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Rip Van Winkle became the 11th individual Group 1 winner sired by Galileo when scoring a convincing victory in the Sussex Stakes at Goodwood today.
Photo by Racing and Sports
Since his first two-year-old crop hit the track only four years ago, the Coolmore sire has been responsible for 11 Group 1 winners – including Classic scorers New Approach, Soldier Of Fortune, Sixties Icon, Cima De Triomphe and Nightime.
His influence on the top echelons of racing in the near future looks secure, with two Group 3-winning two-year-olds in the shape of Cape Blanco and Cabaret already this year.
Rip Van Winkle had looked a Group 1 winner waiting to happen when finishing fourth in both the 2,000 Guineas and Derby, and running the winner of both those races, Sea The Stars, to a length in the Eclipse.
He was bred in Italy by Roberto Brogi out of the eight-year-old Listed-placed Stravinsky mare Looking Back, and was bought for €170,000 by John O'Byrne at the SGA Selected Yearling Sale in Milan.