Galileo's sons enjoy support but will the Coolmore colossus leave a jump legacy?

Can there be too much of a good thing? The current state of the thoroughbred might suggest just that.

Our reliance on Northern Dancer blood has some observers bemoaning the reduced significance of other lines, both in Europe and North America. And over in Japan, the dominance of Sunday Silence has prompted an aggressive pursuit of viable outcrosses.

A similar scenario rings true within the jumps world, where Sadler’s Wells has long been a dominant force. Various sons that didn’t cut it on the Flat turned out to be different propositions once switched to a jumps audience while a number of others marketed as dual-purpose from the outset enjoyed immediate success. As a result, today’s jumper is one that has been shaped considerably by Sadler’s Wells and his array of sons, most significantly King’s Theatre, Oscar, Milan, Kayf Tara, Yeats, Old Vic and to some extent Montjeu - the list goes on. Indeed Oscar and his paternal half-brother Policy Maker both reached Grade 1 heights last weekend at Leopardstown as the sires of Latest Exhibition and Chacun Pour Soi, successful in the Grade 1 novice hurdle and Dublin Chase respectively.