37Frankel. The Sir Henry Cecil-trained
colt was unbeaten in 14 starts and was
rated by Timeform as the best horse
seen since the inception of their rat-
ings in the 1940s: ‘No horse in our 66
years would have beaten him.’
Galileo’s sons and daughters have
continued to churn out winners at the
top level and Galileo’s influence on the
breed is already all-encompassing. 12
of the 13 runners in the 2019 Derby had
him as sire, grand-sire or great grand-
sire. He’s already sire of a Derby
winning sire of a Derby winner (New
Approach, sire of Masar. If Galileo were
her only offspring Urban Sea’s place in
the history of the thoroughbred would
have been secured. But there was
more to come.Black Sam Bellamy
A full-brother to Galileo, Black Sam
Bellamy was also trained by O’Brien at
Ballydoyle. Promising at two where he
finished a three race season with a
third in the Gr.1 Criterium de Saint-
Cloud. He was highly tried at the start
of his three-year-old season, contest-
ing the French Derby on his third start,
but apart from his maiden win his only
other win came in Italy, in the Gr.1 Gran
Premio del Jockey Club. He improved
at four and won the Tattersalls Gold
Cup by 8 lengths after which he racedexpectations. The colt, named Galileo,
went to Aidan O’Brien and raced only
once at two, waiting until late October
to start over a mile in heavy ground at
Leopardstown. He signalled what was
to come by winning by 14 lengths. At
three he won the Ballysax Stakes, the
Derrinstown Derby Trial, the Derby at
Epsom, the Irish Derby and the King
George VI and Queen Elizabeth Dia-
mond Stakes. He finished second in an
epic duel with Fantastic Light in the
Irish Champion Stakes before ending
his career with an unplaced run in the
Breeders Cup Classic on the dirt at
Belmont.
Like his mother before him, that
illustrious racing career has been
eclipsed by his efforts at stud. While
she may be regarded as one of the all-
time great broodmares in the sport’s
history, Galileo will go down as one of
the greatest ever stallions.
He’s sired 78 Group/Grade 1 winners,
including 4 Derby winners. His cham-
pions, many trained by Aidan O’Brien
who trains for Coolmore where Galileo
stands, include Highland Reel, Found,
Australia, Minding, New Approach,
Order Of St. George, Ulysses, Magical,
Churchill, Winter, Nathaniel and Gle-
neagles.
Galileo’s crowning moment as a sire,
to date at least, came in the form of
six more times without success.
He’s made a name for himself as a
National Hunt sire, The Giant Bolster
and Sam Spinner among his progeny.
His best Flat horse is probably the
German trained multiple Gr.1 winner
Earl Of Tinsdal who attracted a Racing
Post rating of 116.All Too Beautiful
Urban Sea’s third pairing with Sadler’s
Wells in 2000 produced an unraced
colt called Atticus before, in 2001, she
had her second filly foal, subsequently
named All Too Beautiful.
All Too Beautiful was trained by
O’Brien and was unraced at two. At
three she won her first two starts,
including a Listed event at Navan,
before being pitched in at Gr.1 level in
the Oaks on only her third start. She
ran a great race at Epsom, finding only
Ouija Board too good. The same rival
beat here again next time in the Irish
Oaks where All Too Beautiful was
fourth having made the running. She
was given a break before finishing a
close third in the Blandford Stakes on
her last start at three. Kept in training
at four she had only one start, winning
the Middleton Stakes at York.
At stud she has been notable for the
exploits of her daughters. Her 2011 foal
Sparrow, by Oasis Dream, has made a
great start to her career as dam of Sir
Dragonet. Her 2008 filly Wonder Of
Wonders, matched her dam’s second
place in the Epsom Oaks before finish-
ing third in the Irish version of that
race. She’s thrown 4 winners to date.My Typhoon
Urban Sea’s 2002 filly was a daughter
of Giant’s Causeway who was sent to
race in the United States. Trained by
Bill Mott, she proved to be a very good
racehorse. A multiple Graded Stakes
winner, My Typhoon raced 17 times
winning 6 races including the Grade 1
Diana Stakes at Saratoga.Cherry Hinton
In 2004 Urban Sea foaled a filly by
Green Desert. Named Cherry Hinton
she didn’t race at two but started
promisingly at three, finishing second
in the Gr.3 Blue Wind Stakes on
ISSUE 178 RACING AHEAD▲All Too Beautiful,
ridden by Kieren
Fallon, wins the
Totepool Middleton
Stakes