Ed Chamberlin column: Galileo tribute and Newmarket reflections
Saturday was an extraordinary day when we saw a sprinting star born but lost a true global superstar.
It seems only right to start with the latter. Every racing fan owes such a huge debt of gratitude to the wonderful Galileo who passed away earlier on Saturday at the age of 23. He was a horse who dominated the sport for 20 years on and off the track.
From the brilliant Derby win in 2001 to being the champion sire for countless number of years, he was a remarkable horse.
I was very lucky soon after I left my previous job presenting the Premier League to be invited over to Coolmore to meet Galileo.
He had such an aura about him, you knew you were in the presence of greatness. Coolmore could not have been kinder with the access they gave me that day and then again this summer ahead of the Cazoo Derby.
I’m so thrilled we did that feature on Galileo now and it had been my holy grail to get John Magnier on the channel speaking about the super sire. His words are now especially poignant.
I was lucky on Wendesday this week to meet John at breakfast to say thank you. I feel so sad for everyone at Coolmore and Ballydoyle but this is a horse who had a magnificent innings and leaves behind a legacy like no other.
As Mick Kinane told us on ITV it will “last a lifetime” as will all those magical memories.
It was a sombre moment having to break that sad news during the frantic action of Super Saturday.
Starman was the star act on the track, winning the Darley July Cup. We thought he might have blown it with his antics before the race when he decided to show off his full physical prowess but in the words of David Bowie, he ended up blowing our minds. He looks very special over six furlongs.
What’s also great for the sport is to see a relatively small owner-breeder operation having their moment in the spotlight and the interview David and Sue Ward gave Sally Ann Grassick after the race was gold for ITV.
The best thing about the July Cup was to have 19 runners and all the big guns turning up. I took a bit of stick for being grumpy about the four-runner Coral-Eclipse the previous Saturday and that wasn’t because I was unaware of the fascinating nature of the contest for those close to the sport. It was because it was so disappointing for our audience.
As I said last weekend a race like that is brilliant for the racing purist but when you look at the viewing figures for the two specialist racing channels I’d estimate there are round 70,000 of those in the country. If ITV gets audiences around a million on a Saturday the rest of that figure is made up of casual racing fans or general sports fans who dip in and out of the action.
These are the people who don’t bother with small field contests over jumps or on the flat, particularly with so many demands on people’s time and all the great sport going on at the moment.
The July Cup was everything you could want in a horse race for a big audience, 7/2 the field, all the stars there and stories galore.
I’d like to tip my hat to old friend Brando who ran another mighty race in his fifth July Cup and 19th Group One in total. He’s the sort of horse who really resonates with our audience.
The July Cup was great but my highlight of what’s been a fantastic week was the absolute humdinger of a Falmouth Stakes.
It threw up the best story of the three days with Snow Lantern avenging the controversial defeat of her mother in the same race eight years earlier.
It was the perfect result in many ways and the tears of Richard Hannon afterwards showed how much it hurt in 2013 and what it meant to win it with Sky Lantern’s daughter.
Those in behind would love another crack at the winner I’m sure but Alcohol Free heads to the Sussex Stakes and if she gets a lead there I think she’ll run a huge race against Palace Pier. I’d love to see Lady Bowthorpe win a deserved Group One too, perhaps in the autumn with some cut in the ground.
Saturday was clearly the busiest day of the week - and the season - and I’m not sure whether it’s brilliant or bonkers, probably brilliantly bonkers.
But my frustration was that Joshua Bryan’s biggest win to date aboard Johnny Drama in the John Smith’s Cup was almost totally lost.
A race of that magnitude, with a sponsor who has been on board for 62 years, deserves far more of the spotlight in my opinion. York chief executive William Derby is one of the most innovative thinkers in the game and always open to new ideas or suggestions (even a trackside clock for the Nunthorpe).
I’d love to think he might consider moving this day at some stage, possibly to next weekend to sit alongside the Super Sprint at Newbury.
Now we pass the TV baton onto Mark Pougatch and his team who have been brilliant to this point in the European Championship finals.
I wish them all the luck in the world for Sunday night when hopefully England will make the nation smile again. I think they will, eventually wearing Italy down to win in extra time.