Vale, Dual Cox Plate Hero So You Think

Tara Madgwick - Monday Oct 20

In Cox Plate week when we remember some of the all time great Cox Plate winners, So You Think is a name that will always come into the conversation with tragic news from Coolmore on Monday announcing his sudden passing. 

So You Think - RIP 2006 - 2025

Coolmore statement - It is with great sadness 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.

So You Think was described by his trainer Bart Cummings as “perfection on four legs, you don’t get any better than him, he is the finest, most genuine horse I have ever trained”.

The striking son of High Chaparral and two-time Cox Plate winner was purchased by Duncan Ramage for NZ$110,000 on behalf of Dato Tan Chin Nam at the NZB Karaka Yearling Sale.

A 5-time Group 1 winner on both continents for both Bart Cummings and Aidan O’Brien, he will long be remembered as one of the all-time-greats.

Advertisement

“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.”

So You Think is a sire that will be remembered for his remarkable consistency, finishing in the top 10 on the sires table for each of the last 5 seasons and coming second to I Am Invincible on two occasions.

He is already responsible for 12 individual Group 1 winners, but with the likes of Revelare, Getta Good Feeling, Oh Diamond Lil and Saturday’s Group 3 winner Diamond Scene to continue to run for him, this figure looks set to continue to climb well into the future.

Advertisment
More Reading...
New French SW for Almanzor
Cambridge Stud’s Almanzor (Fr) added a new stakes-winner to his tally in France on Sunday when progressive three year-old filly Lameloise landed the Listed Prix Vulcain (2500m) at Saint Cloud.
G1 Aussie Pedigree Watch –Newly Minted
Pedigree does matter if you want to be winning races longer than 1200m, although in an interesting twist a colt bred on face value for speed is in fact from the family of Zabeel.
Remembering Northerly – The Greatest Caulfield Cup Winner This Century
It's Caulfield Cup week, and what better moment to revisit the life and times of one of the greatest - if not the greatest - Caulfield Cup winner of the modern era.
Inglis Digital Purchase Iron Hawk to Tackle G3 TAB Mile
Harness racing trainer Barry Purdon bought Iron Hawk last year with New Zealand Cup Week in mind, and now the moment has arrived, with the stakes performer set to tackle the Gr.3 TAB Mile (1600m) at Riccarton on Wednesday.
Waikato Stud Celebrate Flemington Double
Waikato Stud principal Mark Chittick had hoped to have two runners in Saturday’s Gr.2 Matriarch Stakes (2000m) at Flemington, but a change of plans ultimately delivered a memorable double for the Matamata nursery.
Sires With Winners - Monday November 9
Here is the full list of 20 stallions which had winners throughout Australasia today with winners and result details.
One to Watch – Mornington
A homebred for Seymour Bloodstock with an intriguing pedigree opened her account with a stylish win at Mornington on Tuesday.
Unraced First Season Sires Trial Report
It’s been a pretty steady start to spring in terms of 2YO races and we are still waiting to see a first season sire post a winner, but there has been action aplenty at the trials which would indicate the pre-Christmas period is set to ignite.
Haras d'Etreham Set Fee for Hotazhell
Triple Group I winner Hotazhell will begin his stallion career at Haras d'Etreham in France at a fee of €15,000 next year before then shuttling to Widden Stud in Australia.
Remembering Sunline – The Queen of the Cox Plate Before Winx
From our vantage point in 2026, we can look back at modern Cox Plate history and marvel at how quickly the years are passing.