Aidan O’Brien is gearing up to unveil one of the priciest thoroughbreds in his stable on Thursday.
Galveston, a progeny of the iconic Frankel, snagged the title for the highest sum ever shelled out for a yearling when he was snapped up for a cool £2.1million at Tattersalls’ prestigious yearling sale last October.
The colt sparked a fierce bidding battle, with MV Magnier and White Birch Farm ultimately outbidding heavyweights Godolphin and Juddmonte Farms to whisk him away for training at Ballydoyle.
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At the time of the purchase, Magnier commented: “He is a lovely horse and from a very successful stud in Hascombe, which has bred very good horses in the past and are very good breeders.”
“This is a well-bred horse, Frankel is flying and everyone liked him – he goes to Ballydoyle,” reports the Mirror.
What do you think of the horse being unveiled? Let us know in the comments section
(Image: PA)
Breeder Anthony Oppenheimer, who celebrated breeding and owning Golden Horn, the champion of the Derby, Eclipse, Irish Champion Stakes, and Prix de l’Arc de Triomphe back in 2015, decided to offload all his yearling colts last year.
Post-sale, Oppenheimer reflected: “There were no regrets at all when he was going around the ring, I did not think we’d get as much as that, but I know he is a very nice horse. It refuels the stud’s finances, and it can’t do any harm!”
Galveston is set to make waves on his debut in a 7f maiden, scheduled as the finale at 5.40pm on the Naas racecard. Decked out in Sue Magnier’s colours, Galveston boasts joint ownership with Michael Tabor, Derrick Smith, and Peter Brant of White Birch.
(Image: AFP/Getty Images)
Ryan Moore has been tapped to ride Galveston, named after the beach town in Texas, USA.
The name is also linked to a popular song by US star Glen Campbell, whose most famous track, Rhinestone Cowboy, was the namesake of another Magnier horse. This jumper triumphed at Aintree and Punchestown, and secured third place in the Champion Hurdle at the 2004 Cheltenham Festival.
Galveston will compete against 11 other unraced rivals, hoping to follow in the footsteps of Diego Velazquez, another Frankel who was bought for 2.4m gns in 2022, and won his debut race in August last year. He celebrated his fourth victory after winning a Group 2 at Leopardstown on Saturday.