Australian bred galloper Galileo’s Galaxy has been sold by his South African owners to Chechen president Ramzan Kadyrov.
Galileo’s Galaxy (4c Galileo – Star Affair by Star Way) has won five races and been G1 placed in the Champions Cup at Clairwood and Cape Guineas at Kenilworth.
Earlier this year, Kadyrov purchased the stakes winners Gitano Hernando (Hernando), Sweet Ducky (Pulpit) and Bankable (Medicean) prior to the Dubai carnival.
Gitano Hernando changed hands in a deal worth US$4 million. The gelding was unplaced in the Dubai World Cup and QEII Cup at Sha Tin but returned to his best form with a G1 victory in the Singapore International Cup at Kranji in May.
Kadyrov’s previous buys include Coolmore Stud’s G3 Queen’s Vase winner Mikhail Glinka. The Galileo colt went on to finish second to his stablemate North Stream (Giant’s Causeway) in the 2010 Russian Derby.
The Chechen leader made headlines during 2009 Flemington spring carnival when his stayer Mourilyan collected $420,000 for finishing third in the Melbourne Cup. Australian Greens leader Bob Brown said the prizemoney should have been held by the Federal Government due to concerns it might be used to fund Kadyrov’s dictatorship.
Galileo’s Galaxy is currently in quarantine in Johannesburg and will travel to Dubai where he will be trained by Herman Brown. He was originally bought by trainer Charles Laird for owner Marcus Jooste and cost $550,000 out of the Coolmore draft at the 2008 Inglis Easter yearling sale.
His dam Star Affair was a G2 winner of the Travis Stakes in New Zealand. Her half-sister The Jewel (O’Reilly) was Champion Kiwi 3YO in 2002-03 and her half-brother The One (O’Reilly) was a G3 winner of the VRC Danehill Stakes at Flemington.
Joining Galileo’s Galaxy on the trip to Dubai is five year-old stallion Fort Vogue. He is a son of champion sire Fort Wood and has been credited with victories in the G2 Peninsula Handicap and G3 Campanajo Stakes.
Fort Vogue was also fourth home in the 2010 running of the G1 J&B Met behind his champion stablemare Pocket Power.