Gallic League

Gallic League (24 March 1985 – after 1997) was a British Thoroughbred racehorse and sire. He showed his best form in the autumn of his two-year-old season but continued to run well in major sprint races for the next two years. In 1987 he won two minor races and finished third in the Norfolk Stakes before returning from a three month absence to win the Flying Childers Stakes and then recorded his biggest win in the Middle Park Stakes. As a three-year-old he won the Leisure Stakes and finished third in the Greenham Stakes. In 1989 he took the Ballyogan Stakes and was placed in both the Duke of York Stakes and the King's Stand Stakes. After his racing career he stood as a breeding stallion in Europe and South Africa.

Background

Gallic League was a brown horse with a small white star, bred in the UNited Kingdom by N Abbott. He was from the last from the penultimate crop of foals sired by Welsh Saint, who recorded his biggest win in the 1970 edition of the Cork and Orrery Stakes. Gallic League's dam Red Rose Bowl won over seven furlongs as a two-year-old in Ireland in 1982. She was a granddaughter of Gallissa, a half-sister to Lorenzaccio.^[2]

As a foal, Gallic League was put up for auction at Newmarket and sold for 10,000 Guineas. In the following year he was returned to Newmarket for the Open Yearling Sale and was bought 24,000 guineas by representatives of the British businessman Robert Sangster. The colt was sent into training with Barry Hills at Lambourn in Berkshire.^[3]

Racing career

1987: two-year-old season

On his racecourse debut Gallic League contested a five furlong maiden race at Newmarket Racecourse in April and finished second to the William Jarvis-trained Colmore Row. He recorded his first victory in maiden over the same distance at Bath Racecourse, taking the lead soon after the start and accelerating away from his rivals in the second half of the race. He started odds-on favourite for a minor race at Salisbury Racecourse but looked to have thrown away his chance before the start, becoming very agitated in the preliminaries and then panicking in the starting stalls. He almost unseated his jockey Greville Starkey as he attempted to break out of the stalls but went on to take the lead after a furlong and won impressively. He was then stepped up in class and started joint-favourite for the Norfolk Stakes at Royal Ascot in June. After being restrained in the early stages he made some progress in the last quarter mile but appeared unsuited by the soft ground and finished third behind Colmore Row and Classic Ruler.^[3]

Gallic League suffered from sore shins after his defeat at Ascot and did not reappear until September when he contested the Group Two Flying Childers Stakes over five furlongs at Doncaster Racecourse. Ridden for the first time by Steve Cauthen he started at odds of 5/2^[4] after reports that he had defeated the four-year-old Handsome Sailor in a training gallop. Gallic League took the lead from the start and set a very fast pace despite a strong headwind. He drew away from his rivals in the last quarter mile and won by two and a half lengths from Tommy Daly with J Cheever Loophole in third ahead of Classic Ruler. Gallic League was then stepped up in class and distance for the Group One Middle Park Stakes over six furlongs at Newmarket Racecourse on 3 October. With Cauthen again in the saddle he was made the 6/4 favourite^[4] ahead of Rahy, Persian Heights, Digamist (winner of the Phoenix Stakes) and the 50/1 outsider Golden Garter. He took the lead from the start and soon had his opponents struggling with the exception of Rahy who looked his only real danger. Gallic League accelerated entering the final furlong and won "comfortably" by a length and a half from Rahy with a gap of four lengths back to Persian Heights in third place.^[3]

1988: three-year-old season

Gallic League began his second season in the Greenham Stakes (a major trial race for the 2000 Guineas) over seven furlongs at Newbury on 16 April. He led for most of the way before being overtaken in the final furlong and finished third to Zelphi and Intmidate. He was thereafter kept to sprint distances. On 21 May he was made the 8/15 favourite for the Listed Leisure Stakes over six furlongs at Lingfield Park in which he was matched against older horses for the first time. Ridden by Michael Hills he led from the start and won easily by two lengths from the filly Posada.^[5] He was then made odds-on favourite for the King's Stand Stakes at Royal Ascot but finished fifth of the eight runners behind Chilibang. In his two other races in 1988 Gallic League finished unplaced in the July Cup and the William Hill Sprint Championship.

1989: four-year-old season

On his first appearance of 1989, Gallic League ran fourth to Silver Fling in the Palace House Stakes and then produced his best effort for a year when he was runner-up to Indian Ridge in the Duke of York Stakes on 18 May. He was then sent to Ireland for the Group Three Ballyogan Stakes over five furlongs at the Curragh Racecourse) on 5 June and started 5/2 favourite against fourteen opponents headed by the Cork and Orrery Stakes winner Big Shuffle. With Hills in the saddle he led from the start and won by five lengths from the Flying Childers Stakes winner Shuttlecock Corner.^[6] In June he made his second attempt to win the King's Stand Stakes and came much closer than in 1998 as he was beaten a neck and head into third by Indian Ridge and Tigani. His form deteriorated thereafter, and he finished unplaced in the July Cup, the Prix Maurice de Gheest and the Phoenix Sprint Stakes.

Assessment

In the official International Classification for the European two-year-olds of 1987 Mister Majestic was rated the ninth best colt in Europe, seven pounds behind the top-rated Warning. The independent Timeform organisation gave him a rating of 119 p (the "p" indicating that he was expected to make more than usual improvement), eight pounds inferior to Warning, who was their best juvenile of the year. In their annual Racehorses of 1987, Timeform commented "look no further for the champion sprinter of 1998".^[3]

Stud record

Gallic League was retired from racing to become a breeding stallion in Ireland and was later exported to South Africa. The best of his European offspring was probably Soreze, who won the Listed Marble Hill Stakes in 1994.^[7]

Pedigree

References