Born to greatness: Annie Power delivers her first foal, a colt by Galileo
The wondermare's new arrival was born at Coolmore Stud
You might want to consult your bookmaker for ante-post odds on the Champion Hurdle of 2024 and 2025, as the amazing Annie Power has delivered her first foal – a colt by no less than Europe's ten-time champion sire Galileo.
The newborn arrived at Coolmore, who announced the birth on their social media channels to widespread approval on Tuesday.
Pictures show the Annie Power colt has a small white star.
Annie Power, a daughter of Shirocco, won a couple of bumpers for Jim Bolger before being sold into Willie Mullins' yard, where she developed into one of the most talented female jumpers since Dawn Run.
The now 11-year-old mare won five Grade 1 contests over hurdles for owner Rich Ricci, including the Champion Hurdle of 2016.
It was a month later when she strolled to an 18-length victory over My Tent Or Yours in the Aintree Hurdle, though, that she earned her peak Racing Post Rating of 170.
Ricci originally sent Annie Power to Camelot – sire of Sunday's impressive Leopardstown Grade 1 winner Sir Erec – but she lost the foal and he subsequently sold her to Coolmore, although he will reportedly keep a share in her new foal as part of the deal.
Galileo is, first and foremost, a brilliant source of high-class runners on the Flat and last year he surpassed his breed-shaping sire Sadler's Wells' tally of Group/Grade 1 winners by getting his 74th.
But several of his Flat-bred offspring have shone when sent over jumps, notably Cheltenham Festival heroes Celestial Halo, Supasundae and Windsor Park and Saturday's Sandown Grade 3 handicap hurdle scorer Lord Napier.
He also covers a chosen few National Hunt mares owned by Coolmore associates each year, just as Sadler's Wells did during his stud career – in his case to tremendous effect when one of his jumps-bred sons, Synchronised, landed the Cheltenham Gold Cup.
The Galileo-Annie Power colt foal is inbred 2x4 to Sadler's Wells, as the dam's maternal grandsire, the late, great jumps sire Old Vic, was also by the Coolmore phenomenon.
Inbreeding to Sadler's Wells is being seen with increasing frequency in pedigrees of winning jumpers, which is perhaps unsurprising considering how many of his sons stood in a dual-purpose role.
Sir Erec and Commander Of Fleet, Grade 1 winners at the Dublin Racing Festival at the weekend, are inbred 3x3 to Sadler's Wells, while the classy Footpad is inbred 3x2.
Published on 5 February 2019inNews
Last updated 20:12, 5 February 2019
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