Galileo the golden boy with heart carved from oak and will of iron

For a horse whose trainer felt he might have to duck and dive to help him make his mark at the highest level this season, Galileo Gold hasn't turned out bad.

With an impressive body of work under his girth-straps and two Group 1s already in the bag, the star chestnut has proved he needs no jiggery-pokery from his entourage to prove his worth, and Hugo Palmer has long since realised he has on his hands a racehorse whose physicality and psychology preclude the need to chart a forgiving course.

A 2,000 Guineas win at 14-1 was the first clue that the master of Newmarket’s Kremlin Cottage Stables had something special on his hands; Royal Ascot confirmed it, and now the son of Paco Boy is being steered into the deep waters of British Champions Day to win over the minority that have yet to be converted to his cause.