By Emma Berry
Former world champion 3-year-old Rock of Gibraltar (Ire) (Danehill–Offshore Boom {GB}, by Be My Guest) has died from heart failure at Castlehyde Stud in Ireland at the age of 23.
The son of Danehill was bred by the late Joe Crowley with his daughter Annemarie and son-in-law Aidan O'Brien. He was sent into training with the latter at Ballydoyle as a juvenile in 2001, later racing for the partnership of Sir Alex Ferguson and Susan Magnier.
Rock Of Gibraltar's sensational racing career, which saw him land seven consecutive Group 1 races in 11 months, began in the April of his 2-year-old season when he broke his maiden over five furlongs in the hands of Mick Kinane at the Curragh. Kinane, Ballydoyle's stable jockey at that time, would be aboard for 12 of the colt's 13 starts, his one omission being when suspended for the 2000 Guineas. Rock Of Gibraltar, ridden that day at Newmarket by Johnny Murtagh, raced on the far side of the track, beating stablemate and race favourite Hawk Wing by a neck to land the first of his two Classic victories, with Kinane back in the saddle for his follow-up at the Curragh.
Kinane remembers his partnership with Rock Of Gibraltar as “the most fun I had riding any racehorse”.
He told TDN on Monday, “He was an exceptional racehorse. He loved racing, and he was the only horse I ever rode who would have a buck and kick and a squeal going down to the start. He had an unbelievable turn of pace. He was a fantastic miler, a brilliant 2-year-old and a brilliant 3-year-old.”
In hindsight, Rock Of Gibraltar's 2000 Guineas starting price of 9-1 seems extraordinarily generous. By the time he lined up for his seasonal debut on the Rowley Mile on May 4, 2002, he was already a dual Group 1 winner, having annexed the Grand Criterium and Dewhurst S. to conclude a juvenile campaign in which he won five of his seven races, including the G2 Gimcrack S. and G3 Railway S.
At three, he became the fifth horse in history to land the 2,000 Guineas double in Britain and Ireland, and then went on to add the St James's Palace S., Sussex S., and Prix du Moulin to his outstanding record, becoming the first horse to win seven consecutive Group 1 races in the northern hemisphere, beating a record previously held for 30 years by the great Mill Reef. In his final start, Rock Of Gibraltar was second to Domedriver (Ire), beaten less than a length in the GI Breeders' Cup Mile at Arlington.
Horse of the Year in 2002, Rock Of Gibraltar embarked on his stud career at Coolmore the following season, effectively replacing Mozart, another top son of Danehill who had died the previous May after only one season at stud. 'The Rock' remained in Ireland for all bar one of the subsequent years, when he stood at the Shizunai Stallion Station in Japan in 2007. His 16 Group 1 winners include the top sprinter Society Rock (Ire), Eclipse S. winner and former useful sire Mount Nelson (GB), and the Irish 1,000 Guineas winner Samitar (Ire). In recent seasons Rock Of Gibraltar has featured as the broodmare sire of subsequent winners of the 2,000 Guineas, Kameko and Poetic Flare (Ire).
Rock Of Gibraltar was out of the Be My Guest mare Offshore Boom (GB), who had been bought from her breeder Moyglare Stud by Crowley and the O'Briens in 1997 for IR£11,000. One of her later foals, also by Danehill, was the G3 Derrinstown Stud 1,000 Guineas Trial runner-up Nell Gwyn (Ire).
A lengthy essay in Racehorses of 2002 perhaps summed up the late stallion's racing career of 10 wins from 13 starts best when stating, “It goes almost without saying that the hardy Timeform epithet 'tough, genuine and consistent' fits Rock Of Gibraltar to a T.”
In tribute to Rock Of Gibraltar, Paddy Fleming, stud manager at Castlehyde, said, “He was healthy and looking great right up to the end. He was a fantastic racehorse and a very good sire who will be missed by all the staff here.”
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