Sired by the Derby winner Galileo and the second foal of the Danehill mare Speirbhean,[1] he was named after the Cuban Olympic boxer Teófilo Stevenson.
Teofilo began his career with a neck win over the Aidan O'Brien trained Red Rock Canyon in a maiden race at the Curragh.
Teofilo raced prominently, took the lead two furlongs out, and stayed on to score an "impressive" [6] one and a quarter length win over the Ballydoyle colt, with the two finishing well clear.
[8] On his final start of the year, Teofilo was sent to England to contest the Dewhurst Stakes at Newmarket in which he again faced Holy Roman Emperor who had won the Prix Jean-Luc Lagardère since their last meeting.
[10] Jim Bolger emphasised his opinion that whatever Teofilo had already achieved, he would be better as a three-year-old running over middle distances; "you won't see the true horse until he goes over a mile and a half".
[11] In April 2007, as Teofilo was being prepared for the 2000 Guineas when rumours began to circulate that "all was not well"[12] Jim Bolger responded by confirming that the colt had suffered a minor setback, but was still on target.
[25] Other Group race winners in Teofilo's first two crops include Light Heavy (Derrinstown Stud Derby Trial), Havana Gold (Somerville Tattersall Stakes) and Loch Garman (Critérium International).