Galileo Gold was back in the news on Sunday when his talented son Maglev captured the Listed Baffle Stakes at Santa Anita.
The Tally-Ho Stud graduate becomes the fourth first-crop stakes winner for Galileo Gold - no other sire within his crop has sired more.
Maglev first made headlines when selling for a joint sale-topping £210,000 out of our draft at last year's Goffs UK Breeze-Up Sale in Doncaster to Armando Duarte of Ling Bloodstock. Sent to William Haggas on behalf of MM Racing, he went on to win his second start and run a close second in a valuable nursery at York. He was later sold for 300,000gns to his current connections, Red Baron's Barn and Rancho Temescal, and turned over to Mark Glatt.
Maglev made a bright start to his American career when a close second in the Listed Eddie Logan Stakes. He made no mistake on Sunday, however, charging home with a 'powerful turn of foot in deep stretch' to canter home, geared down, by five lengths.
"The primary mission was to win the race and to me, it looked like down the backside he was pretty aggressive, but [jockey] Umberto said [Rispoli] no," trainer Mark Glatt said. "He was much the best today. I knew he would have a salacious turn of foot if [he] got back a little [off the pace] and he did...But to circle the field and draw away under wraps like that was super impressive. We have bigger and better things ahead of him hopefully and we'll see if we can get the same results going two turns."
Rispoli was also impressed, saying: “This horse has gears. If he runs going a mile like he did today, no problem.”
Maglev was bred by Robert Ryan out of York Express, also dam of the high-class Acklam Express (by Mehmas). He was originally purchased by us for £25,000 out of the Tattersalls Ireland September Sale.
York Express also has a two-year-old colt by Cotai Glory who sold for €170,000 to Highflyer Bloodstock at the Goffs Orby Sale.
Maglev joins EBRO RIVER (Gr.1 Phoenix Stakes), OSCULA (Gr.3 Prix Six Perfections) and Listed scorer SYSTEM as black-type winners out of Galileo Gold's first crop. He is responsible for seven black-type horses overall - only Cotai Glory (8) has sired more among the first-crop sires of 2021 (to be based in Europe).
Maglev (pictured below as a breezer) is also yet another stakes winner from our draft of just 21 two-year-olds at last year's Goffs UK Breeze-Up Sale. The list is led by dual Group 1 winner Perfect Power and Cornwallis Stakes winner Twilight Jet.
