Champs Elysees Succumbs to Heart Attack at 15

[Wandering Eyes]

Canadian Horse of the Year Champs Elysees (GB) (Danehill–Hasili {Ire}, by Kahyasi {Ire}) died recently of a heart attack at Coolmore’s Castlehyde Stud in Ireland, the Racing Post reported on Wednesday. The Juddmonte homebred was 15.

Trained initially by Andre Fabre in France, the eventual three-time Grade I winner won the G3 Prix d’Hedouville at Longchamp in 2007, and was runner-up that same year in the G1 Gran Premio del Jockey Club in Italy from 11 European appearances.

Transferred to Bobby Frankel Stateside, the son of Juddmonte’s blue hen Hasili promptly won the GII San Marcos S. at Santa Anita in just his second American start in March of 2008. Third in the GI Santa Anita H. over the all-weather and only a nose back in second in the GII Jim Murray Memorial H. at the now-defunct Hollywood Park, Champs Elysees became his dam’s fifth and final Group 1 winner with a nose victory in the GI Northern Dancer Turf S. up at Woodbine in Canada. He added his second Grade I win in the GI Hollywood Turf Cup S. that December and was kept in training at six. The bridesmaid in the 2009 GI Santa Anita H., Champs Elysees’s season culminated in the GI Canadian International S. and he was named the Canadian Horse of the Year and Champion Grass Horse at year’s end.

Retired in 2010 with six wins in 28 starts and earnings of $2,829,378, the son of Danehill joined his full-brothers on the Banstead Manor roster: MGSW & MG1SP full-brother Dansili (GB) and GI Man o’ War S. and GI Manhattan H. victor Cacique (Ire). The trio are also full-siblings to dual Group 1 winner Intercontinental (GB) and three-time Group 1 winner Banks Hill (GB), herself the dam of G1 Prix Jean Romanet victress Romantica (GB) (Galileo {Ire}) and half-siblings to MGISW Heat Haze (GB) (Green Desert).

Champ Elysees’s progeny are headed by 2018 G1 English 1000 Guineas heroine Billesdon Brook (GB), G1 Gold Cup hero Trip to Paris (Ire), and Down Under, Group 1 winner Harlem (GB). Out of 22 black-type winners to date, the stallion has been represented by an additional eight group winners. Suffused (GB), a MGSW in America, was also second in Woodbine’s GI E.P. Taylor S., while MGSW Jack Naylor (GB) was runner-up in the G1 Irish Oaks and G3 Prix Imprudence heroine Xcellence (Fr) was third in both the G1 Poule d’Essai des Pouliches and G1 Prix de Diane in 2014.

Purchased by Coolmore prior to the 2017 breeding season, the bay stood at Castle Hyde Stud from 2017-2018 and was slated to command a fee of €6,500 next season.

(Click here for a TDN Feature by Kelsey Riley on the late Hasili {Ire} and her brood.)

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