Parents Storm Cat Trainer Aidan O'Brien Earnings 3.079 million USD | Foaled 1997 Colour Chestnut Sex Stallion | |
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Awards European Horse of the Year | ||
Giant's Causeway (born February 14, 1997) is a Kentucky-bred thoroughbred racehorse who competed primarily in Europe.
Contents
Background
Giant's Causeway is a chestnut horse bred in Kentucky by Orpendale & Michael Tabor.
1999: two-year-old season
As a two-year-old in 1999, Giant's Causeway was unbeaten in three races: a maiden race at Naas, the Futurity Stakes at the Curragh and the Prix de la Salamandre at Longchamp.
2000: three-year-old season
In the spring of 2000, Giant's Causeway won the Gladness Stakes at the Curragh and then finished second in both the 2000 Guineas and the Irish 2000 Guineas.
He then won five straight Group One races: the St. James's Palace Stakes at Royal Ascot, the Eclipse Stakes at Sandown Park, the Sussex Stakes at Goodwood, the Juddmonte International Stakes at York and the Irish Champion Stakes at Leopardstown.
His winning sequence was broken in the Queen Elizabeth II Stakes at Ascot on 23 September, when he was beaten half a length by Observatory. On his final racecourse appearance, Giant's Causeway was sent to the United States to contest the Breeders' Cup Classic at Churchill Downs in which he raced on dirt for the first time. Starting at odds of 7.6/1 he was beaten a neck into second place by the American colt Tiznow, with the other beaten horses including Captain Steve, Lemon Drop Kid, Fusaichi Pegasus and Cat Thief.
Awards
His performance in 2000 earned him European Horse of the Year honors.
Stud record
In 2001, Giant's Causeway entered stud at Coolmore Stud in Ireland, then the following year was sent to stand at Coolmore's Australia branch. His success led to the stallion going to Coolmore's U.S. unit, Ashford Stud in Versailles, Kentucky. In 2006, he stood for a fee of $300,000..
Giant's Causeway is the sire of First Samurai, 2000 Guineas winner Footstepsinthesand, 1000 Guineas and Coronation stakes winner Ghanaati, Maids Causeway, Oonagh Maccool, My Typhoon, Aragorn, Rite of Passage, Heatseeker, and Noble Causeway among others. In 2007, his son Mike Fox won Canada's most prestigious horse race, the GI Queen's Plate and Red Giant won the $1 million Virginia Derby. His best offspring so far was from his first crop in 2004. Shamardal was the European Champion Two-Year-Old Colt that year and returned the following year to claim the Poule d'Essai des Poulains, the Prix du Jockey Club and the St. James's Palace Stakes.