Racehorse TALK

Saint Minerva

Stallions looks at the pedigree of Saint Minerva. One of the wins of the day any where in Australia over the weekends racing was turned in by Saint Minerva in the Group 3 Grand Prix Stakes (2200m) the main up to Saturday’s Queensland Derby.
The daughter of Galileo was the only filly, to take on the colts in the Derby lead-up and duly gave them a hiding.

Saint Minerva

Trained at the Gold Coast by Alan Bailey, Saint Minerva under Craig Williams jumped from the outside barrier and was posted three wide for the entire trip without cover. When Williams called on her for an effort Saint Minerva quickened and she simply toyed with her rivals to win the Grand Prix Stakes by a widening six lengths.
Bailey spoke with Sky Channel’s Matthew Browning after the win and said, “She missed a run last Friday; otherwise I would have had her in the Oaks today,”
“She only had the 1700metres run at Ipswich and I thought it was too much to ask of her to go a mile and a half.
“It was a terrific win. You’d have to think for a filly to do that the opposition aren’t much good, but every time she has gone around she has done something to get excited about,” Bailey said.
Williams admitted having no joy getting cover telling Browning, “it really didn’t worry me sitting three wide,”
“She is a really honest, tough little filly”.
“Although it’s a quantum leap from a class one win to a group three victory – Mr Bailey and the connections of the filly have huge confidence in her ability”, Williams concluded.
In claiming her first black type win Saint Minerva beat home Markus Maximus (Pentire – Shafty Lady by Last Tycoon) the Group I WATC Derby winner, with The Grogoch (Tobougg – Kiri Belle by Danzatore) a short head away third.
Bailey will give Saint Minerva a break to allow her to develop and get her ready for a spring campaign.
Her sire, Galileo was a high class racehorse winning the English and Irish Derby, the Ascot King George and Queen Elizabeth Stakes, he also a juvenile winner.
A very successful stallion in the northern hemisphere, where Galileo churns out winners on a regular basis in Australia he has struggled. However, on Saturday he had one of his ‘best ever’ hauls siring four metropolitan winners. Along with Saint Minerva he produced a double at Rosehill with Yaqubi (ex Mystic Chantry by Chanteclair), Niwot (ex Too Darn Hot by Noble Bijou) and in South Australia at Morphettville Galileo’s Dream (ex Away With Fairies by Fairy King) saluted.
Saint Minerva is out of the unraced Amicable (by Last Tycoon) a half-sister to the Group I AJC Sires’ Produce winner Rhythmic Charm (by Sackford) and the stakes placed Greenstone Charm (by Green Line Express).
She was selected by Bailey out of the 2007 New Zealand Bloodstock Ready to Run sale where he paid $160,000 for her.
It’s a safe bet that Bailey will be going to the Magic Millions sales complex next week to have a look at all of Galileo’s eight yearlings that are on offer. The yearling session of the huge sale gets under way on Thursday, June 9th at 11am.