Comparisons between the racing and stud careers of the late Giant’s Causeway and Declaration of War are inevitable. Both won Group 1’s at a mile and 1 ¼ miles in Europe, and then ended their racing careers with wholly honorable narrow defeats in the Breeders’ Cup Classic. Both stood their first seasons at stud at Coolmore’s Irish headquarters before being transferred to their American home at Ashford Stud. Those parallel lives took another step in tandem last weekend when Olmedo, from the first Irish-sired crop of Declaration of War, won the French 2,000 Guineas equivalent, the Group 1 Poule d’Essai des Poulains, emulating the victory of Shamardal, from the first crop of Giant’s Causeway, in the same race 13 years ago. To say the least, the Coolmore conglomerate will be more than happy if those parallels extend to Giant’s Causeway’s three American sire championships and Shamardal’s highly successful stud career as well. Bred in Kentucky by War Front’s owner-breeder Joe Allen, Declaration of War was the horse that propelled War Front to international stardom as a stallion. Declaration of War’s dam, Tempo West, by Gone West, was a half-sister to Belmont Stakes winner Union Rags, who was by Dixie Union and born the same year as Declaration of War. Before Declaration of War was born, Tempo West was already the dam of Vertiformer, by Dynaformer and a listed winner in France, and the following year she produced Declaration of War’s younger full brother War Correspondent, who won two Grade 3’s in the U.S. Declaration of War’s third dam, multiple graded winner Terpsichorist, by Nijinsky II, was a daughter of champion and 1,000 Guineas winner Glad Rags, by High Hat and who was imported to the U.S. by Mr. and Mrs. James P. Mills in the 1960s. It is also the family of U.S. and French champion Stacelita, by Monsun. :: DRF BREEDING LIVE: Real-time coverage of breeding and sales Declaration of War won both his starts at 2, both in France for trainer Jean-Claude Rouget, before Allen sold an interest in the colt to the Coolmore partners. He captured two of his three starts at 3, all in Ireland for Aidan O’Brien, including the Group 3 Diamond Stakes, but did not reveal his full merit until his victory in the Group 1 Queen Anne at Royal Ascot as a 4-year-old. He followed up with another Group 1 win in the 10-furlong Juddmonte International, before taking on America’s best in the 2013 Breeders’ Cup Classic. Declaration of War closed determinedly on Mucho Macho Man all the way to the wire, but finished third, beaten a head with Will Take Charge in second. Declaration of War sired 124 named foals in his first crop of 2-year-olds, which raced last year, led by Group 3 Anglesey Stakes winner Actress (out of Nasty Storm, by Gulch), English listed winner Eirene (Za Za Zoom, by Le Vie dei Colori), and Pulpit Stakes winner Speed Franco (Nabat Seif, by Street Sense). Speed Franco has followed up this year with a victory in the Grade 3 Dania Beach Stakes at Gulfstream. Declaration of War also shuttled to Australia from 2014 to 2016, but his first Antipodean 2-year-olds have yet to make an impression this year. Olmedo did his part last year, winning his first start before running second in the Group 2 Prix des Chenes and Group 1 Prix Jean-Luc Lagardere. Second in the Group 3 Prix de Fontainebleau in his first start this year, he became his sire’s first top-level winner in the Poule d’Essai. Bred in France by Dream With Me Stables, Olmedo is the second foal out of the winning Pivotal mare Super Pie, whose only other reported foal, Super Mac, by Makfi, has won 5 of 32 starts. Super Pie is half-sister to Group 2-placed Art Contemporain, by Peintre Celebre and whose dam, Super Lina, by Linamix, ran second in the Group 2 Prix Penelope. Super Lina was half-sister to Group 2 Prix Noailles winner Super Celebre, by Peintre Celebre and whose dam, Supergirl, by Woodman, was half-sister to American champion grass horse Steinlen, by Habitat, and three other stakes winners, all descending from the champion German mare Schonbrunn, by Pantheon. Rouget, who trained the winner of the Poule d’Essai for the second consecutive year, purchased Olmedo on behalf of Antonio Caro and Gerard Augustin-Normand for 100,000 euros (about $113,000) at the 2016 Arqana Deauville August yearling sale from the consignment of Eric Puerari and Michel Zerolo’s Haras des Capucines.  Olmedo’s pedigree is an outcross within the first three generations but carries the obligatory three crosses of both Northern Dancer and Mr. Prospector in the fourth, fifth and sixth generations.