New Group One Winner for Giant
6th April 2008
Leading South African trainer Charles Laird, soon to relocate to Australia, tasted Group One success in his homeland on the weekend when Our Giant (4g Giant’s Causeway x Macrosa, by McGinty) claimed victory in the H F Oppenheimer Horse Chestnut Stakes over 1600 metres a Turffontein.
Our Giant settled back in the field before charging home and looked set to win easily until challenged late by Emperor Napoleon, staving off that horse to win by a short head.
Already a Group Two winner and placed at Group One level, Our Giant had his hoof on the til to win a race like this, his overall record now standing at eight wins from 18 starts.
Our Giant becomes the tenth Group One winner worldwide for outstanding sire Giant’s Causeway, following hot on the heels of last week’s Group One winner Juste Momente (4m Giant's Causeway x Skates, by Danehill).
Giant’s Causeway stands at Ashford Stud in Kentucky at a fee of $US125,000 and Australian buyers will have a limited opportunity to secure his stock at upcoming sales with a small number of mares covered by him to Southern Hemisphere time in 2005.
Giant’s Causeway has four yearlings catalogued for the Inglis Australian Easter Yearling Sale including half-brothers to Fastnet Rock and Langoustine as well as the first foal of three-time Group One winning mare Shamekha.
Our Giant 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, a half-sister to AJC Australian Derby hero Ebony Grosve.
