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A Group 1 winning son of Galileo himself and a brother to a pair of European Group 1 winners, it is any wonder The United States is making an impact at Stud – in South Africa.
Originally trained by Aidan O’Brien, Lloyd Williams acquired the stallion in late 2013 after winning three of his four starts in Europe. He would go on to win the G1 Ranvet Stakes in 2016 and also win the Moonee Valley Gold Cup and Crystal Mile, as well as finish second in the 2016 Queen Elizabeth Stakes behind Lucia Valentina.
But what ever happened to the striking chestnut who had his swansong when finishing fifth in the Hong Kong QEII Cup? Dr Bennie van der Merwe, owner of Moutonshoek Stud in South Africa explains.
6:07PM, FEB 27 2021
The United States, a Group 1-winning brother to the high-class fillies Hermosa and Hydrangea, got his stud career off to the dream start on Saturday when Drakenstein Stud s two-year-old homebred filly Sheela made a winning debut in the Listed Storm Bird Stakes at Vaal in South Africa.
The filly is out of Trip To India, a Listed-placed daughter of leading South African sire Trippi hailing from the family of European Group 1 winners such as Continent, who struck in the July Cup and Prix de l Abbaye, and Grand Prix de Paris scorer Zambezi Sun.
The globe-trotting son of Galileo began his racing career with Aidan O Brien and the Coolmore partners, for whom he won the Group 3 KPMG Enterprise Stakes. At four he transferred to the Australian stable of Robert Hickmott to race for Melbourne Cup-winning owners Nick and Lloyd Williams.
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New Zealand-based trainer Roger James has paid tribute to the career of multiple Group 1-winning mare Silent Achiever after the O Reilly mare died on Thursday, aged 12.
Silent Achiever was a four-time Group winner for James and breeder-owner Kevin Hickman, of Valachi Downs, starring as a three-year-old with consecutive wins in the G2 Championship Stakes (2100m) at Ellerslie, the G2 Waikato Guineas (2000m) at Te Rapa, G2 Avondale Guineas (2100m) and G1 New Zealand Derby (2400m), both at Ellerslie.
The winner of the G2 Crystal Mile (1600m) at four, defeating Group 1 winners Rangirangdoo and Solzhenitsyn, Silent Achiever went to a new level again at five.