Business as usual for Galileo as the Coolmore kingpin dominates Derby entries

Nothing whets the appetite for the upcoming turf season quite like the unveiling of the latest round of acceptances for one of the centrepieces of the Flat season, the Derby. And a run through the 131 colts left in the 2018 renewal leaves the distinct impression it could well be business as usual for perennial champion sire Galileo come Epsom in early June.

Having won the Derby himself back in 2001, Galileo has gone on to sire three winners of the 1m4f Classic during a generation-defining stud career. They are, of course, New Approach (2008), Ruler Of The World (2013) and Australia (2014), and the breed-shaping son of Sadler's Wells also holds the strongest numerical hand for this year's renewal.

Of the 131 horses left in the Derby, 18 horses - around 14 per cent - are by the nine-time champion sire, including the hugely promising trio of Kenya, James Cook and The Pentagon, all of whom are owned by the Coolmore partners and are in training with Aidan O'Brien.

View all 2018 Derby entries

But such is Galileo's dominance at present that his impact is not just confined to his own progeny, as a further 28 of the 131 entries - 21 per cent - are by his sire sons. Five sons of Galileo have sons of their own entered in the Epsom showpiece, namely Frankel, New Approach, Teofilo, Nathaniel and Intello.

Of that quintet, Frankel is the sire with the strongest numerical representation with ten entries, including the unbeaten Group 3 winner Elarqam, followed by New Approach with seven and Teofilo with six, while Nathaniel and Intello have three and two entries respectively.

Not only does Galileo have his 18 sons and 28 paternal grandsons representing him, but there are also nine Derby candidates that are out of one of his daughters, including two colts by Dubawi - the regally bred Dubhe and Ghaiyyath - who is the sire of 17 entries.

The combination of sons, paternal and maternal grandsons means that Galileo appears in the first two generations of the pedigree of 55 entries, or 42 per cent of the possible Derby field.

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