Ulysses

IF EVER A STALLION deserved the epithet “regally bred” it is Cheveley Park Stud’s Group 1 Eclipse and Juddmonte International Stakes winner Ulysses. His sire Galileo’s influence on the thoroughbred will be felt for generations to come, his dam-sire Kingmambo has left an extraordinary legacy of his own and Ulysses’s own female family is an aristocratic dynasty shaped by the Niarchos family.

The handsome chestnut finished outside the first four just twice in his 13 career starts, nine of which came in Group races. He began his career as a juvenile in an autumn Newbury mile maiden for Sir Michael Stoute, made his three-year-old seasonal reappearance over 1m2f before breaking his maiden over that same trip at Newbury.

He won the Group 3 1m4f Gordon Stakes, and warmed up for his fourth place finish in the Breeders’ Cup Turf with a narrow defeat in the Winter Hill Stakes (G3) at Windsor.

His four-year-old season began with victory over Group 1 winner My Dream Boat in the Gordon Richards Stakes (G3) before chasing home Highland Reel and Decorated Knight in the Prince Of Wales’s Stakes (G1) at Royal Ascot. His breakthrough at the highest level came less than three weeks later in the Eclipse Stakes when he got the better of Barney Roy.

Conceding a stone to Enable in the Group 1 King George VI and Queen Elizabeth Stakes, he chased her home in second place. No Enable and a drop down to 1m2f100yds for the Juddmonte International at York the following month produced a powerful performance from Ulysses, who beat a field that included Churchill, Barney Roy and Decorated Knight. His final race came in the Arc when third to Enable and his own close-relation Cloth Of Stars.

His dam Light Shift was responsible for one of the most emotional Oaks successes when her triumph in the 2007 renewal brought Sir Henry Cecil back from the wilderness. Her lineage entitled her to be a Classic winner as a half-sister to Group 1 Tattersalls Gold Cup winner Shiva, now the grand-dam of Group 2 Gimcrack and Champagne Stakes winner Threat. Her half-brother Limos (Hector Protector), as is Shiva, won the Group 2 Prix Foy and Grand Prix du Printemps.

Another half-sister, the Listed winner Burning Sunset by (Caerleon), is the dam of Group 2 winner and Group 1-placed Smoking Sun and the second dam of US champion Turf horse and champion older male, the four-time Grade 1 winner Main Sequence.

She is also a full-sister to Light Blow, the unraced dam of this year’s Grade 3 Sam F Davis Stakes winner Sole Volante (Karakontie), and the Canadian Derby (G3) winner Trappe Shot.

Ulysses’s third dam is the champion Northern Trick, who won the Prix de Diane and Prix Vermeille (both G1).

Ulysses is one of 86 Group/Grade 1 winners and counting by Galileo, for whom new superlatives will have to be invented, and so far 17 of Galileo’s sons at stud have produced at least one Group 1 winner.

Light Shift is by Kingmambo, so Ulysses’ pedigree is truly Niarchos designed, and as a broodmare sire Kingmambo has excelled.

Camelot is out of a mare by Kingmambo as is Derby winner Ruler Of The World, who has produced Iridessa from his first crop.

With the might of the Cheveley Park and Niarchos blue-blooded broodmare band behind him Ulysses covered 110 mares in his first book, a third of them either Group 1 winners or related to Group 1 winners.

Amongst the Group 1 producers with a yearling by Ulysses is Furbelow, who foaled a half-sister to the dual Group 1 winner Advertise. Echelon, winner of the Group 1 Matron Stakes and dam of Integral, who won the Group 1 Falmouth and Sun Chariot Stakes, has a yearling colt by Ulysses, while Integral herself has a filly.

Ama, the final foal of the outstanding Miesque, produced a colt by Ulysses. West Of The Moon, a grand-daughter of Ama’s full-sister the dual Classic winner East Of The Moon, was also amongst Ulysses’ first book of mares and has a yearling colt.

At the European foal sales, Ulysses made an impact with 18 selling to new owners for an average of €61,672. The two most expensive foals were sold at Goffs November Sale, with Jamie Railton acquiring a colt out of the American Stakes winner Fools In Love for €175,000. Offered by The Castlebridge Consignment, he is a half-brother to the Group 2 Champagne Stakes winner and Group 1 Dewhurst Stakes third Seahenge.

Castlebridge was also the source of the second-most expensive Ulysses colt, the first foal of Troarn, a Listed winner and full-sister to the champion Almanzor; she cost Yeomanstown Stud €150,000.

Ballyphilip Stud bought the most expensive Ulysses foal at Tattersalls December Foal Sale, West Moor Stud’s colt out of the winning Exceed And Excel mare Azhar. From the Niarchos pedigree of the Group 1 Prix Marcel Boussac winner Albigna, the April foal made 90,000gns/€110,905.

13 runs, five wins, five places | Best Timeform Rating: 130 | Average winning distance: 10.45f

AT 3 Won Beringice Gordon Stakes, Goodwood, Gr.3, (11½f. beating The Major General (IRE) and

AT 4 Champion older horse in Europe in 2017. Won Coral Eclipse Stakes, Sandown Park, Gr.1, (9½f. beating Barney Roy (GB) and Desert Encounter (IRE)), Juddmonte International Stakes, York, Gr.1, (10f. beating Churchill (IRE) and Barney Roy (GB)), bet365 Gordon Richards Stakes, Sandown Park, Gr.3, (9½f. beating Deauville (IRE) and My Dream Boat (IRE)), second in King George VI & Queen Elizabeth Stakes, Ascot, Gr.1, (to Enable (GB)), third in Prince of Wales’s Stakes, Ascot, Gr.1, (to Highland Reel (IRE)), Qatar Prix de l’Arc de Triomphe, Chantilly, Gr.1, (to Enable (GB)).