Enable continues to add to sire Nathaniel's status

When it comes to sons of international titan Galileo at stud, much of the discussion naturally turns to Frankel. The unbeaten two-time European Horse of the Year is off to a stellar start in his stallion career, with 45 stakes winners to date from his first four crops.

Yet one of Frankel’s old rivals and another son of Galileo, Nathaniel, has given European racing one of its most dazzling stars since Frankel in his daughter Enable, who added another major victory Saturday in the Group 1 King George VI and Queen Elizabeth Stakes, a race her sire won in 2011.

Nathaniel finished second to Frankel by a half-length as both made their career debuts in August 2010 at Newmarket. The following year, he led home Workforce and St Nicholas Abbey in the King George. In 2012, Nathaniel won the Group 1 Coral-Eclipse Stakes, finished second by a nose to Danedream in the King George, was second in the Group 1 Irish Champion, and was third behind Frankel and Cirrus des Aigles in the Group 1 Champion Stakes. That was the career finale for both Frankel, who retired to Juddmonte’s Banstead Manor Stud, and Nathaniel, who took up residence at Newsells Park Stud.

Nathaniel was the leading sire in France in both 2017 and 2018, powered by Enable’s wins in the Prix de l’Arc de Triomphe both years. The mare is the only horse to win both the Arc and the Breeders’ Cup Turf in the same year, winning the latter in 2018 at Churchill Downs.

Enable won Saturday’s King George after winning the same race in 2017. Her other Group 1 victories are the 2017 Epsom Oaks, Irish Oaks, and Yorkshire Oaks, and this year’s Coral-Eclipse. She has won 12 of 13 career starts, earning more than $12.1 million.

Nathaniel’s 18 other stakes winners include Channel, winner of this year’s Group 1 Prix de Diane, and Italian Group 1 winner God Given.

Galileo stands for the international Coolmore group, which has seven of his sons on its roster – Australia (entered stud 2015), Ruler of The World (2015), Gleneagles (2016), The Gurkha (2017), Churchill (2018), Gustav Klimt (2018), and Highland Reel (2018). There are five sons of Galileo advertised at stud in the United States, led by Frankel’s brother Noble Mission at Lane’s End. His first crop includes multiple graded stakes winner Code of Honor.