Galileo increased his Group 1 winner count to 8 this year after Nathaniel scored an upset victory in the King George V1 & Queen Elizabeth Stakes at Ascot on Saturday.

Nathaniel (3c Galileo – Magnificient Style by Silver Hawk) is trained by John Gosden for Lady Rothschild and he appreciated the slow sectionals set by Darley pacemaker Debussy.  Assuming command at the top of the straight, he stayed in the comfort zone to defeat Workforce (King’s Best) and St Nicholas Abbey (Montjeu) by nearly three lengths.

“Nathaniel is getting better and better,” Gosden said.  “My inclination is to take him straight to the Arc de Triomphe with perhaps a racecourse gallop beforehand.”

The Galileo colt won his maiden at Haydock in April and followed up with a G3 second to Treasure Beach in the Chester Vase and a G2 victory in the G2 King Edward V11 Stakes at Royal Ascot.

Connections paid a 75,000 pounds late entry fee to step out of his own age in the King George and he paid them back with a 600,000 pounds pay-day.

Galileo won the 2001 King George and he has opened up a sizeable lead over Coolmore Stud associate Montjeu in the 2011 UK-Ireland sires’ premiership.

His Group 1 winners this year, apart from Nathaniel, have been Frankel (English 2000 Guineas & St James’s Palace Stakes), Golden Lilac (French 1000 Guineas & French Oaks), Roderic O’Connor (Irish 2000 Guineas), Treasure Beach (Irish Derby), Misty For Me (Pretty Polly Stakes & Irish 2000 Guineas), Igugu (Durban July Hcp) and Cape Blanco (Man o’ War Stakes).

Nathaniel also has blue blood pumping through the bottom of his pedigree.  His dam Magnificient Style won the 1996 Musidora Stakes and her foals include the Yorkshire Cup winner Percussionist, Fillies Mile winner Playful Act and USA stakes winner Changing Skies.  All three are by Galileo´s sire Sadler´s Wells.

Magnificient Style is also the dam of the stakes winners Echoes In Eternity (Spinning World), Petara Bay (Peintre Celebre) and Stylelistick (Storm Cat).