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CASTERLY ROCK Owner/Trainer: Grrm Record: 43-16-5-5; $4,746,447
Win: Breeders’ Bowl Sprint-G1 (2x), Sand Castle Golden Sprint-G1, Lannister Special-G1, Lion of Lannister-G1, The GRRM Throneseeker-G1, Pablos Verces H-G2, Middle of Nowhere Sprint-G3, Gillespie Cap, Kings Decree Special, Roo A.P. Cap, Little TC Challenge, Smackdown III, Smackdown Place: Sand Castle Golden Sprint-G1, Sin City H-G3, Pro Edison H, Your Dogs Memorial Show: Rocky -G1, Southern Sal S, Return Count Special It should come as no surprise, that as a fan of George R.R. Martin (I highly recommend his A Song of Ice and Fire series), that given’s stable grrm bred a colt named Casterly Rock. Casterly Rock is the principal seat for the House of Lannister. Their coat of arms is a golden lion, and their motto, “Hear Me Roar”. Casterly Rock lived up to that motto, as the racing world certainly heard him roar for more than two years on the track. The royally bred colt was bred to run on the lawn, and as a juvenile, he knocked on the door several times without pulling off the victory. Two seconds and a third on the turf, then an unplaced finish on the main track finished out his juvenile season. A bit of a disappointment, given the expectations, but his connections had no clue what heights Casterly Rock would reach. At three, the Rock finished far back in a turf route, but then his connections stumbled onto the magic combination. Sent 6 panels over the main track, the colt absolutely sizzled, posting an 104 SF, more than 20 points faster than his previous lifetime best, and entered the winner's circle in style. After one last try on the turf, Casterly Rock was back sprinting on the dirt, where he would stay for pretty much the rest of his career. Once the key was unlocked, the rest was easy. Slop proved to be no problem as the Rock splashed home an easy winner against allowance company, then was narrowly beaten by future millionaire Mine Bluff in the Pro Edison Stakes. The son of Giant's Causeway would join the ranks of stakes winners with a two length score in the Kings Decree. Next would come a gutty win in the inaugural Smackdown series, punctuated by a snappy 111 SF. While the race itself was restricted, the field included the likes of Looking for More, already a stakes winner, who would go on to G1 glory and earnings of more than $2 million; Hard to Handle, who would also go on to become a G1 winner and millionaire, and Final Thoughts, who had entered the race fresh off a three stakes winning streak, two of them graded. It was showtime. After that performance, Given sent his colt into the graded stakes wars. The colt ran well in defeat in Rocky-G1, finishing a close third, and beaten two heads for all the money. He would not be denied a second time, particularly in a stakes named after the author of Casterly Rock, and the namesake of his stable. The GRRM-G1 drew a tough field, but when the dust settled, Casterly Rock emerged the victor, posting a 110 SF for the 6 furlongs. Graded stakes winners They Call Me Magic and Call The Shots would fill out the next two spots. With that, the lightly raced colt had rocketed his way into a spot against the best of his division in the G1 Breeders' Bowl Sprint. Sent off a relative outsider at odds of nearly 16-1, the colt, ridden by top jockey Small, was given a masterful ride. While Atakachaw, one of the best older sprinters that year, dueled on the front end with longshot Sly Cat, Casterly Rock was rated back in fifth. Just ahead in third was defending Breeders' Bowl sprint champ (and that year's Sand Castle Golden Sprint hero) King of the Cats, as well as the favorite, One in A Million II, who was attempting to duplicate his great success at 7 furlongs to one panel shorter. The handsome colt willingly rated until Small said it was go time, and Casterly Rock went, storming past the tiring front runners to win one of sprinting's biggest races by 1 1/4 lengths. Final time was 1:08 4/5 (111 SF). The Breeders' Bowl hero would race once more that season, finishing a rusty fourth on DelPenn Champions day, as Empire of the Sun, 11th on Breeders' Bowl day, pulled off the upset. Still, going from maiden to Breeders' Bowl winner was a remarkable achievement. The following year, expectations were decidedly higher. Casterly Rock lived up to those demands, bouncing out of the gate to launch his season with a victory in the Lion of Lannister-G1. Next came a tilt at Equinics glory, and things didn't exactly go as planned. After stumbling out of the gate, Rocky never really fired, putting in the worst dirt sprint performance of his career, with his first sub-100 SF, and the first time he failed to pick up a check. He would come back with a vengeance in the Sand Castle Sprint-G1, getting nipped at the end by the relentless late surge of Looking for More (remember him?). Wheeled back three weeks later, the colt once again failed to fire, and at that point, Given made a gutsy decision to give the Rock three months off. It paid off in spades. A rusty third in