Trainer Dan Morton will plan a Group campaign for Galiletto and, long-term, that could involve another trip to Kalgoorlie in September.
Galiletto (5g Galileo – Stormletto by Metal Storm) has accumulated 6 wins from his last 8 starts capped by a dominant victory in the Norton Rose Australia Hcp (1400m) at Ascot last Saturday. One of those two losses was in a support race on Kalgoorlie Cup day last year.
“He’s in the middle of a purple-patch,” Morton said. “He pressed forward and applied plenty of pressure mid-race. It’s his massive stride that puts them off the bit.”
At black-type level, Galiletto would be suited by the LR Grandstand Cup (1400m) on April 20 and LR York Stakes (1600m) on May 4 before going out for a spell.
Morton rode Pirate’s Reign (Beau Sovereign) to a Hannans Hcp victory as an apprentice in 1987 and he would treasure another victory in the Goldfields feature sprint. “He took a while to mature – it was difficult keeping the weight on him last year,” Morton added. “He’s a nice horse and is still on the way up.”
Galiletto is a homebred for Mungrup Stud’s Gray and Jan Williamson and major clients Lex and Shirley Piper. He’s from the final Australian crop of Coolmore great Galileo and is the first foal of Mungrup homebred Stormletto.
Stormletto is an unraced half-sister to Mungrup stakes winner Scuffs. It’s a family steeped in Sunspeed history going back to 1990 WA Horse of the Year Hold That Smile and more recently through G1 winning filly Sea Siren and Mungrup sire Oratorio (Aus).
– Karl Patterson