From the second crop of the mighty Galileo, Teofilo was his sire's first champion son. He's gone on to be a very consistent and successful stallion with 81 stakes winners—42 group—from 10 Northern Hemisphere crops and another 13, five of them grade 1, from his first four shuttle crops conceived in Australia.
Despite that continued record of success, there's no doubt that in the nine years since his runners reached the racetrack, Teofilo has never previously enjoyed a weekend like that of Oct. 24-25. On Saturday, his 2-year-old son Gear Up ploughed through the mud to capture the 10-furlong Criterium de Saint-Cloud (G1) in France. On the same day in England, and on similarly deep ground, Mac Swiney—who is out of a Teofilo mare—triumphed in the Vertum Futurity Trophy (G1), England's top test for 2-year-olds run over a mile.
To add further luster to the day, in Ireland in the Eyrefield Stakes (G3)—another 2-year-old event—Flying Visit held off Wuqood for the victory, both runners being out of Teofilo mares. Then on Sunday, Subjectivist scored a decisive victory in the Prix Royal-Oak (G1) at ParisLongchamp.
Gear Up, Mac Swiney, and Flying Visit are all bred by Jim Bolger, with Mac Swiney and Flying Visit both trained by Bolger and running in the colors of Mrs. Bolger. This makes Bolger something of a latter day Federico Tesio, the "Wizard of Dormello" who owned, bred, and trained such breed-shapers a Donatello II, Nearco, and Ribot.
Bolger also bred Teofilo, whom he similarly trained and campaigned in his wife's name. Out the Danehill mare Speirbhean, Teofilo swept through an undefeated five-race juvenile campaign that saw him capture the Korean Racing Association Tyros Stakes, Galileo E.B.F. Futurity Stakes (G2), Laing O'Rourke National Stakes (G1), and Darley Dewhurst Stakes (G1) which earned him honors as Europe's champion 2-year-old of 2006. Injury prevented Teofilo from returning to action at 3, and the following year he retired to begin his stud career under the Darley banner at Kildangan Stud in Ireland. Incidentally, Teofilo was the only starter for Galileo out of a Danehill mare from the 2004 Northern Hemisphere crop, and was the first Northern Hemisphere stakes winner on the cross. He thus serves as a template for what has become, surely, the most prolific stakes-producing direct nick in Thoroughbred history: the union of Galileo with mares by Danehill having now yielded 57 stakes winners—16 group or grade 1—headed by the immortal Frankel .
Turning to the pedigree of the weekend stars with the Teofilo connection, Gear Up, a full brother to group winner Guaranteed, is out of Gearanai. She is byAwesome Again's son, Toccet, and is a half sister to Argentine group scorer Plainswoman. The second dam is the Phipps-bred Plaintiff, a daughter of Seeking the Gold and four-time grade 1 winner Dispute, and goes back to the famed Phipps foundation mare Grey Flight.
Mac Swiney is a son of another Bolger-bred and -trained son of Galileo, New Approach, who was champion at 2 and 3 in Europe and winner of the Vodafone Epsom Derby (G1). His dam, Halla Na Saoire, is a full sister to Teofilo group 2 winner Light Heavy, and half sister to the dam of Teofilo's Dewhurst Stakes scorer Parish Hall. The female line, in a slice of apparent coincidence to which we will return to in a moment, goes back to the famous Boussac family of Frizette.
Flying Visit is from the first Northern Hemisphere crop sired by reverse shuttler Pride Of Dubai, a son of Street Cry who is the only juvenile ever to complete the William Hill Blue Diamond Stakes (G1) and Inglis Sires Stakes (G1) double, and leading freshman sire in Australia for 2019-20. His dam, Fionnuar, is by Teofilo out Six Nations, a full sister to champion U.S. 2-year-old Chief's Crown. The third dam, Six Crowns, is by Secretariat out of the filly triple crown heroine Chris Evert.
Subjectivist is a three-quarters sister to group winner Sir Ron Priestley (by Australia, another son of Galileo), out of the stakes-placed Danehill Dancer mare Reckoning. The third dam, by Sadler's Wells, is a sister to Sholokhov, champion 2-year-old colt in Italy, and runner-up in the Budweiser Irish Derby (G1). The fourth dam, La Meilleure, was a black-type winner in Ireland and is ancestress of several other notables including Galileo's Irish Derby (G1) victor Soldier of Fortune, Intense Focus, successful in the Dewhurst Stakes, and champion Irish 2-year-old filly Skitter Scatter.
We mentioned that Mac Swiney going back to a Boussac family as something of a "coincidence." Marcel Boussac was a dominant influence in European racing for several decades and was leading breeder in France on 17 occasions. The Boussac program was particularly distinguished by a commitment to close inbreeding, best exemplified by Coronation V, who was by a son of Boussac's great stallion Tourbillon out of a mare by the same horse. Mac Swiney's most recent Boussac-bred ancestress is the fourth dam, Visala. She was inbred 3x3 to another Boussac standout, Pharis II. Her second dam, the major winner Albanilla, was a daughter of Tourzima who had the sisters Durban/Heldifann 2x2. Funnily enough, Teofilo's grandsire, Sadler's Wells, is out of a mare by Bold Reason, whose own broodmare sire is the Boussac-bred Djeddah, a three-quarters brother to Tourzima.
When we look at the pedigrees of many of his major winners, it seems that Bolger has embraced close inbreeding to a degree that few have done since the days of Boussac.That can be seen in the weekend stakes winners and in their backgrounds. Gear Up is the least inbred of these, with Danzig 4x4, Northern Dancer 4x5x6x5, and Mr. Prospector 5x6. But her granddam, Plaintiff, is 3x4 to the Phipps foundation mare Broadway.
On the other hand, Mac Swiney owns a pattern worthy of Boussac as he's 2x3 to Galileo. Flying Visit is also far more inbred than most with Danehill 3x4 and Danzig 4x5x3. His sire, Pride Of Dubai, is a son of Street Cry (by Machiavellian, whose dam is inbred 3x3 to Almahmoud), out of a mare by Danehill (inbred 3x3 to Almahmoud's daughter Natalma).
Subjectivist wasn't bred by Bolger, but has a decidedly 'Bolgeresque' pedigree with Sadler's Wells 3x4 and Danehill 3x3. He follows Parish Hall and this year's Saxon Warrior Coolmore Prix Saint-Alary (G1) victress Tawkeel as Teofilo group 1 winners with Sadler's Wells inbreeding. He has nine stakes winners inbred to Danehill.
