Given his success as a stallion—he was a record breaking three-time leading sire—and given that he was primarily an influence for stamina, the offspring of Giant's Causeway have had surprisingly little impact in the Triple Crown events. In fact only two of his offspring—the siblings Creative Cause and Destin—placed in one of the colts' classics, Creative Cause taking third in the 2012 Preakness Stakes (G1) and Destin filling runner-up spot in the 2016 Belmont Stakes Presented by NYRA Bets (G1).
It would be ironic then, if having got no closer to United States classic success than that duo from the 1,073 colts in his first 17 Northern Hemisphere crops, Giant's Causeway were to get the winner of a Triple Crown event from one of the three colts (from a total of just three foals) from his final crop.
That, however, is not that far fetched a scenario on the basis of the performance turned in by Classic Causeway in the Feb. 12 Sam F. Davis Stakes (G3) at Tampa Bay Downs. Despite dueling through an opening quarter in :22.66 and half in :46.67, Classic Causeway was able to rebreak in the stretch closing with a fast final sixteenth of :5.98 to put 3 3/4 lengths on what had generally been considered a strong field. His final time of 1:42.80 for the 8 1/2 furlongs, narrowly missed the stakes record of 1:42.44 set by Flameaway in 2018.
Classic Causeway had stamped himself as a colt with a future on his debut, which came in a seven-furlong event at Saratoga Race Course in September. On the lead from the off, he had daylight to spare after the opening quarter, and improved his position from there on, eventually hitting the wire 6 1/2 lengths clear. Classic Causeway again attempted to wire the field on his next outing, the Claiborne Breeders' Futurity (G1) at Keeneland. In charge through the opening three-quarters, he had no answer to Rattle N Roll, who breezed past to score by 4 1/4 lengths, and then lost second spot close home. Ridden with more restraint in the Kentucky Jockey Club Stakes (G2) at Churchill Downs, Classic Causeway could not turn back the closing charge of Smile Happy—who has reigned since as the winter-book favorite for the Kentucky Derby Presented by Woodford Reserve (G1). But he did hold on to second, 2 3/4 lengths clear of White Abarrio, who flattered the form when taking the Holly Bull Stakes (G3) in impressive style last weekend.
Classic Causeway is the eighth foal of his dam, Private World, and is the fifth winner for that mare. None of the others, which include Classic Causeway's winning sister Rockie Causeway, have shown form out of the ordinary. Private World herself was a speedy and precocious daughter of Thunder Gulch, winning her first three starts at 2, those victories including the Anoakia Stakes and Moccasin Stakes. Her only other outing as a juvenile saw her finish last of 11 in the Hollywood Starlet Stakes (G1), and she started just twice at 3, the first of those outings bringing a second in the California Breeders' Cup Oaks.
If, as a multiple stakes-winning daughter of Thunder Gulch—a Kentucky Derby and Belmont Stakes winner and classic sire—Private World owned a background that doesn't seem out of place for a classic contender; the same can't be said about her dam, Rita Rucker. Rita Rucker was by Dmitri, a Danzig son who finished second in a Canterbury Park maiden on his only start, and failed to sire a black-type winner from the 49 foals that represented his 11 crops. Her dam, Darlease, by the Belmont Stakes winner Temperence Hill, was unraced, and Rita Rucker was one of two winners for her.
Rita Rucker was a far better racehorse than could have been expected from the mating of two such undistinguished parents. She was exceptionally tough, winning 21 races and placing a further 19 times in 72 starts from 3 to 9 years old. She was also versatile enough to score from five to 8 1/2 furlongs and won on dirt and turf. And although she competed for as little as a $12,500 claiming tag, she showed well above average ability on her day, and at one point in her career, as a 7-year-old, she enjoyed a purple patch which saw her win four consecutive 'white type' stakes events at Mountaineer Park.
Perhaps some of the credit for Rita Rucker's positive attributes lies with her granddam, Miss Danalee. A daughter of Gun Shot—best know as sire of Kelso's ferocious rival Gun Bow—Miss Danalee won 13 of 33 starts, including the Bayou Handicap, Milette Handicap, and two runnings of the Detroit Starlette Handicap. Behind Miss Danalee the direct female line has been distinctly short of celebrities for several generations. The family arrived in the U.S. with the importation of Miss Danalee's fifth dam, Phaona, in the winter of 1932/1933. Two years earlier, Phaona had produced Easton, a colt by Dark Legend who would subsequently win major events in France, Belgium, and England, and take second in the English Two Thousand Guineas. The immediate family had already made an impact in the U.S., and Phaona's granddam, L'Etoile, was a sister to Star Shoot, five times leading sire in North America, and sire of the first Triple Crown winner, Sir Barton.
The cross of Giant's Causeway with Thunder Gulch mares has now produced six stakes winners, also including the Virginia Oaks (G3T) scorer Excited. Here it is notable that Giant's Causeway and Thunder Gulch's dam, Line of Thunder, are both from the Storm Bird male line from the 'I' mitochondrial family. Also note that of the six stakes winners bred on the cross, four, including Classic Causeway, are from the 'G' mitochondrial family, while the other two are from same 'I' family as Giant's Causeway and Thunder Gulch/Line of Thunder.
