When Breeze Over (Twice Over) scored a front-running win in Saturday’s World Sports Betting Listed Aquanaut Handicap, he once again turned the spotlight on his remarkable broodmare sire Giant’s Causeway.
Breeze Over stays on powerfully under Muzi Yeni as Nathan Klink keeps Marauding Horde at his task, with Twenty Drachma’s (Philasande Mxoli) plugging on for third (Pic – JC Photos)
Cartier Horse Of The Year in 2000, Giant’s Causeway was Champion Sire in North America three times with his 196 stakes winners including star performers Bricks And Mortars, Footstepsinthesand, Take Charge Brandi, Ghanaati, and First Samurai, as well as the outstanding stallions Not This Time and Shamardal.
Giant’s Causeway, famed for his ability to doggedly fight out a finish, has become an exceptional broodmare sire.
According to arion.co.nz, Breeze Over is the 231st stakes winner produced by a daughter of Giant’s Causeway.
This list is headed US Horse Of The Year Gun Runner (Candy Ride), one of the world’s leading stallions.
A six-time Gr1 winner, whose victories included a two and a quarter length win in the 2017 Breeders’ Cup Classic, Gun Runner has been responsible for six stakes winners this year headed by Gr1 Santa Anita Handicap presented by Yaamava’ Resort & Casino winner, Locked.
Gun Runner has sired 39 stakes winners, 10 Gr1 winners and 13 millionaires, with his first crop born in 2019. The champion son of Candy Ride made waves last year when his own champion son Sierra Leone won both the Gr1 Longines Breeders’ Cup Classic and Gr1 Toyota Blue Grass Stakes.
With both Sierra Leone and Locked remaining in training this year, Gun Runner looks poised to have another big year in 2025.
His stars also include late Gr1 Breeders’ Cup winning champion Echo Zulu, Gr1 Preakness Stakes winning sire Early Voting and multiple Gr1 winning sires Gunite, Taiba and Cyberknife.
The Ashford Stud based Gunite, winner of the Gr1 Hopeful Stakes at two and Gr1 Forego Stakes at four, is inbred to Giant’s Causeway as is the Gun Runner sired Gr3 Mineshaft Stakes winner Hall Of Fame.
Giant’s Causeway mares have certainly made their mark in South Africa. The Gr1 Sun Met winning Equus Champion One World (Captain Al), who is out of the Giant’s Causeway mare Aquilonia, made an exceptional start to his stud career.
The majestic champion Giant’s Causeway (Pic – Coolmore)
South Africa’s Leading First Season Sire of 2023-2024 and Leading Second Season Sire this season, One World’s record breaking first crop has unleashed a host of stakes horses headed by Gr1 L’Ormarins King’s Plate/Gr1 Hollywoodbets Cape Guineas winner, and exciting potential sire, One Stripe, who runs in this coming Saturday’s HSH Princess Charlene R5 million Big Cap.
Another South African champion produced by a daughter of Giant’s Causeway was the globetrotting Soft Falling Rain (National Assembly).
The latter, whose Giant’s Causeway sired dam Gardener’s Delight also produced Heineken Gr2 Cape Stayers winner Let It Rain (Dynasty), won graded or group races in three different countries and was Equus Champion 2YO Colt of 2012. In a brief stud career, Soft Falling Rain sired the graded stakes winners Waterberry Lane, Shangani, Heavens Girl, Montreal Mist, and World Radar, as well as charismatic Gr1 World Sports Betting SA Derby runner up Zeus.
Other South African stakes winners produced by Giant’s Causeway mares include Listed Spring Spree Stakes winner Vaseem (out of the Giant’s Causeway mare Giant’s Bounty), Listed Lady’s Bracelet queen A Time To Dream (out of the Giant’s Causeway mare Aqueduct), Listed East Cape Paddock Stakes winner Integrity (out of the Giant’s Causeway mare Illumiere) and Listed Highlands Stud Olympic Duel Stakes/Listed Summer Juvenile Stakes heroine Call To Account (out of the Giant’s Causeway daughter Jean Jeannie).
Mauritian star, and Gr1 Cape Guineas runner-up, White River was produced by Giant’s Causeway mare Irish Torrent.
Another Giant’s Causeway daughter Giant’s Slipper is granddam of 2020 Gr1 Allan Robertson Championship winner Vernichey, while 2021 Gr1 World Sports Betting Cape Fillies Guineas queen Chansonette’s third dam is the Giant’s Causeway mare Eden’s Causeway.
Wild Intent, runner up in Saturday’s Listed TAB Hawwaam Stakes, is out of a daughter of the Giant’s Causeway mare Wild Orchid.
Breeze Over’s own dam Lebombo Breeze is also the dam of Gr2 Cape Punters Cup winner Hluhluwe and the stakes placed You Know Who.
Giant’s Causeway has emulated his legendary sire Storm Cat in becoming an outstanding broodmare sire.
Storm Cat, whose son Tiger Ridge is broodmare sire of the likes of Isivunguvungu (What A Winter) and Saturday’s Gr2 Hillsborough Stakes runner-up Gimme A Nother (Gimmethegreenlight), is broodmare sire of a staggering 310 stakes winners, including champion and top stallion Speightstown (Gone West).
The latter’s near 100 stakes winners include Saturday’s Gr3 Lambholm Tampa Bay Derby winner, and potential Gr1 Kentucky Derby contender, Owen Almighty.
