Galileo double as bluebloods strike in opening Curragh contests

Aidan O'Brien has won the Irish Stallion Farms EBF Maiden at the Curragh most recently with the likes of Mogul and Saxon Warrior, and the Ballydoyle handler looks to have yet another high-class prospect on his hands with Bluegrass.

The son of the late perennial champion sire Galileo was sixth on his debut at the track this month, but clearly benefited from that experience when leading from the off and pulling clear by a length and a half from the Zoffany colt Good Heavens.

Notably, the Coolmore homebred is the first foal out of the top-level winning sprinter Quiet Reflection, a daughter of Showcasing who won the Commonwealth and Haydock Sprint Cups among seven stakes-race victories for the Ontoawinner syndicate and Karl Burke.

Quiet Reflection changed hands when selling to Blandford Bloodstock and MV Magnier for a cool 2,200,000gns at the 2017 Tattersalls December Mare Sale.

Having produced Bluegrass, she has a yearling filly by Galileo and gave birth to a colt by the Coolmore great this year. She visited Frankel this time around.

Quiet Reflection is in turn the first foal out of the winning Haafhd mare My Delirium and was sold by breeder Springcombe Park Stud to Geoffrey Howson Bloodstock for £32,000 at the DBS Silver Yearling Sale. Burke subsequently picked her up for £44,000 at the following year's DBS Breeze-Up Sale.

It was a quick double on the Curragh card for Galileo as his Magical Lagoon came rattling home to head a one-two for the sire and deny Albula in the Group 3 Manguard Plus Irish EBF Flame Of Tara Stakes.

Sporting the colours of Zhang Yuesheng's Yulong Investments, the two-year-old was fourth behind Albula on her first start but demonstrated her abundant staying power when closing the gap in the nick of time.

Bred by Coolmore, the filly is notably a half-sister to four black-type performers including King George VI and Queen Elizabeth Stakes scorer Novellist. The pair are out of the German Group 3 winner Night Lagoon, a Lagunas half-sister to Deutsches Derby runner-up Night Tango.

Magical Lagoon sold to BBA Ireland and Yulong Investments for 305,000gns from Tattersalls Book 1, a sum that looks a tidy bit of business for connections now given her talent and high-class page.

Niarchos homebred Albula is the first foal out of Australian Group 3 scorer Dawn Wall, a Fastnet Rock half-sister to Princess Margaret and Sandringham Stakes winner Osaila as well as Dance Design Stakes victress Obama Rule, the dam of this season's Kilboy Estate Stakes winner and Pretty Polly Stakes fourth Insinuendo, a daughter of Gleneagles.

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