Background
Galileo is a 16.0½ hand (1.63 m) high bay horse with a narrow white blaze and a white sock on his near hind leg. He was sired by Sadler's Wells out of the mare Urban Sea. His breeders were David Tsui, the owner of Urban Sea, and "Orpendale", a name used by the Coolmore Stud organisation for some of their breeding interests. He was described as a three year old as being "one of the most impeccably bred horses in training".
Sadler's Wells (1981-2011) won three Group One races in 1984 and went on to sire the winners of over 2,000 races, including more than 130 at Group One/Grade I level. He was the most successful sire in the history of British racing being the leading Leading sire in Great Britain and Ireland a record fourteen times. Urban Sea (1989-2009) won the Prix de l'Arc de Triomphe in 1993 and went on to become an outstanding broodmare. Apart from Galileo, she was the dam of the Derby winner Sea The Stars, and the Grade I winners Black Sam Bellamy (Tattersalls Gold Cup) and My Typhoon (Diana Stakes), as well as All Too Beautiful (Group race winner, Group One placed) and Melikah (Listed race winner, Group One placed).
Owned by Sue Magnier and Michael Tabor, he was sent into training Aidan O'Brien at Ballydoyle and ridden in all but one of his races by Michael Kinane.
He is one of several horses to have borne the name of Galileo. The most notable "other" Galileo was a Polish-bred gelding which won the Grade I RSA Novices' Hurdle at the 2002 Cheltenham Festival.
Read more about this topic: Galileo (horse)
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