Snowfall is long odds-on and will face seven rivals when she bids for a Classic double in the Juddmonte Irish Oaks at the Curragh on Saturday, July 17. Trained by Aidan O’Brien, the daughter of Deep Impact ended last season with just a maiden win to her name from seven starts.
However, as a three-year-old she has improved beyond all expectations this season in winning both of her starts. In the first of those in the Group 3 the Musidora Stakes at York, she made all the running to easily beat Noon Star by 3 3/4 lengths under Ryan Moore. Moore deserted her in the Oaks at Epsom in favour of Santa Barbara, with Frankie Dettori coming in for the ride. After racing at the rear, Snowfall made smooth headway and after taking up the running two furlongs from home showed a smart turn of foot before drawing clear to register a facile 16 length victory.
It was a breathtaking display and one which makes her look head and shoulders above her rivals in the Irish equivalent – for which she is the 3/10 favourite with Paddy Power. Paddy Power spokesman Paul Binfield said:
“Snowfall is a very short price and while she appears most unlikely to match Australia’s starting price of 1-8 in the 2014 Irish Derby, she could challenge Camelot’s 1-5 in the same heat two years’ earlier.”
O’Brien also runs Divinely, La Joconde and Willow. His son Donnacha runs Nicest, who finished a fine third in the Ribblesdale at Royal Ascot last time out and is a 6/1 chance with Paddy Power. Donnacha’s elder brother Joseph is responsible for Mariesque, a lightly-raced daughter of Lawman. Ger Lyons’ Party House, another filly with just three runs behind her, and Fozzy Stack’s Ahandfulofsummers complete the field.
Top class racehorse and legendary sire Galileo, one of the best I witnessed in action on the track, has died at the age of 23. Winner of the 2001 Derby at Epsom when trained by Aidan O’Brien, the horse was father to numerous champions including the mighty Frankel. Owners Coolmore Stud announced he was put to sleep “on humane grounds owing to a chronic, non-responsive, debilitating injury to the left fore foot”. The most successful Group 1 sire of all time has produced 91 individual Group One winners, while 20 of his sons have sired Group 1 winners on the Flat.
Galileo was the world’s biggest stud. His breeding fee was thought to be well over £300,000 a time. He was reportedly worth more than £150m. As well as winning the Derby himself, he was the father of five subsequent winners of the race in the shape of New Approach, Australia, Ruler Of The World, Anthony Van Dyck and Serpentine. O’Brien called him an “unbelievable” horse and said racing would probably never see such an “incredible story” again. John Magnier, owner of Coolmore Stud and many of Galileo’s finest sons and daughters, said:
“It is a very sad day, but we all feel incredibly fortunate to have had Galileo here at Coolmore. He was always a very special horse to us and was the first Derby winner we had at Ballydoyle in the post-Vincent O’Brien era. I would also like to thank Aidan and his team for the brilliant job they did with him. “
A son of the multiple champion sire Sadler’s Wells, Galileo also won an Irish Derby and King George in 2001, before finishing second to Fantastic Light in one of the most memorable runnings of the Group 1 Irish Champion Stakes.
TV star and ITV racing presenter Chris Hughes has launched the UK’s first ever National Racehorse Week which will run later this year from September 12th-19th. The week will celebrate the nation’s racehorses and will see trainers across the country opening their yards to the public so that they can witness first-hand the care, love and attention that goes into looking after racehorses and the fantastic lives the animals lead.
It’s the first of its kind and will see over 100 trainers from across the country open the doors to their yards in a nationwide celebration of the racehorse and will include existing open days at some of British racing’s most important training centres including the Malton and Epsom Open days on the opening weekend (September 12th) and the Henry Cecil Open Weekend in Newmarket (September 18-19th).
Hughes, who himself often rides racehorses at trainer Jonjo O’Neill’s yard and frequently features his favourite horse, Annie Mc, on his social media channels told Great British Racing: “As someone who loves racing, I’m so excited that everyone will have the chance to go behind the scenes at a racing yard near them and see the wonderful care that horses receive.
“Racehorses are like family to the people that look after them every single day of the year and it will be brilliant for members of the public to meet their local equine stars, find out how they are looked after, chat to staff and see various different elements of a horse’s training regime – from being out on the gallops, to seeing the physio and even taking a dip in an equine swimming pool!”