Andrew Caulfield, July 10, 2007–Soldier of Fortune (Ire) P EDIGREE INSIGHTS Then there=s the very important matter of conformation. Timeform=s assessment of him included BY ANDREW CAULFIELD the statement that was Aone of the finest movers anyone could wish to see, notably fluent with a BUDWEISER -G1, i1,500,000, Curragh, tremendous stride (magnificently depicted in TV side-on 7-1, 3yo, c/f, 12mT, 2:36.02, sf/hy. shots of the field in the straight at Epsom).@ I could add 1--sSOLDIER OF FORTUNE (IRE), 126, c, 3, by Galileo (Ire) that Galileo is just as impressive when he walks, gliding 1st Dam: Affianced (Ire) (SW & GSP-Ire), by Erins Isle (Ire) over the ground, and he is a particularly well-balanced 2nd Dam: La Meilleure (Ire), by Lord Gayle individual with few physical flaws. 3rd Dam: Gradille (Ire), by Home Guard To complete the package, Galileo comes from a O-S Magnier, D Smith & M Tabor; B-J Bolger; T-Aidan female line which has made a profound impact on O=Brien; J-Seamus Heffernan; i847,500. Lifetime Europe=s classics over the last eight years. His dam is Record: GSW-Eng, G1SP-Fr, 7-4-2-0, i1,098,423. the Arc-winning , which means that his *Full to Heliostatic (Ire), GSW-Ire, $195,023. second dam is Allegretta, who also produced King=s Click for the Racing Post chart or the free brisnet.com Best, the 2,000 Guineas winner of 2000. Allegretta is catalogue-style pedigree. Video courtesy of atttheraces.com also the second dam of Anabaa Blue, winner of the A family vacation meant that I wasn=t around to 2001 French Derby, and of Tertullian, who sired this review the Budweiser Irish Derby a week ago, but the year=s German 2,000 Guineas winner Aviso. This year=s race produced such an impressive winner in Soldier of German Derby also fell to this family when Adlerflug Fortune that it would be unfair to ignore his effort. triumphed on the same afternoon that Soldier of In landing the Irish Derby (his third group success of Fortune scored his Irish victory. Adlerflug=s second dam the year), Soldier of Fortune followed Nightime and Alya was a classic-placed sister to Allegretta. American Sixties Icon as the third classic winner to emerge from breeders will know this family through the exploits of Galileo=s first two Irish crops, which contain just over Galileo=s half-sister My Typhoon, a winner of four Grade 200 foals. Also among those 200-odd foals are Teofilo, II contests. last year=s champion European juvenile, and Red Rocks, hero of the Breeders= Cup Turf, so Galileo has sired SOLDIER OF FORTUNE (IRE), c, 2004 around 2.5 percent Group 1 winners. The outstanding Nearctic son of Sadler s Wells is also responsible for the Group 2 = Sadler’s Wells Bold Reason winners Vendangeur and Allegretto, plus the Group 3 Fairy Bridge Special scorers Galatee, Heliostatic and Mahler, which gives Galileo (Ire) Mr. Prospector him roughly five percent group winners--an excellent Hopespringseternal strike rate for a modern stallion. Urban Sea Lombard (Ger) So why is Galileo doing so well? Allegretta (GB) First of all, he was himself a tremendously talented Anatevka (Ger) Crepello (GB) racehorse. American racegoers certainly didn=t see the Busted (GB) Sans Le Sou (GB) best of him when he finished a respectable sixth behind Erins Isle (Ire) Shantung (Fr) Tiznow in the 2001 Breeders= Cup Classic. Prior to that Chemise (GB) Affianced (Ire) Selina (GB) adventure on dirt, Galileo had won his first six starts, SW & GSP Sir Gaylord including the , Irish Derby and King 3Fls, 2GSW La Meilleure (Ire) Lord Gayle SW & GSP Sticky Case (GB) George, before suffering a head defeat in the Irish 12Fls, 1GSW Gradille (Ire) Home Guard Champion S. Timeform rated him 134, two pounds 3SW, 2SP 12Fls, 2SW, 1SP Gradiva (GB) above his remarkable sire Sadler=s Wells.

www.coolmore.com So, with pedigree, performance and conformation, Several of Fanghorn=s broodmare daughters helped Galileo has virtually everything a breeder could ask for. extend her influence and Jim Bolger did very well with The one possible area of concern, from a commercial a pair of juveniles inbred 3x3 to Fanghorn. One of breeder=s viewpoint, is that Galileo was a natural them, Cois Na Tine, won the G3 EBF Futurity S., while mile-and-a-half horse and he is passing on plenty of Eva Luna won her first five starts, including the G1 stamina to his progeny. Soldier of Fortune relished the Phoenix S., to take the title of champion juvenile filly in extra demands which the very soft ground placed on Ireland in 1994. his stamina at the Curragh, and Galileo sired first, second and third in last year=s St Leger. His Group 2 winners Allegretto and Vendangeur have scored over two miles and 1 7/8 miles, respectively and his three-year-old son Mahler recently took the G3 Queen=s Vase over two miles. A mile and a quarter appears to be the minimum trip for much of his progeny, an exception being the Irish 1,000 Guineas winner Nightime, whose first two dams are by the sprinters and . Of course Galileo=s son Teofilo showed plenty of speed last year in winning all five of his starts over seven furlongs. It would have been truly fascinating to see how Teofilo would have fared in the classics had he not been sidelined by injury, so let=s hope he can come back strong enough--and quickly enough--to tackle the likes of Authorized and Soldier of Fortune. Should Teofilo and Soldier of Fortune ever confront each other, it would be a difficult spectacle for trainer Jim Bolger, who bred both of these outstanding colts. Soldier of Fortune=s family history is rather unconventional, in that his dam Affianced and second dam La Meilleure have sometimes visited comparatively inexpensive stallions, such as Nordico, Erins Isle and Lil=s Boy, while at other times they have been sent to fashionable stallions at Coolmore, such as Sadler=s Wells and Galileo. A Listed winner over a mile, La Meilleure was versatile enough to show useful form from six furlongs to 13 miles at three. She has also proved very versatile as a broodmare, producing stakes winners to four different stallions. Her best representative was Sholokhov, winner of the G1 Gran Criterium at two in 2001 prior to finishing second in the Irish Derby and Coral-Eclipse. Soldier of Fortune=s dam Affianced was another of La Meilleure=s stakes winners. After winning a seven- furlong Listed race at two, Affianced developed into a very useful performer at up to 1: miles during a busy second season. She no doubt owed her stamina largely to her sire Erins Isle, who gained four Group 1 wins at up to 1: miles on turf in California. Affianced first visited Galileo in 2002, soon after Sholokhov--her half-brother by Sadler=s Wells--had become a Group 1 winner. That first visit also produced a smart performer in Heliostatic, a Group 3 winner over 13 miles. Soldier of Fortune=s has a distinguished fifth dam in the French 1,000 Guineas third Fanghorn. In addition to becoming the dam of the top-notch sprinter Double Form, Fanghorn produced Scimitarra, who broke a cannon bone when going well in the lead in the Oaks.