Aidan O'Brien ‘all-time great’ So You Think dies aged 19 after short illness
So You Think, who was a champion in both Australia and Europe, has become the third Coolmore stallion star in two months to pass away, following the losses of Wootton Bassett and Fastnet Rock
So You Think, the legendary racehorse who reached the highest level in both Australia and Europe, has died aged 19 after a short illness.
Famously described by Aussie training great Bart Cummings as “perfection on four legs”, he won the Cox Plate twice before joining Aidan O’Brien for whom his successes in 2011 and 2012 included the Eclipse, Irish Champion Stakes and Prince of Wales’s Stakes at Royal Ascot. He even raced on dirt, finishing sixth in the Breeders' Cup Classic and fourth in the Dubai World Cup.
After he retired from racing he went on to enjoy a successful stud career. He has become the third Coolmore stallion star to pass away in two months following the losses of Wootton Bassett and Fastnet Rock.
Announcing the news Coolmore said: “It is with great sadness that we announce the passing of 10-time Group 1 winner and leading sire So You Think, after succumbing to a short illness while receiving world-class care from the team at Scone Equine Hospital.”
Coolmore Australia boss Tom Magnier said: “When people visit Coolmore, more often than not the stallion most of them really want to see is So You Think.
“He was an absolute gentleman, an incredibly kind and intelligent horse and this is a sad day for all the staff that have looked after him so well at Coolmore since he retired in 2012,” said Tom Magnier. “We are so lucky to have had him and watch him develop into one of the country’s truly elite sires.
“He provided me with so many great memories on racetracks throughout the world as both a racehorse and a stallion.
“I will never forget the day he sired three Group 1 winners in a day at Randwick in 2022, but equally the day he provided Joseph O’Brien with his first Royal Ascot winner as a jockey in the Prince of Wales’s Stakes in 2012.”
As a stallion So You Think finished in the top 10 on the sires table for each of the last five seasons in Australia, coming second to I Am Invincible on two occasions. He is responsible for 12 individual Group 1 winners.