An unbeaten, dual Group 1-winning juvenile that is bred to improve with age, it is little wonder that the racing world got so excited about Teofilo. He showed all the qualities of a Champion in his five racecourse starts as a juvenile in 2006, speed, stamina, toughness and most importantly, class in abundance. His premature retirement from racing before he could return as a three-year-old ranks as one of the biggest Flat racing disappointments of recent years, but the prospect of his progeny gaining Classic success in the years ahead is one to relish.
Trainer: Jim Bolger
Jockey: Kevin Manning
Group 1 Wins: Dewhurst Stakes (2006), National Stakes (2006)
An Impressive Debut
A son of the mighty Galileo, Teofilo was declared to run in a red-hot maiden over 7f at the Curragh on Irish Oaks day in mid-July 2006. With highly-regarded colts from the Aidan O’Brien, Dermot Weld and John Oxx yards lining up in opposition, Jim Bolger’s colt was allowed to go off at a generous price of 8/1. Always in front or disputing the lead, Teofilo stayed on strongly in the straight to beat off the challenge of the odds-on favourite, Red Rock Canyon, by a neck at the line. Bolger could not hide his high opinion of the colt following the win and indeed, he raised a few eyebrows by nominating the Group 1 National Stakes as his long-term target.
To The Tyros
A 13 day break followed and then Teofilo’s sights were turned to the Listed Tyros Stakes at Leopardstown. The opposition looked strong with the second and third home in the Chesham Stakes at Royal Ascot heading the early market. However, strong late support for Teofilo resulted in him being sent off the 7/2 favourite. Having lost ground at the start, Jim Bolger’s colt was much further back in the field than had been planned, in fact, he was eighth of the 11-runner field early in the home straight. However, when Kevin Manning asked his mount to go and win his race, the response was immediate and he quickened in the style of a very good horse, leading inside the final furlong to win cosily by 1½ lengths.
The Futurity Beckons
Following a four week break, Teofilo was primed to run in the Group 2 Futurity Stakes over 7f at the Curragh. The main opposition was provided by the unbeaten Ballydoyle colt, Trinity College, but he proved to be no match for the fast rising star of Irish racing. Racing more freely than ideal in the early stages, Teofilo was in a prominent position throughout and having gone to the front 1½f out, he had to be ridden right out to beat Eagle Mountain by a head. While the reaction to the somewhat workmanlike win was mixed, Bolger remained unrelentingly bullish about his colt and he confirmed that the Group 1 National Stakes was still very much on the agenda for his star juvenile. As well as this, the fact that Eagle Mountain went on to win at Group 2 level later that season and eventually at Group 1 level very much puts the merit of the performance into perspective.
The National Stakes
By now the racing media had well and truly latched on to Teofilo and as a result, his price for the 2,000 Guineas and the Epsom Derby had shrunken significantly in the build up to the National Stakes at the Curragh. However, one very substantial obstacle stood between Teofilo and Group 1 glory, the Aidan O’Brien-trained ante-post favourite for the 2,000 Guineas, Holy Roman Emperor. The Danehill colt had been impressive in winning the Railway Stakes at the Curragh and he then put up an imperious display of speed and class to win the Group 1 Phoenix Stakes in a common canter. Many felt that while Teofilo may be the better long-term prospect in the race, Holy Roman Emperor would have too much speed for the stoutly-bred son of Galileo. However, having been sent off at 2/1 with Holy Roman Emperor at 4/9, Teofilo mastered the Ballydoyle colt every step of the way, hitting the front 2f out and staying on strongly to prevail by an impressive 1¼ lengths. Following such a flawless display, most trainers would have been content to put such a talented colt away for the winter, but Jim Bolger’s charge was not finished for the year just yet.
The Dewhurst Awaits
Four weeks later, Teofilo headed what was unquestionably the strongest renewal of Europe’s foremost Group 1 race for juveniles, the Dewhurst Stakes for a number of years. Re-opposing him was Holy Roman Emperor, who had impressively won the Group 1 Grand Criterium at Longchamp since contesting the National Stakes. The market was dominated by those two, but with numerous other Group race winners in the line-up, it was truly a mouth-watering contest. With 15 runners, luck-in-running was always likely to be a factor and indeed, both Teofilo and Holy Roman Emperor suffered their share of traffic problems during the race. Teofilo was the first to get an all-important gap and having hit the front over a furlong from home, he stayed on strongly to put a couple of lengths between him and field. However, Holy Roman Emperor, who suffered the worse of the traffic problems, managed to extradite himself into the clear and powered home under Mick Kinane, drawing upsides Teofilo and indeed, he headed him for a couple of strides in the final 100 yards only for Teofilo to battle back like a Champion to regain the lead in the final strides to win by a head. In a sport where highly-anticipated races rarely live up to their billing, that Dewhurst Stakes truly captured the imagination of everyone in racing. The form horses in the race came to the fore and fought up a thrilling finish with a genuine superstar emerging victorious.
The Three-Year-Old Campaign That Never Was
Having understandably been crowned Champion Two-Year-Old as well as being installed as the short-priced favourite for both the 2,000 Guineas and the Epsom Derby, Jim Bolger was under significant pressure during the winter months to ensure that his stable star got to Newmarket in pristine condition. However, thoroughbred racehorses are fragile creatures and unfortunately for the racing world and most of all, Jim Bolger, Teofilo suffered a couple of setbacks that eventually saw him retired before he could run as a three-year-old. Retired to Kildangan Stud in Kildare, his first yearlings have created an excellent impression in the sales ring and their fortunes on the racecourse will be closely followed by all those that were so impressed by Teofilo as a racehorse.
Info supplied by Horse Racing Ireland - Updated January 2011
