Tragic End for Champion Sire
The Australian racing community is mourning the loss of St Jean, the sire of Melbourne Cup champion Half Yours, who has died following a tragic paddock accident. The Teofilo son was humanely euthanised on Tuesday morning after sustaining catastrophic injuries at Brackley Park in Avenel, where he had stood since 2017.
Details of the Accident
Grant Dwyer, operator of Brackley Park, confirmed the devastating news through an official statement released on Thursday. According to Dwyer, the stallion had successfully covered a mare named Memory Lane on Monday, November 24th, before being returned to his paddock.
"On the morning of 25th of November it was discovered, that for reasons unknown, St Jean had run into a fence post overnight, breaking it off at ground level and shattering his near-side front leg around the elbow region," Dwyer explained.
Veterinarian Dr Duncan Pearce BVSc MVS MVSc attended to the injured stallion immediately. After conducting X-rays, the devastating conclusion was reached that the damage was irreparable, leaving euthanasia as the only humane option.
Untimely Death Following Historic Success
The tragedy strikes less than a month after St Jean's five-year-old son, Half Yours, created history by becoming the first Victorian-bred winner of the Melbourne Cup in 52 years. The Tony and Calvin McEvoy-trained gelding had completed an extraordinary double victory, having also won the Group 1 Caulfield Cup (2400m) just 17 days earlier.
St Jean himself was an accomplished racehorse during his career, winning six of his 19 starts. His most significant victory came in the Group 3 City Of Auckland Cup (2400m) on New Year's Day, 2017.
This year marked St Jean's ninth season at Brackley Park, where interest in the stallion had surged dramatically following Half Yours' Melbourne Cup triumph. His service fee had recently been increased from $3,300 to $11,000, reflecting his newfound popularity among breeders.
"His death was very untimely as breeders were only starting to recognise what an incredible pedigree this stallion had," Dwyer lamented.
The stallion had been scheduled to cover five mares by Desert King this season, including one booked for the afternoon of his death. This pairing would have replicated the successful cross that produced Half Yours.
St Jean's breeding statistics highlight the tragedy of his premature death:
- 35 total mare bookings for the current season
- Just 5 mares served last season
- 13 live foals from 21 covers across the previous three seasons
- 67 total live foals from his breeding career
- 22 raced from his progeny, producing 12 individual winners
Half Yours represents the standout success from St Jean's third crop, a testament to the potential that has been lost to the Australian breeding industry.
