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Shale wins Silver Flash Stakes at Leopardstown.

The Donnacha O'Brien-trained Shale (2 f ex Homecoming Queen by Holy Roman Emperor) won Thursday's Silver Flash Stakes (Gr 3, 7f) at Leopardstown and in doing so became the 323rd stakes winner for Coolmore's multiple champion sire Galileo (Sadler's Wells). 

Shale finished unplaced on debut in June and then broke her maiden at over a mile at Gowran Park on July 8 and stepping up to Group company for the first time on Thursday she beat Pretty Gorgeous (Lawman) by a length and a half. A Ma Chere (Kodiac) was another three and a half lengths back in third. 

The daughter of Galileo (Sadler's Wells) becomes the first stakes winner for 2012 1000 Guineas (Gr 1, 1m) winner Homecoming Queen (Holy Roman Emperor) who has produced three other winners including the stakes placed pair First Of Spring (Galileo) and Berkeley Square (Galileo). 

Shale's second dam is Lagrion (Diesis) who produced seven winners headed by multiple Group 1 winner and sire Dylan Thomas (Danehill) and his Group 1 winning half-sister Queen's Logic (Grand Lodge) who is the grandam of Queen Kindly (Frankel). 

Legion also produced the Oaks (Gr 1, 1m4f) runner-up Remember When (Danehill Dancer) who in turn produced this year's Derby (Gr 1, 1m4f) winner Serpentine (Galileo) as well as Group winners Wedding Vow (Galileo), Bye Bye Baby (Galileo) and Beacon Rock (Galileo). 

Shale's victory also provided former shuttler Holy Roman Emperor with his 14th stakes winner as a broodmare sire. Those winners are headed by three Group 1 winners in Newspaperofrecord (Lope De Vega), Johannes Vemeer (Galileo) and Verbal Dexterity (Vocalised).

Galileo currently heads the general sires table in the UK by earnings and sits at the head of the Irish table by both winners and earnings.