Bush Hill Stud Secure Galileo Son For 2016 Season
Bush Hill Stud have secured a serious stallion prospect with Flying The Flag for their stallion roster of 2016, a son of the legendary Galileo and a very exciting prospect for the province of KZN and South Africa indeed.
A grandson of the great Pivotal, as a racehorse he is a Group winner and Group 1 placed.
Flying The Flag was fast enough and precocious enough to win his debut over seven furlongs at two years of age on good going, and was second in a Gr2 over 1400m, again at age two. He raced soundly until six years old.
The cross of Galileo onto a Pivotal mare, has just produced his latest Group 1 winner this past week in Australia – a horse named The United States.
“Galileo is truly a phenomenon, a ruler of the world himself and universally acknowledged as the best sire on the planet“ – Tony Morris, Racing Post 6/6/13”
Flying The Flag’s dam, Halfway To Heaven, like his sire won three Gr 1 races in Europe from 1400m to 2000m including The Irish One Thousand Guineas Gr1, Goodwood Nassau Stakes Gr1, and the Newmarket Sun Chariot Stakes Gr1.
It is also worth noting that Halfway To Heaven was a stakes winner at two. As mentioned previously, she is a daughter of Pivotal who himself has been Champion Sire in the UK six times. He is described by Racing Post as “a high-class sprinter, excellent sire, can get fast, high class two year olds and their progeny often progress well.”
The second dam Cassandra Go is by Indian Ridge out of a Secreto mare, and won six races up to 1400m including the Royal Ascot King’s Stand Stales Gr2, the Sandown Temple Stakes Gr2, the Goodwood King George Stakes Gr3 and was second in the Newmarket July Cup Gr1.
Not only was she a great race filly but she has also produced three top class Stakes Winners and the dams of two more. She is a half-sister to the very successful Verglas.
The speed influence in this family is underlined by the fact that there are champion sprinters in the immediate vicinity. These include Do The Honours, who was champion 3yo sprinter in France and the German Champion 3yo Sprinter, Best Regards.
The following extract from Coolmore Stud reiterates just how influential the world great Galileo is as “Champion 3yo in Europe, winning the Epsom Derby, Irish Derby & ‘King George’ in very fast times.
A champion sire in 2008, 2010, 2011, 2012, 2013, 2014 & 2015 with 52 Group 1 winners, including Classic winners such as World Champion Frankel (2,000 Guineas), Australia (Derby), Ruler Of The World (Derby), Magician (Irish 2,000 Guineas), Gleneagles (2,000 Guineas), Was (Epsom Oaks), Roderic O’Connor (Irish 2,000 Guineas), Treasure Beach (Irish Derby), Misty For Me (Irish 1,000 Guineas), Golden Lilac (French 1,000 Guineas, French Oaks), Soldier Of Fortune (Irish Derby), Cape Blanco (Irish Derby), Sixties Icon (St Leger), Nightime (1,000 Guineas) and New Approach (Derby).
Flying The Flag is currently owned by a partnership which includes Coolmore, Mauritzfontein and Wilgerbosdrift with shares having been sold to KZN Breeders.
He will stand at a service fee of R20 000. For more information or enquiries please contact Warwick Render at Bush Hill Stud on 082 872 7799 or email bushhillstud@futurenet.co.za.
