'A very special horse to us': John Magnier leads the tributes to Galileo

His total of individual Group 1 winners now stands at 91 while no less than 20 of his sons have sired Group 1 winners on the flat, headed by Frankel and Australia.

Sat, 10 Jul, 2021 - 15:48

Legendary sire Galileo, has been put to sleep, Coolmore stud have announced.

His total of individual Group 1 winners now stands at 91 while no less than 20 of his sons have sired Group 1 winners on the flat, headed by Frankel and Australia.

"Regretfully our world-renowned Champion Sire Galileo was put to sleep earlier today on humane grounds owing to a chronic, non-responsive, debilitating injury to the left fore foot," a social media post from Coolmore said.

“It is a very sad day,” added John Magnier, “but we all feel incredibly fortunate to have had Galileo here at Coolmore. I would like to thank the dedicated people who looked after him so well all along the way.

"He was always a very special horse to us and he was the first Derby winner we had in Ballydoyle in the post M V O’Brien era. I would also like to thank Aidan and his team for the brilliant job they did with him. The effect he is having on the breed through his sons and daughters will be a lasting legacy and his phenomenal success really is unprecedented.”

"Following Galileo’s strikingly impressive Epsom Derby success the front-page headline in the Racing Post was the single word ‘PERFECTION.’ It could not have been more apt," Coolmore noted.

"What a life. Had more good nights than most…and more good days than most. Star sire. Class horse. Derby hero... and King George legend," added broadcaster and racing pundit Matt Chapman.