Derby winner turned sire North Light dies aged 23

North Light, winner of the 2004 Derby, has died aged 23 due to complications of laminitis.

The Ballymacoll Stud homebred became a stallion on both sides of the Atlantic and will be laid to rest at Adena South in Ocala, Florida, where he has been pensioned since 2020.

North Light was by Danehill and out of the Rainbow Quest mare Sought Out, also dam of the Machiavellian-sired Cover Up, a winner at Royal Ascot for three years on the spin in the Ascot Stakes and twice in the Queen Alexandra, while he also won the Jockey Club Cup and Sagaro Stakes.

Cover Up was trained for Ballymacoll by Sir Michael Stoute and mainly ridden by Kieren Fallon, and the same partnership was entrusted with North Light.

He was a maiden winner at Goodwood on his second and final start at two, and beat Rule Of Law in the Group 2 Dante Stakes at York on his reappearance the following spring.

North Light started joint-favourite for the Derby with Snow Ridge, and he once again had the measure of his rivals, led home by Rule Of Law, whom he beat by a length and a half. 

In so doing he became his trainer’s fourth winner of the Epsom Classic following Shergar, Shahrastani and Kris Kin, and Stoute has had two more since in Workforce and Desert Crown.

North Light was Fallon's third Derby winner after Oath and Kris Kin, and he recalled on Friday: "He was the easiest Derby winner anyone could ride, and he was a joy to ride generally." 

North Light was made odds-on favourite to complete the Derby double at the Curragh but was beaten half a length by Grey Swallow.

He also went off market leader on his next outing in the Arc but he was unable to make all, finishing fifth behind Bago.

North Light was also a beaten favourite on his one and only run as a four-year-old, finishing a half-length second to New Morning in the Brigadier Gerard Stakes.

Upon North Light's retirement, a majority interest in him was sold to Frank Stronach's Adena Springs. North Light began his stud career at the Versailles, Kentucky, nursery and would be just the fourth Epsom Derby winner to stand in the United States in the last 40 years. 

He had almost immediate success as a stallion, siring Arctic Cosmos, the 2010 St Leger winner, as well as Grade 2 Del Mar Handicap winner Celtic New Year and dual Grade 3 winner Chips All In.

After five years in Kentucky, North Light was relocated to Adena Springs North in Canada for three years, before returning to the country of his greatest triumph to stand at Lanwades Stud in Newmarket, on a lease agreement in 2014. 

He was repatriated to Canada after one season and retired from stud duties in October 2019.

North Light, who was represented by 14 crops prior to being pensioned, lived out the remainder of his days in retirement at Adena South.

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