Former Irish National Stud stallion Worthadd dies in France aged 13

Worthadd, a champion three-year-old colt in Italy and runner-up in the Lockinge Stakes who formerly stood at the Irish National Stud, died in France on Sunday aged 13.

The son of Dubawi suffered a ruptured aorta in the abdomen at Haras de Longechaux near Besancon in eastern France, according to a statement in German by his joint-owner Marcel Bargmann.

“His fate is particularly hard to accept, as the first foals that Worthadd gave us this season were particularly promising,” he added.

“The sire also had a very good reception from breeders in Germany and Switzerland at his new base at Longechaux. It seemed that he had finally made it and had a bright future ahead of him.”

Worthadd was bred by Compagnia Generale and was originally trained in Italy by Vittorio Caruso, for whom he won the Premio Parioli, Derby Italiano and Premio Ribot to be crowned Italy's champion three-year-old colt of 2010.

He found only Canford Cliffs too good in the Juddmonte International and won the Premio Carlo Vittadini back on home turf at four, before joining Sir Mark Prescott at five.

His best efforts that season were an impressive victory in the Badener Meile at Baden-Baden and finishing a neck second in the Meilen-Trophy at Hanover.

Worthadd spent the first five seasons of his stallion career at the Irish National Stud, before moving to Haras de Gelos in France in 2019 and then on to Longechaux this year.

Despite his first crop being aged five he has been represented by relatively few runners in Britain and Ireland, and his best performer is four-time Desert Wind, who holds a peak Racing Post Rating of 104.

On the international scene he provided last year's Czech 2,000 Guineas winner and Derby third Ignacius Reilly from his second crop.

He enjoyed a brief flicker of fame closer to home when his first-crop son Bustam topped the Tattersalls Ireland Ascot Breeze-Up Sale in 2017 at £130,000.

Worthadd was out of the winning Rahy mare Wigman, a maternal granddaughter of Kentucky Oaks heroine and blue hen White Star Line – also ancestress of Group 1 winners Preseli and Valley Of Gold.

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