his return, Casterly Rock would find the winner's circle once again next out, this time in the Middle of Nowhere Sprint-G3, equalling his time in the Breeders' Bowl Sprint. The colt would finish fifth next out in the Tri-City Sprint-G1, a race that was probably a half furlong beyond the colt's best distance. Still, the loss concerned his connections. Was he over the top? The question would soon be answered with a resounding no. Dropped into listed stakes competition, Casterly Rock trounced a full field by two lengths. Given had prepped his colt as best he could in an attempt to win the Breeders' Bowl Sprint-G1 two years in a row, an unprecedented feat. This would be no picnic, however, Pulling Strings, Equinics hero, Sulphur, the winner of the Tri-City Sprint-G1, Looking For More, Hard to Handle, Polish Reality and Wonderboy DJ would also go postward. Still, the fans wanted a fairytale ending, and sent the Rock off as the second choice in a full field of talented sprinters. Small once again had the mount, and this time, his skills would be put to the test. The colt broke uncharacteristically poorly, in fact, the last two times he had broken that far back, he had been nowhere in sight at the finish. Still, Small was undeterred, patiently gathering his colt under him, getting him to relax, as they slowly started picking off horses. Swinging to the far outside, he was still in eighth, but in the clear. Flying like a freight time, Casterly Rock put in a tremendous kick, his acceleration carrying him past the front runners and carrying him relentlessly towards the finish line. Rocky would emerge the hero, winning an unprecedented second Breeders' Bowl Sprint, and joining the likes of Horseshoe Bay, Turning Japanese and Storm Dog as two-time winners. The crowd went wild as the dark bay galloped back to the winners' circle, knowing they had witnessed history. Final time was 1:09, just a tick slower than the colt's victory the year before. He would race no more that year, but what he had done was enough to convince the voters, who rewarded Given and his prize colt with the title of Champion Sprinter for 2006. The following year, the goal was clearly another run at history, an (almost) unimaginable third Breeders' Bowl Sprint. Casterly Rock's entire campaign was designed with that goal in mind. A well-earned freshening was had after the Sprint victory, and so Casterly Rock returned to the racing wars in a listed stakes. The colt showed no signs of rust, coming home a comfortable winner with a closer than it really was one length score. Next came the Pablo Verces Handicap-G2. Rocky was sent off the clear favorite, and he did not disappoint, winning by 1 3/4 lengths with a 112 SF. With two wins under his belt, it was time to return to Dubai. This time, Given and Rocky would not return empty handed. Despite the presence in the field of several of his Breeders' Bowl rivals, such as Looking for More, Wonderboy DJ, Polish Reality and Hard to Handle, once again, the handsome dark bay was sent off the clear choice, and the crowd's faith in him was rewarded. Sixth early, Casterly Rock swept down the stretch to win by 1 1/4 determined lengths over the late-charging Samoth. The colt would remain in Dubai for his next race, but apparently he was still feeling the effects of the trip and the Sand Castle, and he could only manage fourth, losing to Polish Reality in the Ethereal . . . Unreal . . Spiritual-G1. After a seven week break, Casterly Rock returned with a third place effort at 6 1/2 furlongs, then won Smackdown III (after taking a year off), with an eye-catching 115 SF. He would finish out the year with minor checks in two races that were not at his best distance, a gallant fourth in the Breeders' Bowl Sprint, behind the remarkable filly Tired Wings, and then, the wheels came off. Two poor performances, and it was a disappointing second half to what had looked to be a spectacular year. Casterly Rock would race one more year, and added two more stakes wins to his resume. That was good enough to earn him one final trip to the Breeders' Bowl Sprint. Sadly, he would enter as a 16-1 shot, with those odds based largely on his past success. Unfortunately, while his speed figures were still good, Casterly Rock had slowed a step with age, and he entered the Breeders' Bowl with three off the board finishes. He never threatened, tiring to finish twelfth, and was given a well deserved retirement after that. Still, on his best day, at 6 panels sprinting on the dirt, no one could touch him, and his feat of back to back Breeders' Bowl wins a remarkable one. Toss in a win and a second in the Sand Castle Golden Sprint, and you had a horse who brought his all on game day, and that is what Casterly Rock will be best remembered for, and earned him one final accolade: induction into the Hall of Fame. Finally, as of this writing, Casterly Rock’s daughter, Golden Lioness (by A.P. Indy), has won four times, with, in one of those twists of the game, a decided preference for routing. |
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