Galileo Gold Retired
Talented miler Galileo Gold, the authoritative victor of the 2016 QIPCO 2000 Guineas, has been retired by connections after Hugo Palmer’s stable-star suffered an injury sustained during his disappointing performance in the Group One Al Shaqab Lockinge Stakes at Newbury this month.
The four-year-old was a top-class performer who plundered a very good renewal of the QIPCO 2000 Guineas at Newmarket with a decisive success under Frankie Dettori before going on to claim the Group One St James’s Palace Stakes at Royal Ascot in June 2016.
No discussions on where the colt will stand in retirement have been confirmed yet but the son of Paco Boy, who also finished second in the Sussex Stakes and Irish 2000 Guineas, did evidently not give his true-running in the Lockinge earlier this term as Harry Herbert, racing manager to Al Shaqab Racing, revealed that the imposing sort had suffered a soft-tissue injury which has therefore brought his career on the track to a close, although he should still hopefully excel at stud. Herbert said:
It’s a great shame, real sadness all round. It’s a soft-tissue injury that meant we couldn’t carry on with his career at this stage of the season. It’s very sad.
His run in the Lockinge was very disappointing, but obviously in the cold light of day there’s a reason for it. It’s a shame we couldn’t go on with his career because the horse has absolutely exploded from three to four. Everyone who saw him in the Lockinge would agree with that. He had been working very well.
He has been a terrific flag-bearer for Al Shaqab and provided us with our first Classic winner and of course it was a wonderful season with the St James’s Palace Stakes victory as well, plus a second in Ireland (Irish 2,000 Guineas) and a great run in the Sussex Stakes. All credit to Hugo Palmer and his team, who have done such a fantastic job with him.