RATED the best three-year-old in the world in 2002, Rock Of Gibraltar passed away on Sunday night due to heart failure at the age of 23.

“He was healthy and looking great right up to the end,” said Castlehyde manager Paddy Fleming. “He was a fantastic racehorse and a very good sire who will be missed by all the staff here.”

The son of Danehill (Danzig) was bred in partnership by the late Joe Crowley, his daughter Anne-Marie and his son-in-law, and future trainer, Aidan O’Brien, He was the first horse ever to win seven consecutive Group/Grade 1 races in the northern hemisphere, breaking the great Mill Reef’s 30-year-old record.

Raced in the names of Sir Alex Ferguson and Sue Magnier, Rock Of Gibraltar won 10 of his 13 starts, partnered on all but one occasion by Michael Kinane. Johnny Murtagh had the mount when the colt denied his stable companion, and favourite, Hawk Wing by a neck in the 2000 Guineas.

A maiden winner at the Curragh on the only occasion he raced over five furlongs, Rock Of Gibraltar was beaten less than four lengths when sixth in the Coventry Stakes at Royal Ascot behind another Aidan O’Brien runner, the 20/1 shot Landseer. Apart from finishing a length second to Dubai Destination in the Group 2 Champagne Stakes, Rock Of Gibraltar won his remaining four juvenile starts.

More impressive

He beat Hawk Wing by two lengths in the Group 3 Railway Stakes, was even more impressive winning the Group 2 Gimcrack Stakes, and ended the season with two Group 1 wins, by three lengths in the Grand Criterium at Longchamp, and by just a head from Landseer in the Dewhurst Stakes at Newmarket.

As a three-year-old he raced solely at the highest level and only at a mile. He won the 2000 Guineas from Hawk Wing, added the Irish 2000 Guineas, beat Landseer at Royal Ascot in the St James’s Palace Stakes, was two lengths to the good over Noverre in the Sussex Stakes and beat Banks Hill in the Prix du Moulin. He was denied a perfect season, and end to his career, when going down by three-parts of a length to Domedriver in the Grade 1 Breeders’ Cup Mile.

Joe Crowley bought the dam of Rock Of Gibraltar, the Be My Guest (Northern Dancer) mare Offshore Boom, for just IR11,000gns at Goffs in 1997. In foal at the time, the resulting filly, D’Articleshore (Definite Article), sold for just 3,500gns as a foal and won nine times in Turkey. Rock Of Gibraltar was her next offspring.

A winner at two for her owner-breeder Moyglare Stud, and trained by John Oxx, Offshore Boom was runner-up at the Phoenix Park in the Listed Irish National Stud Fillies Stakes to Lady Eileen on her second start. She also become the dam of the group-placed Nell Gwyn (Danehill), and grandam of the Group 1 Moyglare Stud Stakes winner Intricately (Fastnet Rock), sold as a three-year-old for 1,700,000gns.

Popular

At stud Rock Of Gibraltar enjoyed great international success with his runners, and was popular with breeders from outside Ireland too. He sired a total of 16 Group or Grade 1 winners in Britain, Ireland, France, the USA, Hong Kong, Australia and in South America, and they include the Criterium International and Eclipse Stakes winner Mount Nelson, a Group 1 sire, Golden Jubilee Stakes and Haydock Sprint Cup winner Society Rock, also a Group 1 sire, along with Irish 1000 Guineas and Garden City Stakes heroine Samitar.

A notable broodmare sire, Rock Of Gibraltar’s daughters produced two recent Group 1 2000 Guineas winners in the shape of Kameko and Poetic Flare.