The much respected British national hunt stallion Midnight Legend (GB) (Night Shift–Myth I {GB}, by Troy {GB}) has died at the age of 25. Originally trained by Luca Cumani for whom he won the Listed March S. at Goodwood, he then embarked on a jumping career under the care of the late David 'Duke' Nicholson where he amassed important wins at both the Aintree and Punchestown festivals. He was bought by David and Kathleen Holmes of Pitchall Farm in 2001 and when his stock began to reach the racecourse it was clear he was upgrading his mares to produce tough, willing, classy racehorses.
“We're very upset–he's irreplaceable and it's the end of an era,” said Kathleen Holmes. “Midnight was an absolute gentleman and had never given us any trouble–so when the first thing he did this morning was refuse his feed, we knew there was a problem. His stock are tough, so genuine and just never give up trying. He also had a great record with his daughters, so if your mare had a filly there wasn't any disappointment.”
Sadly, as is often the case with national hunt stallions, they often pass away before their best stock reach the racecourse, but Midnight Legend has already sired a Grade 1 winner courtesy of Sizing John (Ire), winner of the G1 Future Champions Novice Hurdle at Leopardstown in 2014.
Not a subscriber? Click here to sign up for the daily PDF or alerts.
