Rock of Gibraltar (8 March 1999 – 23 October 2022) was an Irish

Thoroughbred The Thoroughbred is a horse breed best known for its use in horse racing. Although the word ''thoroughbred'' is sometimes used to refer to any breed of purebred horse, it technically refers only to the Thoroughbred breed. Thoroughbreds are c ...

racehorse Horse racing is an equestrian performance sport, typically involving two or more horses ridden by jockeys (or sometimes driven without riders) over a set distance for competition. It is one of the most ancient of all sports, as its basic pr ...

who won seven times at

Group 1 Group 1 may refer to: * Alkali metal, a chemical element classification for Alkali metal * Group 1 (racing), a historic (until 1981) classification for Touring car racing, applied to standard touring cars. Comparable to modern FIA Group N * Group On ...

, including the

2000 Guineas The 2000 Guineas Stakes is a Group 1 flat race in Great Britain open to three-year-old thoroughbred colts and fillies. It is run on the Rowley Mile at Newmarket over a distance of 1 mile (1,609 metres) and scheduled to take place each year at ...

and

Irish 2,000 Guineas The Irish 2,000 Guineas is a Group 1 flat horse race in Ireland open to three-year-old thoroughbred colts and fillies. It is run at the Curragh over a distance of 1 mile (1,609 metres), and it is ...

in 2002. He was at stud in Ireland during the Northern Hemisphere breeding season and in Australia as a "shuttle stallion" during the Southern Hemisphere breeding season.

Background

Rock of Gibraltar was sired by the leading sire Danehill. He was named after the

Rock of Gibraltar The Rock of Gibraltar (from the Arabic name Jabel-al-Tariq) is a monolithic limestone promontory located in the British territory of Gibraltar, near the southwestern tip of Europe on the Iberian Peninsula, and near the entrance to the Mediterr ...

, a monolithic limestone promontory in

Gibraltar ) , anthem = " God Save the King" , song = " Gibraltar Anthem" , image_map = Gibraltar location in Europe.svg , map_alt = Location of Gibraltar in Europe , map_caption = United Kingdom shown in pale green , mapsize = , image_map2 = Gib ...

on the southern tip of the

Iberian Peninsula The Iberian Peninsula (), ** * Aragonese and Occitan: ''Peninsula Iberica'' ** ** * french: Péninsule Ibérique * mwl, Península Eibérica * eu, Iberiar penintsula also known as Iberia, is a peninsula in southwestern Europe, defi ...

Racing career

2001

In April 2001 he won on his first outing as a two-year-old at

the Curragh The Curragh ( ; ga, An Currach ) is a flat open plain of almost of common land in County Kildare. This area is well known for Irish horse breeding and training. The Irish National Stud is located on the edge of Kildare town, beside the f ...

in Ireland and followed up with a 6th place at Ascot in England in June followed by another first place at the Curragh in July. Later in the year he had four further outings – winning at

York York is a cathedral city with Roman origins, sited at the confluence of the rivers Ouse and Foss in North Yorkshire, England. It is the historic county town of Yorkshire. The city has many historic buildings and other structures, such as a ...

and Newmarket in England,

Longchamp Racecourse The Longchamp Racecourse (french: Hippodrome de Longchamp) is a 57 hectare horse-racing facility located on the Route des Tribunes at the Bois de Boulogne in Paris, France. It is used for flat racing and is noted for its variety of interlaced tr ...

in France and finishing second back in England at

Doncaster Doncaster (, ) is a city in South Yorkshire, England. Named after the River Don, it is the administrative centre of the larger City of Doncaster. It is the second largest settlement in South Yorkshire after Sheffield. Doncaster is situated in ...

. For the 2021 season he was partnered by Irish jockey M. J. Kinnane and had won six times (two Group 1, three Group 2 and a Maiden).

2002

As a three-year-old he won his first race in 2002 at Newmarket, following up with four straight wins at the Curragh, Ascot, Goodwood and Longchamp. His final race was a second place in the United States at Arlington. The 2002 wins meant that he achieved the record of winning seven consecutive Group 1 races in the Northern Hemisphere. Rock of Gibraltar retired to stud at the end of the 2002 season having collected five more Group 1 wins and lifetime prize winnings (at 2002 values) of , ensuring that he would be a sought-after stud.

