Giant’s Causeway Passes Away

[Wandering Eyes]

Three-time champion sire and six-time Group 1-winning racehorse Giant’s Causeway (Storm Cat–Mariah’s Storm, by Rahy) passed away Monday night at the age of 21 at Ashford Stud after a brief illness, Coolmore America announced Tuesday. Known as “The Iron Horse” for his durability and consistency on the racetrack, the Aidan O’Brien trainee was an unbeaten Group 1 winner at two and captured five consecutive top-level races in Europe as a sophomore. He closed his career with a gallant runner-up finish behind Tiznow (Cee’s Tizzy) in the 2000 GI Breeders’ Cup Classic at Churchill Downs. He retired with a record of 9-4-0 from 13 starts and earnings of $3,078,989.

Giant’s Causeway stood one season at Coolmore Ireland before relocating to Ashford in Kentucky to meet the demand of U.S. breeders. He made an immediate impact with his first crop, which included champion Shamardal, unbeaten G1 2000 Guineas winner Footstepsinthesand, G1 Coronation S. winner Maids Causeway and North American Grade I winners Aragorn and My Typhoon. Giant’s Causeway ultimately became the first horse since Danzig to top the general sires list on three different occasions. Throughout his eighteen years at stud, Giant’s Causeway sired 31 Grade/Group 1 winners worldwide, and has become known as a top broodmare sire and a sire of sires.

“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.”

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