By Eamon Doggett

Copyright irishmirror

It did not take long for Wootton Bassett’s progeny to demonstrate why the stallion will be a huge loss to the breeding industry.

Breeding giants Coolmore announced on Tuesday that their star stallion had died in Australia at the age of 17 after developing pneumonia.

And, in poignant scenes, the prolific stallion’s only runner in the first race at Listowel on Tuesday afternoon duly did the business in some style.

Aidan O’Brien’s unraced Straight Up, sired by Wootton Bassett and out of a Galileo mare, was sent off the 9/4 favourite for the WTW Willis Irish EBF Maiden at the Kerry venue.

After travelling well in the hands of Wayne Lordan the two-year-old sprinted away from his stablemate King of Sparta in the closing stage to win by three lengths.

It was a timely victory that underlined the loss to breeding giants Coolmore of their best stallion since Galileo.

Chris Armstrong, part of O’Brien’s Ballydoyle operation, said: “The news was out early on social media this morning and, obviously, he is a massive loss. When you look at the few years he has been at Coolmore, what he achieved was astronomical and we were fortunate to have so many nice ones by him.

“His progeny have engines, minds and have everything. There are obviously more crops to come, but his death is a massive blow to the whole team. To lose your star is a big one and he was the ultimate. We have to look forward now, so hopefully there are a few more stars to replace him at stud.”

Wootton Bassett was unbeaten as a two-year-old for Richard Fahey, concluding his juvenile campaign by landing the Group One Prix Jean-Luc Lagardere at ParisLongchamp in 2010.

That was to be his final victory on the racecourse and he was retired to stud the following year, finding tremendous success as a sire for the last 14 years.

In a statement on X, Coolmore Australia said: “Wootton Bassett, one of the world’s great sires, has sadly passed away today at Coolmore Australia having suffered from choke and subsequently developing an acute pneumonia which deteriorated rapidly.

“Despite round-the-clock care from a dedicated team of vets, overseen by Dr Nathan Slovis from Hagyard Equine Medical Institute in Kentucky, he was unable to be saved.

“Wootton Bassett’s story as a sire is a unique one. Nicolas de Chambure got him off to an incredible start at Haras d’Etreham in France before he was acquired by Coolmore in 2020.

“In his time at Coolmore he developed into a world-class sire, with 25 stakes winners and six Group One winners from his current two and three-year-old crops conceived in Ireland. Included amongst these are multiple Group One-winning sons Camille Pissaro and Henri Matisse as well as this season’s multiple Group One-winning filly, Whirl.

“His current two-year-old crop in Europe already includes six Group winners. Albert Einstein, who defeated subsequent Group One winner Power Blue in the Group Three Marble Hill Stakes, is considered by both Aidan O’Brien and Ryan Moore to be one of the best two-year-olds ever seen in Ballydoyle.

“Two more colts, Constitution River and Puerto Rico, have won Group Two races in recent weeks while a pair of fillies, Composing and Beautify, both scored at the same level.”