Trainer

The horse was trained by

Aidan O'Brien Aidan Patrick O'Brien (born 16 October 1969 in County Wexford, Ireland) Aidan O'Brien bio NTRA. ...

at Ballydoyle Stables, Co. Tipperary, Ireland. O'Brien also bred him in partnership with his wife Anne-Marie and father-in-law Joe Crowley. Over the course of two seasons, Rock of Gibraltar won seven consecutive Group 1 wins before finishing second to

Domedriver {{Infobox racehorse , horsename = Domedriver , image = , caption = , sire = Indian Ridge , grandsire = Ahonoora , dam = Napoli , damsire = Baillamont , sex = Stallion , foaled = 1998 , country = Ireland , colour = Dark Bay/Brown ...

in the 2002

Breeders' Cup Mile The Breeders' Cup Mile is a Grade 1 Weight for Age stakes race for thoroughbred racehorses three years old and up, run on a grass course. It has been conducted annually as part of the Breeders' Cup World Championships since the event's incept ...

. He was voted the 2002

European Horse of the Year The Cartier Racing Awards are awards in European horse racing, founded in 1991, and sponsored by Cartier SA, Cartier. The award winners are decided by points earned in group races (40%) plus the votes cast by British racing journalists (30%) and rea ...

Ownership

For much of his racing career, Rock of Gibraltar ran in the colours of

Manchester United Manchester () is a city in Greater Manchester, England. It had a population of 552,000 in 2021. It is bordered by the Cheshire Plain to the south, the Pennines to the north and east, and the neighbouring city of City of Salford, Salford to ...

manager Sir

Alex Ferguson Sir Alexander Chapman Ferguson (born 31 December 1941) is a Scottish former football manager and player, best known for managing Manchester United from 1986 to 2013. He is widely regarded as one of the greatest football managers of all time ...

, who was named as a part-owner along with Susan Magnier, wife of Coolmore owner

John Magnier John Magnier (born 10 February 1948; also known as "The Boss") is an Irish business magnate. He is Ireland's leading thoroughbred stud owner and has extensive business interests outside the horse-breeding industry. Magnier has also been a Senat ...

. Upon Rock of Gibraltar's retirement, Ferguson and John Magnier were involved in a dispute over the exact nature of the ownership of the horse. The dispute was settled out of court.

Stud career

Amongst Rock of Gibraltar's offspring were

Hong Kong Cup The Hong Kong Cup is a Group 1 flat horse race in Hong Kong which is open to thoroughbreds aged three years or older. It is run over a distance of 2000 metres (about miles or 10 furlongs) at Sha Tin, and it is scheduled to take place each year in ...

winner and

Epsom Derby The Derby Stakes, also known as the Epsom Derby or the Derby, and as the Cazoo Derby for sponsorship reasons, is a Group 1 flat horse race in England open to three-year-old colts and fillies. It is run at Epsom Downs Racecourse in Surrey o ...

runner-up Eagle Mountain, and

Group One Group One, Group 1, Grade I or G1 is the term used for the highest level of Thoroughbred and Standardbred stakes races in many countries. In Europe, the level of races for Thoroughbred racing is determined using the Pattern races, Pattern race sys ...

winners

Samitar Samitar (foaled 1 February 2009) is a British-bred Thoroughbred racehorse and broodmare who raced in four countries and won major races in England, Ireland and the United States. She showed good form as a juvenile in 2011, winning the Albany St ...

, Seventh Rock, Mount Nelson, Varenar, and

Society Rock Society Rock (8 February 2007 – 31 May 2016) is an Irish-bred, British-trained Thoroughbred racehorse who has won the Golden Jubilee Stakes and Haydock Sprint Cup. He was owned by Simon Gibson and trained by James Fanshawe. Breeding Society ...

Race record

Source:

Pedigree

* Rock of Gibraltar is

inbred Inbreeding is the production of offspring from the mating or breeding of individuals or organisms that are closely related genetically. By analogy, the term is used in human reproduction, but more commonly refers to the genetic disorders and o ...

3 × 3 to Northern Dancer. This also means that Rock of Gibraltar is inbred to

Nearctic The Nearctic realm is one of the eight biogeographic realms constituting the Earth's land surface. The Nearctic realm covers most of North America, including Greenland, Central Florida, and the highlands of Mexico. The parts of North America t ...

and

Natalma Natalma (March 26, 1957 – January 29, 1985) was an American-bred Thoroughbred racehorse best known as the dam (mother) of the most important sire, and sire of sires, of the late 20th Century, Northern Dancer. She also established a highly inf ...

4 x 4, however like all of Danehill's offspring Rock of Gibraltar is inbred 4 × 4 to the mare Natalma. As a result of this Rock of Gibraltar is inbred 4 × 4 x 4 to Natalma.

References

Explanatory notes

External links

Rock of Gibraltar Career 1-2-3 Colour Chart
{{Authority control 1999 racehorse births 2000 Guineas winners 2022 racehorse deaths Alex Ferguson Irish Classic Race winners Racehorses bred in Ireland Racehorses trained in Ireland Thoroughbred family 10-a