obituary

Group 1 winner Pastoral Pursuits (GB) (Bahamian Bounty {GB}-Star {GB}, by Most Welcome {GB}) passed away after covering a mare at Norton Grove Stud on Tuesday. The 2005 G1 July Cup winner was 20. "It is with great sadness we have to say we lost Pastoral Pursuits yesterday," Christina Pople, daughter of Richard and Maggie Lingwood of Norton Grove Stud, announced via Twitter. "Sadly, he died after covering a mare due to a rupture in a major vessel in his chest, a symptom of his age. We are all deeply...

Retired trainer Robert Armstrong passed away on Feb. 5 after a brief illness, reported Racing Post. He was 77. A trainer of champions Moorestyle (GB) (Manacle {GB}) and Never So Bold (GB) (Bold Lad {Ire}), Armstrong trained from his Newmarket base of St Gatien Stables for 27 years until 2000. He was a third-generation trainer after his father and grandfather. In total, his horses won 13 Group 1 races. Sheikh Hamdan utilised Armstrong as a trainer for approximately 15 years until his retirement. One of the notable winners in the...

Kurofune (French Deputy-Blue Avenue, by Classic Go Go) passed away at the age of 23 according to the JRA. The grey died on Jan. 17 at Shadai Stallion Station after he had been pensioned for several years. "Kurofune died due to old age," said Shadai's Eisuke Tokutake to www.hochi.news. "The horse had not been feeling well the past two months and passed on Jan. 17. He was a multi-purpose sire and had excellent results regardless of turf or dirt, and he was popular as a stallion and worked hard for...

Retired trainer Ralph Biszantz passed away Tuesday in Ocala, Florida after a brief battle with melanoma. Biszantz was 78. His death was confirmed by his brother, owner and breeder Gary Biszantz. "He was living in Ocala and he had a couple of ex-race horses that he took care of," Gary Biszantz said. "The cancer came on him pretty quickly. It only took about three months and the melanoma spread through his lungs. It was a sad way to go, but he wasn't in a lot of pain. It was a...

David Thompson CBE, the owner with his wife Patricia of Cheveley Park Stud in Newmarket, died on Dec. 29 from renal failure at the age of 84. A proudly patriotic man whose numerous successful racehorses sported the stud's red, white and blue colours, Thompson's significant involvement in British racing and breeding began in 1975 with his purchase of Newmarket's oldest stud farm, which was then in receivership. That same year Music Boy (GB), trained initially in Yorkshire by 'Snowy' Wainwright, became the Thompsons' first Group winner, in partnership with Ken...

Kenny LeJeune, a highly respected horseman who operated a training center in Ocala for many years, succumbed to cancer last week at age 60. Donations in his honor can be made to the PDJF or any horse aftercare organization. His wife Carey LeJeune wrote the following tribute. The racing world just lost a fan. Ken LeJeune died at home Friday, Dec. 4 after a brief illness. In his 40-plus year career, he was a jockey, trainer, bloodstock agent and all things in between; but always A FAN. He quietly went...

Bob Hess, Sr., who began training in the late 1950s and saddled his last horses in November, passed away Saturday due to the effects of COVID-19. He was 86. Golden Gate Fields, where Hess was based, was closed in mid-November and is not set to reopen until after Christmas due to a rash of COVID positives. Hess was hospitalized with the virus around the same time the track was closed, eventually released, and then readmitted when his symptoms returned. According to The Stronach Group, owner of Golden Gate, Hess was...

James C. Brady, a longtime Thoroughbred owner and breeder and officer of The Jockey Club, passed away at his home in Bedminster, N.J., Thursday, Oct. 22. He was 85. On behalf of his brother, Nicholas Brady, a former chairman of The Jockey Club, U.S. Senator, and Treasury Secretary, and sisters Lisa Richards and Eliot Stewart, Brady managed Mill House Racing Stable, which raced prominent runners America Alive (American Chance), Brilliant (War Chant), Trappe Shot (Tapit), and Rattlesnake Bridge (Tapit). Born in New York, N.Y., to parents James C. and Eliot...

Christopher Beau Greely, a fourth-generation trainer with deep Kentucky ties, passed away Sept. 30 in Redondo Beach, Calif., after a short illness. He was 49. A Kentucky native, Greely, who went by his middle name, had long-time roots in the horse business. With his brother, John J. Greely IV, who passed away earlier this year at 54, Greely founded Wintergreen Stallion Station. His father, John "Bud" Greely III, owned Wintergreen Farm near Midway, Ky. Their uncle, Bill Greely, was president of Keeneland from 1986-2000. Greely worked for Criquette Head in...

Pat Smullen, Irish Champion Jockey nine times throughout his career, passed away on the evening of Sept.15 at St Vincent's Hopsital in Dublin, Ireland. Diagnosed with pancreatic cancer in March of 2018, he was 43. Smullen began riding out as an apprentice for Tom Lacy, and made an immediate impact, being named champion apprentice both in 1995 and 1996. He also rode for Joanna Morgan and after serving his apprenticeship, Smullen rode for various other trainers, including John Oxx, and Tommy Stack before joining forces as first call rider for...

Four-time highweighted Muhtathir (GB) (Elmaamul-Majmu, by Al Nasr {Fr}), who won twice at the highest level for Godolphin, has passed away from the infirmities of old age, Shadwell Stud announced on Tuesday. The 25-year-old chestnut was bred and raced by Shadwell and trained by John Gosden through his 3-year-old season, where he claimed the G2 Celebration Mile. He was also second in the G1 French 2000 Guineas.  For the rest of his career he bore the silks of Godolphin and was trained by Saeed bin Suroor to victories in the...

Antoine Bozo, who formerly managed Haras du Mezeray for almost 30 years, passed away on Saturday night, his son Henri Bozo announced via Twitter on Sunday morning. He was 83. "Our dear father Antoine Bozo passed away last night," Henri Bozo tweeted on Sunday morning. "He had a beautiful life. He loved his family. He loved horses and horseracing and made many friends during his beautiful career." Prior to working at Mezeray, Bozo was part of the team at Haras du Bois Roussel for Count Gerald Moulins de Rochefort. Eventually,...