So You Think


So You Think ia a New Zealand-bred Thoroughbred racehorse, now majority owned by Coolmore Stud of Ireland. So You Think came to prominence through winning the 2009 and 2010 Cox Plates, Australia's premier weight for age race. His first Cox Plate win was at only his fifth career start. His second Cox Plate win came at just his tenth career start. He started as favourite for the 2010 Melbourne Cup but finished third, in his first race past 2,040 metres. So You Think was inducted into the Australian Racing Hall of Fame in 2019.

Background

He was bred by M J Moran & Piper Farm Ltd and foaled at the Windsor Park Stud in Cambridge, New Zealand. So You Think was purchased for $NZ110,000 at the 2008 New Zealand Bloodstock Premier Yearling Sale on behalf of Malaysian billionaire Dato Tan Chin Nam and Tunku Ahmad Yahaya and was trained by Bart Cummings.
He was sired by the Irish-bred Epsom Derby winner High Chaparral out of Triassic, a New Zealand-bred daughter of the American stallion Tights. Although officially a bay, So You Think is a dark brown horse, sometimes appearing almost black.
Southern Hemisphere horses have their official birthday on 1 August, while in the Northern Hemisphere, the date is 1 January. This leads to some confusion concerning So You Think's age. Between 1 January and 1 August 2011, he was a four-year-old by Australian reckoning, but was regarded as a five-year-old in Europe. A similar discrepancy occurred in 2012.

Racing career

2008–2010: two and three-year-old seasons in Australia

So You Think had won two of his four starts before the 2009 Cox Plate, including a Group 3 against his fellow three-year-olds, and earned a start in the Cox Plate with a solid finish for fifth in the Caulfield Guineas. There was some debate on whether the horse had achieved enough to warrant a start in the Cox Plate, but the Moonee Valley Racing Club decided that he was up to the challenge. He won the Cox Plate in convincing style, leading all the way to win by 2½ lengths in a fast time of 2:03.98. So You Think followed up his Cox Plate win with a second in the Emirates Stakes two weeks later, in his last race as a three-year-old.

2010–2011: four-year-old season in Australia

The horse resumed racing as a four-year-old in August 2010 with a win in the Memsie Stakes, beating several of Australia's top gallopers and making him the early favourite for the 2010 Cox Plate. Group One wins in the Underwood Stakes and the Yalumba Stakes meant he started odds-on for the Cox Plate, with many people labeling him as one of the best horses to ever race in Australia. He won the 2010 Cox Plate in convincing style with Steven Arnold as jockey. A week later the horse was untroubled in winning the Group 1 Mackinnon Stakes. He came third in the Melbourne Cup behind Maluckyday and winner Americain. After the race Coolmore Stud reportedly paid A$25 million for a majority interest in So You Think deciding to race the horse in Europe and to be trained by Aidan O'Brien.

2011: five-year-old season in Europe

So You Think made his European debut in the Group 3 Mooresbridge Stakes at the Curragh Racecourse on 2 May 2011, winning by 12 lengths in a field of five. He made it two from two with victory in the Group 1 Tattersalls Gold Cup at the Curragh on 22 May. Trainer Aidan O'Brien said of his four-and-a-half-length success: "He's incredible - a different creature to what we've ever seen before." He was clear favourite in The Prince of Wales at Ascot 2011, with Willie Carson famously claiming you should 'bet your house' on him five minutes before the race. However, he was pipped by Rewilding, ridden by Frankie Dettori. Dettori was later suspended for nine days for excessive use of the whip on Rewilding. Huge bets had been placed on So You Think, with one punter putting on ninety thousand pounds on the morning of the race. He bounced back on his next outing, in the Eclipse Stakes at Sandown, winning by a half length from 2010 Derby and Arc winner Workforce.
Following an eight-week spell, So You Think resumed racing again in the Irish Champion Stakes, where he gained a half-length victory over multiple Group One winner Snow Fairy. A month later he ran fourth in the Prix de l'Arc de Triomphe behind the German filly Danedream, who won in track record time. So You Think's third run as a five-year-old was in the British Champion Stakes at Ascot on 15 October. He started the race as favourite and went to the front with 400 metres to run but finished second when the French horse Cirrus des Aigles stormed home to win a neck to neck run. He then contested the Breeders' Cup Classic, where he ran sixth in his first race on dirt.

