Royal Ascot winner and 'dear friend' Perotto suffers fatal gallops injury

Roger Varian has paid tribute to Perotto after the Royal Ascot winner sustained a fatal injury on the Newmarket gallops.

The son of New Bay was being prepared for a crack at the bet365 Cambridgeshire at Newmarket at the time of his injury, before which he had won six of his 32 starts, including a memorable triumph in the Britannia in 2021.

Varian said: “Wednesday was a sad day as Perotto was a dear friend to many and a horse who has given his owners a terrific journey.”

The six-year-old spent his two, three and four-year-old seasons under the care of Marcus Tregoning. He also won last year's Coral Challenge at Sandown and the Shergar Cup Mile at Ascot the following month.

Perotto winning the 2021 Britannia at Royal Ascot under Oisin MurphyCredit: Edward Whitaker

On seasonal reappearance this year, Perotto very nearly added the Royal Hunt Cup to his CV, which would have given him a rare Britannia-Hunt Cup double, but he was just denied in third.

“Perotto was a very genuine horse with a lot of character,” Varian said. “He was a regular fixture in some of the season’s most competitive mile handicaps. He was a pleasure to train and a pleasure to own for Halcyon Thoroughbreds. He took us all on a fun journey and will be much missed.”

Part-owner Jaimie Beers said: “It’s sad news. Perotto was owned by a very small syndicate of loyal and passionate owners and we’ll never forget the day he gave us all at Royal Ascot.”

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