Kentucky Derby pedigree profile: Brody's Cause
Brody’s Cause
Giant’s Causeway – Sweet Breanna, by Sahm
($350,000 purchase by Albaugh Family Stables at 2014 Keeneland September yearling sale)
Trainer Dale Romans calls Blue Grass Stakes winner Brody’s Cause a “prototype” Kentucky Derby horse – and the Giant’s Causeway colt certainly has the class in his pedigree to back it up.
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Brody’s Cause is out of the late Sweet Breanna, whose sire, Sahm, is best known for siring Breeders’ Cup Juvenile Fillies Turf winner Maram. Sweet Breanna was second in both the Woodbine Oaks and Bison City Stakes – the first two legs of the Canadian Triple Tiara. The mare is the dam of two winners from as many starters, with Brody’s Cause joined by the stakes-placed Midnight Sweetie. Sweet Breanna was out of the Grade 2 winner Sweet Roberta, who finished second in the Breeders’ Cup Juvenile Fillies. She produced the stakes winner Jah, stakes-placed Elshabiba, and stakes producers Rihan, Yaqootah, and Tiz Maie’s Day. The latter produced Went the Day Well, the winner of the Grade 3 Spiral Stakes and fourth in the 2012 Kentucky Derby. The same branch of the family produced Atigun, who was third in the 2012 Belmont Stakes and the Breeders’ Cup Marathon.
Sweet Breanna’s fourth dam, the stakes winner Speedwell, is a half-sister to Somethingroyal, the dam of Secretariat. It is also the family of Grade 1 winner and sire Cure the Blues.
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Perennial leading sire Giant’s Causeway has yet to sire a U.S. classic winner, with his best result in the series the third-place finish by Creative Cause in the 2012 Preakness Stakes. The stallion has two strong Derby contenders this year in Brody’s Cause and Tampa Bay Derby winner Destin.
Giant’s Causeway, a European Horse of the Year, has sired champions in seven countries, led by 2014 Breeders’ Cup Juvenile Fillies winner Take Charge Brandi, European classic winner Shamardal, and Canadian classic winner Irish Mission.