Eightfold Path – son of triple champion US sire Giant’s Causeway and champion racemare Divine Proportions
Scott Bros’ new stallion, Eightfold Path, is one of the best bred young sires currently standing in South Africa. The horse is a son of triple champion US sire Giant’s Causeway and champion racemare Divine Proportions. The latter won no fewer than four group one races in just ten outings.
Eightfold Path was a classy sprinter in France, where he won four races including the Group 3 Prix Eclipse. He was also third to subsequent G1 German Derby winner Buzzword (Pivotal) in the Group 3 Prix la Rochette as a 2yo.
The stallion made an excellent start to his stud career last year. He proved both popular and fertile – covering a first book of over 60 mares in 2013.
Eightfold Path’s book included a number of well bred and well performed mares. Among the mares in foal to him are the stakes winners Wendys, Dolphin Beach, Charming Lady, and Honour And Glory and Stirrup Cup (dam of former Gr1 Vodacom Durban July winner Hunting Tower). Other well bred mares carrying to Eightfold Path include Shesapromqueen (a half-sister to G1 performer Kilcoy Castle), Amy Jane (an Orpen daughter of champion Kundalini), and Passionate (a full-sister to ill-fated G1 winner Scarena).
Eightfold Path’s sire, Giant’s Causeway, is one of the world’s premier stallions. A former Horse Of The Year, Giant’s Causeway has established himself as the best sire son of legendary sire Storm Cat. He is the sire of over 130 stakes winners world-wide, and his sons and daughters have won Group/Grade One contests in all of North America, Britain, France, Australia, South Africa, Japan and Germany.
Giant’s Causeway is also an established sire of sires through the likes of Shamardal (sire of over 50 stakes winners), Footstepsinthesand (sire of G1 winners Chachamaidee and Shamalgan), and promising young sire Intense Focus (sire of a Group One winner in his first crop). Another son, Noble Causeway, is the sire of unbeaten US Triple Crown hopeful Samraat, while Giant’s Causeway son First Samurai is responsible for recent Gr1 Donn Handicap winner Lea. Yet another son of the prolific stallion, Frost Giant, was New York’s leading first crop sire in 2012.
Remarkably, there are no fewer than 49 sons of Giant’s Causeway registered at stud in North America’s Blood Horse Stallion Register! An exceptional young broodmare sire, Giant’s Causeway is also damsire of outstanding South African bred champion, Soft Falling Rain.
Eightfold Path’s female line is equally illustrious. His dam, Divine Proportions, was one of the finest fillies to have raced in France in the past two decades.
A half-sister to multiple Group One winner and successful sire Whipper (Miesque’s Son), Divine Proportions won nine of her ten outings – including both the French 1000 Guineas and French Oaks. A Champion at both two and three, Divine Proportions was described by her trainer, Pascal Bary, as the “best horse I’ve ever trained and she had all the qualities of a great champion.”
Divine Proportions is bred on the very successful Kingmambo/Sadler’s Wells cross – responsible for champion and leading sire Henrythenavigator, as well as Japanese Champion El Condor Pasa, and classic winner Virginia Waters.
Her sire, Kingmambo, is an outstanding sire – whose progeny include 25 Grade One winners on the flat. He is also a magnificent broodmare sire, whose daughters have produced the last two winners of the Investec Derby (Camelot, Ruler Of The World).
Eightfold Path is bred on the extremely successful Giant’s Causeway/Kingmambo cross – which has also produced such Group/Grade One winners as Maids Causeway (Coronation Stakes) and Red Giant (Clement L Hirsch Memorial Turf Championship Stakes) as well as graded stakes winners Winning Cause (Lexington Stakes) and Dancing Solo (Boiling Springs Stakes).
His second dam, Myth To Reality, was a stakes winning daughter of the champion sire Sadler’s Wells, while third dam, Millieme, is a full-sister to the great Shirley Heights. Thus, Eightfold Path’s second dam is bred on the highly potent Sadler’s Wells/Mill Reef cross, responsible for such Group One winners as High Chaparral, Alexandrova, Milan, Yesterday, Treasure Beach, Masked Marvel and Pour Moi – all of whom are classic winners.
Shirley Heights (by champion racehorse and sire Mill Reef) won both the Epsom and Irish Derbies in 1978 before retiring to a highly successful stud career. Shirley Heights sired over 60 stakes winners, including Epsom Derby winner Slip Anchor and French Derby hero Darshaan – with both colts going on to be extremely successful stallions. Another son, Elegant Air, sired champion German sire Dashing Blade, while another son, Irish Derby runner up Deploy, is the broodmare sire of leading sire Dubawi (Dubai Millennium).
Shirley Heights also became a hugely successful broodmare sire – with his daughters producing the likes of In The Wings (Champion, a leading sire), Lady Carla (Epsom Oaks), Fame And Glory (Irish Derby) and Alexandrova (Epsom Oaks).
Myth To Reality’s dam, Millieme, is also a half-sister to Bempton (Blakeney) – whose Group 2 winning daughter Gull Nook is dam of multiple Group One winner, and leading New Zealand sire Pentire (Be My Guest). The latter has sired two sons named New Zealand’s Horse Of The Year – Xcellent and Mufhasa.
Eightfold Path is a direct descendant of the great mare Illuminata – dam of 1000 Guineas winner and important broodmare Chelandry as well as Epsom Derby winner Ladas. Other notables produced by Illuminata’s daughters include Neil Gow (2000 Guineas) and Cicero (Epsom Derby). Champion Australian sire Magpie (Dark Ronald) is a great grandson of Illuminata.
