The highly promising Stanhope Gardens, who finished fifth in the Derby, has died following a freak accident on the gallops.
Trained by Ralph Beckett, the three-year-old had progressed well in just six starts. He lost out to Delacroix by a neck as a juvenile in the Group 3 Autumn Stakes and produced a career best when finishing fifth behind Lambourn in the Epsom Classic.
Stanhope Gardens had not been seen since late July when he ran in the York Stakes and was due to make his return to action this weekend.
The son of Ghaiyyath was owned by Marc Chan and New Chelsea, a syndicate founded by the late Richard Morecombe and continued by Emma Spencer.
“It was a freak accident on the gallop, which is unfortunate as we never got to see the real him,” Spencer said.
“It’s a great shame. He was always held in high regard and I think he was better than his fifth in the Derby.
“He was meant to come back to run at Ayr on Saturday. I think he was better than what we saw, but unfortunately we didn’t get to see that.”
Spencer added: “It’s very upsetting for anyone who had anything to do with him, especially for Ralph and his team. He was a lovely, kind horse and it’s never nice to see these things happen to any animal.”
Published on 17 September 2025inBritain
Last updated 16:19, 17 September 2025