Group Two Success in South Africa for Giant's Causeway
4th November 2007
Giant’s Causeway featured at Turffontein in South Africa on Saturday with a winning double for Australian bred horses led by Our Giant (4g Giant's Causeway - Macrosa, by McGinty), winner of the Group Two Charity Mile November Handicap.
The Charles Laird trained Our Giant made amends for an unlucky second in a Listed race last start, when he scored his first Black Type success by half a length in the 1600 metre event in which he was sent out favourite.
Super consistent having won five races and placed seven times from 13 starts, Our Giant took full advantage of his light weight of 53 kg under the handicap conditions to score a great win over the top weight Biarritz, the horse who beat him last start.
Our Giant (pictured, courtesy sahorseracing.com ) was a $480,000 Magic Millions purchase for Charles Laird in 2005 from the draft of Tyreel Stud and is from the stakes-winning mare Macrosa (NZ), a half-sister to AJC Australian Derby hero Ebony Grosve.
He becomes the 34th stakes-winner worldwide for Giant's Causeway, who will stand the coming season at Ashford Farm at a fee of $125,000.
Later in the day Giant’s Causeway figured again when three year-old colt Hamlool (3c Giant's Causeway - Sanctus, by Barathea) made it two wins from three starts when saluting in the merit rated handicap over 1600 metres.
The Mike de Kock trained colt thumped his rivals, bolting away to win by the best part of four lengths.
Raced by Sheikh Mohammed Bin Khalifa Al Maktoum, Hamlool was secured by Tim Stakemire for a modest $30,000 at the 2006 Inglis Australian Easter Yearling Sale.
Bred by South Australia based Toorak Park Stud and offered in the Coolmore draft, Hamlool is the second foal of stakes-placed Barathea mare Sanctus, a half-sister to Group One winning mare St Clemens Belle.
Sanctus has a yearling filly by Rock of Gibraltar that will be entered for the Inglis Australian Easter Yearling Sale in 2008.
