Picture: Galileo
Aidan O’Brien said in an interview with Sid Fernando of Thoroughbred Daily News back in 2021 that what separates Galileo’s progeny from the rest is a mental attribute they have that appears to be unique and it might pay for trainers of the progeny of Galileo sires in South Africa i.e. The United States, Erupt, Global View, Flying The Flag and The Assayer to take heed of what he says.
It helps if a trainer knows about this attribute, because it can be mistaken for physical precociousness which could lead to the horse being “overcooked” early.
O’Brien explained, “Galileos are, like, very strange horses, meaning that they try so hard. And always with the Galileos, all you’re trying to do is slow them down and relax them. With most other horses, it’s the complete opposite. But Galileos, they never remember what happened yesterday. Say they got really tired–and when a horse gets really tired, they feel a bit of pain–some horses get very clever to that and they don’t want to go back there anymore. So what happens is that when they start controlling that, you can only train them to a certain level because they won’t let you push them any further. But with Galileos, they will give their absolute 150% every day. It’s very strange. It’s a mental trait, not a physical trait. Of all the horses we’ve ever trained, we’ve never seen it in another horse before. It’s a gene that will carry on. It’s a pure remind of him.”
Sid Fernando elaborated, “That “try” that O’Brien described is a rare attribute that needs careful handling and development, something that could go awry without proper recognition and training.
A lesser trainer, or one without an understanding of the Galileos, might squander what they see too early and overcook a horse before he’s had a chance to show his potential, but O’Brien is meticulously patient in his handling of the Galileos, whom he oversees from as early as the time they are sent to Ballydoyle as yearlings in the autumn to be readied to race at two.”
