Owner-breeder Countess of Lonsdale dies aged 75

Caroline, Countess of Lonsdale, who jointly bred last year's Group 1 Flying Five Stakes winner Havana Grey, has died following a long illness at the age of 75.

A long-standing owner, often in partnership with former BHB chairman Peter Savill, Lady Lonsdale had been a prominent owner for many years. She secured Royal Ascot success with Marouble in the 1985 Norfolk Stakes with trainer Charlie Nelson.

Lady Lonsdale's colours were often seen under the Lowther Racing banner, whose white and yellow silks with red cap were carried to success by many smart performers, often fillies.

In later years Mark Johnston trained several of Lady Lonsdale's horses, and he said on Sunday: "We did not know her all that long, perhaps three or four years, and she had been ill for all of that time. But we had a runner at Wolverhampton on Monday and our travelling head man spoke to her then. We had no idea that she was quite so unwell at that stage and it has still come as a bit of a shock."

He added: "We had some great days even in our relatively short time together – we had two black-type winners in France and Germany. It's very sad news."

Those two winners were Izzy Bizu, who won the Listed Prix Six Perfections at Deauville in 2017, and Peach Melba, who made all in the Listed Grosser Preis des Gestut Haus Zoppenbroich at Hanover that same autumn.

Perhaps Lady Lonsdale's greatest legacy will be with a horse she did not own. Havana Grey, trained by Karl Burke, was the leading light of Havana Gold's first crop of three-year-olds in 2018.

As well as the Flying Five, he won the Group 2 Sapphire Stakes last year and the Group 3 Molecomb Stakes at two. He is about to begin stallion duties at Whitsbury Manor Stud in Hampshire, where he will stand this year for £8,000.

His dam Blanc De Chine resides with the Countess's other mares at Mickley Stud in Shropshire – owned by Richard Kent, Havana Grey's other joint-breeder – and is in foal to Teofilo.

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