Coolmore
have announced the sad passing of Giant's Causeway, who died last night
aged 21 at his Kentucky birthplace Ashford Stud, after a brief illness.
Trained by Aidan O'Brien at Ballydoyle, and widely regarded as the best son of
Storm Cat, Giant's Causeway was an unbeaten Group I winner at two and earned himself the moniker "The Iron
Horse" following five straight Group I wins in Europe as a 3YO.
His final start, and only one on dirt, came in the Breeders' Cup Classic at
Churchill Downs where he again showed his never say die attitude in a
marvellous tussle with Tiznow, ending his career having never finished outside
of the first two in his thirteen racecourse starts.
Giant's Causeway stood one season at Coolmore Ireland before unprecedented
demand from US breeders saw him relocate to Ashford.
He made an immediate impact with that first crop which included Europe Champion
2YO and top 3YO Shamardal, unbeaten 2000 Guineas winner Footstepsinthesand,
Coronation Stakes winner Maids Causeway and North American Grade 1 winners
Aragorn and My Typhoon. This spectacular success continued with his Ashford
crops, resulting in him becoming the first horse since Danzig to top the
General Sires' list on three occasions.
Throughout his eighteen years at stud, Giant's Causeway sired an incredible 31
G1 winners worldwide, and will leave behind a long-lasting legacy as a
successful sire of sires and top broodmare sire.
Giant's Causeway shuttled to Australia for three seasons at the start of his career
standing his first season here in 2002 at a fee of $137,500. He left several
Australian stakes-winners including the Group I winner Juste Momente.
"To foal, raise and race a horse of Giant's Causeway's caliber is every owner/breeder's
dream, so for him to stand as a stallion at his birthplace, and go on to be a
three-time Champion Sire is nothing short of sensational," commented Coolmore
America manager Dermot Ryan.
"Giant's Causeway was a once in a lifetime horse, and I would like to thank the
owners, the Magnier and Tabor families, for entrusting us with his stud
career. I would also like to extend my gratitude to all of the stallion
handlers at Ashford past and present for providing the highest level of care for
Giant, in particular Blaise Benjamin and Richard Barry. He will be a huge loss
not just to us, but to the industry as a whole."