Former Coolmore Stud shuttler Giant’s Causeway (USA) has died after a brief illness at Ashford Stud in Kentucky.  He was 21.

Giant’s Causeway sired 31 Group 1 winners worldwide, and will leave behind a long-lasting legacy as a successful sire of sires and top broodmare sire.  He was also the first horse since Danzig to top the USA sires’ list on three occasions.

Trained by Aidan O’Brien and widely regarded as the best son of Storm Cat, Giant’s Causeway was an unbeaten Group 1 winner at two and was known as the “Iron Horse” during five straight Group 1 victories in Europe at three.

Giant’s Causeway stood one season at Coolmore Ireland before unprecedented demand from USA breeders saw him relocate to Ashford.  He made an immediate impact with that first crop which included Shamardal (Champion European 2YO Colt), Footstepsinthesand (English 2000 Guineas), Maids Causeway (Coronation Stakes) and North American Group 1 winners Aragorn & My Typhoon.

He sired numerous stakes winners from three books at Coolmore Australia from 2002 until 2004 topped by Juste Momente (G1 Robert Sangster Stakes).  “Giant’s Causeway was a once-in-a-lifetime horse,” said Coolmore America manager Dermot Ryan.  “He will be a huge loss not just to us, but to the industry as a whole.”

Shamardal has by some way been his most influential son at stud and other sons to promote the sireline in this part of the world have been Frost Giant who got Saturday’s G2 Karrakatta Plate winner Valour Road.

GIANT’S CAUSEWAY