Gallic League
Gallic League was a British Thoroughbred racehorse and sire. He showed his best form in the autumn of his two-year-old season but continued to run well in major sprint races for the next two years. In 1987 he won two minor races and finished third in the Norfolk Stakes before returning from a three-month absence to win the Flying Childers Stakes and then recorded his biggest win in the Middle Park Stakes. As a three-year-old he won the Leisure Stakes and finished third in the Greenham Stakes. In 1989 he took the Ballyogan Stakes and was placed in both the Duke of York Stakes and the King's Stand Stakes. After his racing career he stood as a breeding stallion in Europe and South Africa.
Background
Gallic League was a brown horse with a small white star, bred in the United Kingdom by N. Abbott. He was from the penultimate crop of foals sired by the horse Welsh Saint, who recorded his biggest win in the 1970 edition of the Cork and Orrery Stakes. Gallic League's dam, Red Rose Bowl, won over seven furlongs as a two-year-old in Ireland in 1982. She was a granddaughter of Gallissa, a half-sister to Lorenzaccio.As a foal, Gallic League was put up for auction at Newmarket and sold for 10,000 Guineas. In the following year he was returned to Newmarket for the Open Yearling Sale and was bought for 24,000 guineas by representatives of the British businessman Robert Sangster. The colt was sent into training with Barry Hills at Lambourn in Berkshire.
Racing career
1987: two-year-old season
On his racecourse debut Gallic League contested a five furlong maiden race at Newmarket Racecourse in April and finished second to the William Jarvis-trained Colmore Row. He recorded his first victory in maiden over the same distance at Bath Racecourse, taking the lead soon after the start and accelerating away from his rivals in the second half of the race. He started odds-on favourite for a minor race at Salisbury Racecourse but looked to have thrown away his chance before the start, becoming very agitated in the preliminaries and then panicking in the starting stalls. He almost unseated his jockey Greville Starkey as he attempted to break out of the stalls but went on to take the lead after a furlong and won impressively. He was then stepped up in class and started joint-favourite for the Norfolk Stakes at Royal Ascot in June. After being restrained in the early stages he made some progress in the last quarter mile but appeared unsuited by the soft ground and finished third behind Colmore Row and Classic Ruler.Gallic League suffered from sore shins after his defeat at Ascot and did not reappear until September when he contested the Group Two Flying Childers Stakes over five furlongs at Doncaster Racecourse. Ridden for the first time by Steve Cauthen he started at odds of 5/2 after reports that he had defeated the four-year-old Handsome Sailor in a training gallop. Gallic League took the lead from the start and set a very fast pace despite a strong headwind. He drew away from his rivals in the last quarter mile and won by two and a half lengths from Tommy Daly with J Cheever Loophole in third ahead of Classic Ruler. Gallic League was then stepped up in class and distance for the Group One Middle Park Stakes over six furlongs at Newmarket Racecourse on 3 October. With Cauthen again in the saddle he was made the 6/4 favourite ahead of Rahy, Persian Heights, Digamist and the 50/1 outsider Golden Garter. He took the lead from the start and soon had his opponents struggling with the exception of Rahy who looked his only real danger. Gallic League accelerated entering the final furlong and won "comfortably" by a length and a half from Rahy with a gap of four lengths back to Persian Heights in third place.