The death of emerging young sire Northern Meteor will leave a void in the Australian breeding industry that will be hard to replace, prominent racing figures said on Wednesday.
Rated one of the brightest stallion prospects for many years, Northern Meteor died suddenly from a colic attack at Widden Stud in the lower NSW Hunter Valley on Tuesday night.
“He was a strong and noble horse that made a lasting impression on all who knew him and to say we are shattered here would be an understatement, ” Widden’s Antony Thompson said in a statement.
Northern Meteor was locked in a season-long battle with Widden barn mate Sebring for champion first-season sire honours and clinched the title with his 18th Australian winner at Warwick Farm on Wednesday.
Tarangower overcame inexperience to win the Become An ATC Sponsor Handicap (1400m).
“His death is a terrible loss for the farm and for the Australian breeding industry in general,” Tarangower’s trainer Paul Messara said.
“He looked like being a wonderful outcross sire.”
Gai Waterhouse, who trained Northern Meteor during his breakthrough season of racing as a three-year-old, said the acclaimed sprinter had the makings of a breed-shaping sire.
“It’s terribly sad for his owner Mr Cojuangco and Gooree Stud but I’ll be doing my best to find a horse to replace him,” she said.
Waterhouse trains Northern Meteor’s Group One-winning son, the Gooree-owned Romantic Touch.
Romantic Touch led home a Group One quinella for his sire in beating Zoustar in the J J Atkins Stakes during the Brisbane winter carnival.
Northern Meteor survived a bout of colic 18 months ago and as a well-performed son of champion sire Encosta De Lago was well on the way to becoming one of Australia’s most sought-after stallions.
“At a time when we expected to be sharing and celebrating his success and achievements as champion first-season sire with our many clients and friends, we are instead mourning his death and wondering what might have been,” Thompson said.
Northern Meteor was retired from racing after a largely unsuccessful 2009 autumn carnival.
But his future as a sire had already been sealed as the winner of the Group One Coolmore Stud Stakes and the holder of short-course track records at Randwick and Canterbury.
Turning eight on Thursday, Northern Meteor was due to stand at a $27,500 service fee for this year’s breeding season.
