Outstanding sire Wootton Bassett has died at the age of 17 at Coolmore Australia. 

Coolmore confirmed his death from pneumonia on Tuesday. A post from the operation on X read: “Wootton Bassett, one of the world’s great sires has sadly passed away today at Coolmore Australia having suffered from choke and subsequently developing an acute pneumonia which deteriorated rapidly.

“Despite round-the-clock care from a dedicated team of vets, overseen by Dr Nathan Slovis from Hagyard Equine Medical Institute in Kentucky, he was unable to be saved.”

The news comes as a massive blow to Coolmore, with the stallion having continued to reward the operation for purchasing him from Haras d’Etreham in 2020. This season alone his stakes winner count stands at 24 and is headed by dual Group 1-winning filly Whirl, Irish St Leger winner Al Riffa, Henri Mattisse, winner of the Poule d’Essai des Poulains and Prix Du Jockey Club scorer Camille Pissarro.

Unbeaten in five starts as a juvenile for Richard Fahey, Wootton Bassett landed two valuable sales events before running out a decisive winner of the Group 1 Prix Jean-Luc Lagardere, after which he was rated champion two-year-old colt in France.