Giant’s Causeway 1997 - 2018
Giant’s Causeway at Coolmore, Photo (X)
February 14, 1997 - April 16, 2018
Giant’s Causeway, the 2000 Cartier Horse of the Year and multiple champion sire, passed away April 16 following a brief illness. The stallion was 21 years old.
Giant’s Causeway was bred in Kentucky by Michael Tabor, who also owned him in partnership with the Magniers. He was sired by the great Storm Cat, and was out of the great mare Mariah’s Storm. Giant’s Causeway is a brother to stallions Freud, a leading New York sire, Tumblebrutus, a sire in Chile, Tiger Dance, a sire in South Africa, and Roar of the Tiger, an international sire. Giant’s Causeway’s sisters have made names for themselves as broodmares, such as: graded winner You’resothrilling, who produced Gleneagles and fillies Happily and Coolmore, Love Me Only, who produced Storm the Stars, a graded winner and stallion in France, and Pearling, who produced Decorated Knight. Giant’s Causeway was trained by Aiden O’Brien.
As a juvenile, Giant’s Causeway was unbeaten in three starts, including wins in the Futurity Stakes and Prix de la Salamandre. As a sophomore, Giant’s Causeway opened his season with a win in the Gladness Stakes, and then finished second in the 2000 Guineas and Irish 2000 Guineas. After his runner-up finishes, Giant’s Causeway embarked on a winning streak, winning five straight Group I races in a row: the St. James’s Palace Stakes at Royal Ascot, the Eclipse Stakes, the Juddmonte International Stakes, the Sussex Stakes, and the Irish Champion Stakes. His streak was snapped when he ran second in the Queen Elizabeth II Stakes, beaten by Observatory.
The race Giant’s Causeway is perhaps most famous for, however, is one that he did not win. For his final career race, trainer O’Brien selected the 2000 Breeders’ Cup Classic, held at Churchill Downs, in the United States. He would be racing on the dirt surface for the first time. The race attracted a stellar field, including graded winner Tiznow, the Kentucky Derby winner Fusaichi Pegasus, 1999 Classic winner Cat Thief, Belmont Stakes winner Lemon Drop Kid, and stakes winners Captain Steve and Albert the Great. Giant’s Causeway dueled with Tiznow down the stretch, with Tiznow winning by a neck. The race was voted the 2000 NTRA Moment of the Year.
Giant’s Causeway retired with a record of 13: 9-4-0 and earnings of $3,078,989.
Giant’s Causeway first stood as a stallion at Coolmore Ireland, making a stop in Australia before being moved to stand permanently in Coolmore’s American operation, Ashford Stud in Kentucky. Giant’s Causeway was named champion sire in multiple years, and remained consistently on the Top Sires list. He is considered a sire of sires and broodmare sire, has produced winners on both dirt and turf surfaces, and has produced top runners in several countries. His notable sons include First Samurai, Footstepsinthesand, Heatseeker, Noble Causeway, Shamardal, Record Holder, City Wolf, Creative Cause, Frost Giant, Eskendereya, Giant’s Steps, Fed Biz, Not This Time, Kung Fu Mambo, North Stream, Intense Focus, Giant Oak, Juggling Act, Brody’s Cause, Imagining, Carpe Diem, Mike Fox, Red Giant, Velikiy Zevs, Gustavian, Rite of Passage, Aragon, and Protonico. Notable daughters include Take Charge Brandi, My Typhoon, Oonagh Maccool, Maids Causeway, Blueridge Mountain, Internallyflawless, Juste Momente, Penelopa, Book Review, Swift Temper, and Ghaanati. He has sired several top runners in Japan, including A Shin G Line, Air McCool, Eishin Apollon, and Suzuka Causeway. He is also the sire of Arcadius, a Group I winner over hurdles.
As of 2018, he is the sire of 31 Group I winners worldwide, and 178 stakes winners in total.
The Giant’s Causeway Stakes, contested at Keeneland, is named in his honor.
“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. 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.” - Dermot Ryan, Coolmore America manager
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