group 1-winning sprinter Goldream (GB) (Oasis Dream {GB}). As he also said in his post-race interview, the fourth dam is the champion stayer Floripedes (Ire) (Top Ville {Ire}), responsible for the great Montjeu (Ire). Galicuix has a two-year-old full-sister to the winner named Choumicha (GB) and an unnamed yearling colt by Champs Elysees (GB). Click for the Racing Post result or the free Equineline.com catalogue-style pedigree. Video, sponsored by Fasig-Tipton.

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