Giant’s Causeway, Europe’s 2000 Horse of the Year and a cornerstone of Coolmore’s international racing and breeding operations, died Monday night at Ashford Stud in Versailles, Ky., following a brief illness. He was 21. Giant’s Causeway was a champion on the track, a dominant sire in the U.S., and sired champions on five continents. He was the leading U.S. sire by progeny earnings in 2009, 2010, and 2012. His stud fee rose to a peak of $300,000 in 2006. In total, Giant’s Causeway has sired 15 crops of racing age, with 1,259 winners and combined progeny earnings in excess of $165 million.  The son of Storm Cat was born at Ashford Stud, and bred by Orpendale and Michael Tabor. He was the first foal out of the Grade 2 winner Mariah’s Storm. Giant’s Causeway raced as a homebred for Tabor and Susan Magnier, and was trained by Aidan O’Brien. The colt won all three of his starts as a juvenile, taking his debut in Ireland by seven lengths, followed by a win in the Group 3 E.B.F. Futurity. He then traveled to France, where he finished the season with a win in the Group 1 Prix de la Salamandre. :: DRF BREEDING LIVE: Real-time coverage of breeding and sales Giant’s Causeway returned at 3 with a win in the Group 3 Gladness Stakes, then he suffered his first defeat when second in the English 2000 Guineas. He ran second again in the Irish 2000 Guineas. Giant’s Causeway then began a five-race winning streak in Group 1 races during the Royal Ascot meet, when he prevailed by a head in the St. James’s Palace Stakes. He stayed in England to take the Coral-Eclipse Stakes, Sussex Stakes, and Juddmonte International Stakes, before finishing the run in Ireland in the Irish Champion Stakes. He then finished second in the Group 1 Queen Elizabeth Stakes in England. Giant’s Causeway was then pointed toward his most ambitious start, the 2000 Breeders’ Cup Classic at Churchill Downs, which would be his first race on dirt and in the Western Hemisphere.  The race will be remembered for the fierce stretch battle between Giant’s Causeway, Europe’s top 3-year-old, and Tiznow, the top 3-year-old in the U.S. Ultimately, Giant’s Causeway found himself on the losing end, beaten by a neck. The Classic was the final start for Giant’s Causeway, who returned to Europe to earn the continent’s 2000 Horse of the Year honors. In total, Giant’s Causeway won 9 of 13 starts, never finishing worse than second, for earnings of $3,078,989. Giant’s Causeway retired to Coolmore Stud in Ireland for his debut season at stud before being relocated to Ashford Stud in the U.S. His crop as an Irish sire produced European champion Shamardal and U.S. Grade 1 winners Aragorn and My Typhoon. Leading the way among Giant’s Causeway’s U.S.-sired runners are champion Take Charge Brandi, Canadian champion Irish Mission, 2012 Saudi Arabian Horse of the Year Step In Time, Breeders’ Cup Marathon winner Man of Iron, and English 2000 Guineas winner Footstepsinthesand.  Other Grade 1/Group 1 winners by Giant’s Causeway include Carpe Diem, Giant Oak, Swift Temper, Heatseeker, Imagining, Brody’s Cause, Red Giant, Creative Cause, First Samurai, Book Review, Carriage Trail, Eskendereya, Frost Giant, Internallyflawless, Dalkala, Eishin Apollon, Ghanaati, Intense Focus, Maids Causeway, Rite of Passage, and Penelopa. “To foal, raise, and race a horse of Giant’s Causeway’s caliber is every owner-breeder’s dream, so for him to stand as a stallion at his birthplace and go on to be a three-time champion sire is nothing short of sensational,” said Coolmore America manager Dermot Ryan. “Giant’s Causeway was a once-in-a-lifetime horse, and I would like to thank the owners, the Magnier and Tabor families, for entrusting us with his stud career. I would also like to extend my gratitude to all of the stallion handlers at Ashford past and present for providing the highest level of care for Giant, in particular Blaise Benjamin and Richard Barry. He will be a huge loss not just to us, but to the industry as a whole.” In addition to his success in the U.S. and Ireland, Giant’s Causeway stood three Southern Hemisphere seasons in Australia and two in Argentina. His top runners from those crops included Chilean champion Giant’s Steps, Peruvian champions Kung Fu Mambo and Bambina Mia, New Zealand champion Showcause, and Group 1 winners Juste Momente and Our Giant. Sons of Giant’s Causeway at stud in North America include Brody’s Cause, Carpe Diem, City Wolf, Creative Cause, Fed Biz, First Samurai, Frost Giant, Giant Gizmo, Giant Surprise, Imagining, Irish Surf, Niagra Causeway, Northern Causeway, Not This Time, Protonico, Santiva, Stonesider, and The Visualizer. Giant’s Causeway has also proven to be a prolific broodmare sire, with runners on his résumé including 2017 Horse of the Year Gun Runner, South African champion Soft Falling Rain, Venezuelan champion An Serafini, New Zealand champion Warhorse, French 1000 Guineas winner Beauty Parlour, and Grade 1/Group 1 winners Awesome Rock, Eden’s Moon, Verrazano, Giant Killing, Loch Garman, Evening Jewel, Sea Dream, Romantic Vision, Planteur, Escado, Hawkbill, and Free Drop Billy.