Causeway's sibling Freud making a name for himself with Sharp Azteca

Sadler's Wells and Fairy King, Galileo and Sea The Stars, Vice Regent and Viceregal, Graustark and His Majesty. The collection of brothers who have exerted an influence on the breed is quite a sizeable one and something that has no doubt prompted various stallion masters to take a chance on a lesser sibling of a successful horse.

One such example is Freud, the second foal out of that remarkable mare Mariah's Storm. The son of Storm Cat didn't come close to assuming the elite racetrack standing of his brother Giant's Causeway, the 'Iron Horse' who swept the St. James's Palace Stakes, Eclipse Stakes, Sussex Stakes, Juddmonte International and Irish Champion Stakes of 2000, and has lived in his shadow at stud.

But he is a more than capable sire, as we were reminded again on Saturday when his son Sharp Azteca romped in the Grade 1 Cigar Mile at Aqueduct. It was the colt's first win at the top level although in fairness, he has performed creditably at Grade 1 level throughout the year, notably when second to Battle Of Midway in the Breeders' Cup Dirt Mile.