2012: six-year-old season in Europe

Following a spell of five months, during which he became a six-year-old by Northern Hemisphere reckoning he returned to racing in the Dubai World Cup, where he came fourth in his first run on Tapeta. On his return to Europe, So You Think took the Tattersalls Gold Cup for the second time, beating Famous Name by six lengths on 27 May. In June he returned to Royal Ascot for a second attempt at the Prince of Wales's Stakes. Starting 4/5 favourite against ten opponents, he took the lead two furlongs from the finish and won by two and a quarter lengths from the Queen's colt Carlton House. So You Think was scheduled to make his final appearance in the Eclipse Stakes at Sandown on 7 May, but was withdrawn after being found to be lame two days before the race.

Race record

ResultDateRaceVenueGroupDistanceWeight JockeyWinner/2nd
2nd5 Sep 2009Ming Dynasty QualityRandwickLR1400 m53G. Schofield1st - More Than Great
Won19 Sep 2009Gloaming StakesRosehillG31800 m56.5H. Bowman2nd - Gathering
5th10 Oct 2009Caulfield GuineasCaulfieldG11600 m55.5M. Rodd1st - Starspangledbanner
Won24 Oct 2009W S Cox PlateMoonee ValleyG12040 m49.5G. Boss2nd - Manhattan Rain
2nd7 Nov 2009Emirates StakesFlemingtonG11600 m53.5G. Boss1st - All American

ResultDateRaceVenueGroupDistanceWeight JockeyWinner/2nd
Won28 Aug 2010Memsie StakesCaulfieldG21400 m58.5S. Arnold2nd - Whobegotyou
Won18 Sep 2010Underwood StakesCaulfieldG11800 m58S. Arnold2nd - Dariana
Won9 Oct 2010Yalumba StakesCaulfieldG12000 m58S. Arnold2nd - Alcopop
Won23 Oct 2010W S Cox PlateMoonee ValleyG12040 m57.5S. Arnold2nd - Zipping
Won30 Oct 2010Mackinnon StakesFlemingtonG12000 m58S. Arnold2nd - Descarado
3rd2 Nov 2010Melbourne CupFlemingtonG13200 m56S. Arnold1st - Americain

ResultDateRaceVenueGroupDistanceWeightJockeyWinner/2nd
Won2 May 2011Mooresbridge StakesCurraghG32000 m60S. Heffernan2nd - Bob le Beau
Won22 May 2011Tattersalls Gold CupCurraghG12100 m57.5R. Moore2nd - Campanologist
2nd15 Jun 2011Prince of Wales's StakesAscotG12000 m57R. Moore1st - Rewilding
Won2 Jul 2011Eclipse StakesSandown ParkG12000 m60.5S. Heffernan2nd - Workforce
Won3 Sep 2011Irish Champion StakesLeopardstownG12000 m60.5 kgS. Heffernan2nd - Snow Fairy
4th2 Oct 2011Prix de l'Arc de TriompheLongchampG12400 m59.5 kgS. Heffernan1st - Danedream
2nd15 Oct 2011British Champion StakesAscotG12000 m129 lbR. Moore1st - Cirrus des Aigles
6th5 Nov 2011Breeders' Cup ClassicChurchill DownsG11¼ miles126 lbR. Moore1st - Drosselmeyer

ResultDateRaceVenueGroupDistanceWeightJockeyWinner/2nd
4th31 Mar 2012Dubai World CupMeydanG12000m126 lbJ. O' Brien1st - Monterosso
Won27 May 2012Tattersalls Gold CupCurraghG12100 m129 lbJ. O' Brien2nd - Famous Name
Won20 June 2012Prince of Wales's StakesAscotG12000 m126 lbJ. O' Brien2nd - Carlton House

Stud Record

So You Think serves as a shuttle stallion in both the Southern and Northern Hemispheres for Coolmore Stud.
He has currently sired 6 individual Group 1 winners:

Notable progeny

c = colt, f = filly, g = gelding''

Honours

So You Think was rated equal Champion Intermediate Turf Performer in the 2010 World Thoroughbred Rankings along with Rip Van Winkle and Cape Blanco, by the International Federation of Horse Authorities. He was also rated Champion Extended Distance Performer for his 3rd in the 2010 Melbourne Cup.

Pedigree