A half-brother to Champion Australian sprinter and sire Zoustar, four year-old Galileo stallion Emperor of the Sun has found staying as his forte and won the Listed Saval Beg Levmoss Stakes (1m 6f) at Leopardstown overnight.
Trained by Donnacha O’Brien and ridden by Gavin Ryan, Emperor of the Sun was a dominant three and a half length winner taking his overall record to two wins and five placings from 11 starts.
Stakes-placed twice previously, Emperor of the Sun appears a stronger commodity this year and may be pointed towards the Group I Ascot Gold Cup next month.
“It seems as though the further Emperor of the sun goes the better he gets,” said Donnacha O’Brien.
“He has one gear and he just grinds. He keeps going so we could go to the Gold Cup now and he might be even better over that trip. They are good horses he beat there.
“Outside of Stradivarius, those horses at the ones who are up there in the betting for the Gold Cup. He seems to be improving and that was a real test of stamina there today.”
Emperor of the Sun is the second stakes-winner among five winners from seven foals to race from Redoute’s Choice mare Zouzou, who was bought by Coolmore for $775,000 at the 2014 Magic Millions National Broodmare Sale and sent to Ireland to be covered by Galileo.
The 335th stakes-winner for Galileo, Emperor of the Sun is her second foal born in the Northern Hemisphere, with the previous NH bred foal, a filly by Galileo called At Last selling for 420,000 at the 2019 Tattersalls July Sale to bloodstock agent Mick Flanagan after four unplaced runs.
She is now back in Australia and produced a filly by Justify (USA) last spring and is now in foal to Fastnet Rock.
Zouzou has two Australian bred daughters at stud in Australia in Ciarlet and Holly Zou, so their owners will be cheering Emperor of the Sun if he rolls the dice for Group I glory at Royal Ascot.
