David Pipe 'heartbroken' after death of Grade 1-winning hurdler Adagio

Tom Scudamore has paid tribute to Grade 1-winning hurdler Adagio, who died after suffering a heart attack on the gallops on Thursday morning.

The five-year-old rose to the top level to land the Finale Juvenile Hurdle at Chepstow in January 2021 before finishing second at the Cheltenham Festival and Aintree's Grand National meeting that same season.

The David Pipe-trained gelding was due to run in Saturday's Club Godolphin Cesarewitch for which he was second favourite.

Pipe tweeted: "It is with enormous sadness I have to report that Adagio has suffered a fatal heart attack on the gallops this morning. His owners and everyone at Pond House are beyond heartbroken."

Adagio earned £140,698 in prize-money, winning four of his 13 races and finishing runner-up six times in a career spanning three seasons.

Adagio (right) finished under a length from West Cork in the 2021 Greatwood HurdleCredit: Alan Crowhurst / Getty Images

He moved from France in 2020 and in all ten starts in Britain he was ridden by Scudamore, who paid tribute to one of the leading stars of Pipe's Somerset yard.

"He was a cracking horse and a pleasure to have anything to do with," Scudamore said. "He was one of the flagship horses at Pond House and he gave us all an awful lot of joy.

"Not only did he win his Grade 1 at Chepstow, he competed well at Cheltenham, Aintree and Punchestown and gave Caroline, Bryan and the partners involved many happy days. He's going to be sorely missed."

Arc-winning rider Luke Morris was due to partner Adagio in the £200,000 heritage handicap on Saturday. Priced up at 25-1 in August, he had been backed into 6-1 by Thursday morning.

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