Geoff Turnbull MBE, who with his wife Sandra raced horses of the calibre of Group 1 winners Mondialiste (Ire) (Galileo {Ire}) and Lord Glitters (Fr) (Whipper), has passed away after a short illness, Elwick Stud announced in a statement via Twitter on Thursday. The proprietor of Elwick Stud in County Durham was 74.
The statement read, “Elwick Stud is deeply saddened by the passing of our much loved CEO Geoff Turnbull MBE after a short battle with illness. Black armbands will be worn during racing today as a mark of respect for Mr. Turnbull, who was a great ambassador for northern racing. We ask that the privacy of the family is respected at this very difficult time.”
A lifelong horse lover, Turnbull purchased his first racehorse, the seven-time winner La Sylphide (GB) (Primitive Gift {GB}), in 1998. Later on she became the first broodmare for his fledgling Elwick Stud operation.
The best runner to carry the Turnbulls' colours was Wertheimer & Frere-bred Mondialiste. A winner and third in the 2013 G1 Prix Jean Prat, he joined the yard of trainer David O'Meara after being purchased for €190,000 out of the 2014 Arqana Deauville Summer Mixed Sale. The bay would go on to win the 2015 GI Ricoh Woodbine Mile S. in Canada and take the following year's GI Arlington Million S. Stateside. He was also runner-up in the 2015 GI Breeders' Cup Mile and is currently standing his third season at Elwick Stud at a fee of £6,000. His oldest foals are yearlings.
Also an international campaigner, the gelded Lord Glitters's best showing is a win in the 2019 G1 Queen Anne S., while he was second the year prior and also third in both the 2019 G1 Dubai Turf and 2018 G1 Sussex S. The grey carries an entry to the G2 York S. on Saturday.
Not a subscriber? Click here to sign up for the daily PDF or alerts.
