Leading Australia sire So You Think dies at age 19

Monday, Coolmore announced the death of 10-time Group 1 winner and leading sire So You Think, after succumbing to a short illness.

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 US$85,481 on behalf of Dato Tan Chin Nam at the NZB Karaka yearling sale. A five-time Group 1 winner in both Europe and Australia for both Bart Cummings and Aidan O’Brien, he also raced once in the United States, finishing fifth behind Drosselmeyer in the 2011 Breeders' Cup Classic.

"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," Coolmore's Tom Magnier said. "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 will also be remembered for his consistency as a sire, finishing in the top 10 on the sires table for each of the last five seasons and coming second to I Am Invincible on two occasions. He is already responsible for 12 individual Group 1 winners. With the likes of Revelare, Getta Good Feeling, Oh Diamond Lil and Saturday’s Group 3 winner Diamond Scene still in training, this figure may climb well into the future.