Owner Terry Ferguson has advised that star WA pacer and 1998 Golden Nugget winner Saab died during the week at Concorde Park stud in Victoria. Saab was 15 years old.
“We are unsure of the cause but it happened during a severe thunderstorm and although the autopsy was inconclusive it was possibly a brain embolism” Ferguson said last night.
“We are going to miss him and I honestly think the best is yet to come from him as a sire” he added.
Ferguson, who raced Saab in partnership with trainer Ross Olivieri, had leased the horse to Mick Lombardo to stand at Concord Park and Lombardo is selling a number of Saab colts at the 2010 WA Yearling Sale.
That crop of 54 foals is the largest from Saab’s first six seasons at stud.
Saab retired in December 2001 as a winner of 21 races and $577,197 in stakes and his wins included four Group One status wins in the Golden Slipper Stakes (2yo), WA Derby (3yo) and Golden Nugget and WA Pacing Cup as a 4yo.
He remains the only horse to complete the Golden Nugget – WA Pacing Cup double as a 4yo – a feat which eluded even the likes of Village Kid and Westburn Grant.
His Pacing Cup win will be long remembered after the Gloucester Park track was hit by a violent thunderstorm just prior to the race and the prospect of abandoning the meeting part-way through was seriously considered.
Saab overcame the extreme outside barrier nine and NSW champion Our Sir Vancelot to come from last in the last lap on a flooded track and record a memorable win.
Since stood his first season in 2002 and his oldest progeny are current 6yos. He has sired 52 individual winners including five 2yo winners last season from just 28 foals.
His siring stocks had received a boost only this week when one of his first crop in Scan Air became his first sub 1:55 performer in downing Im Themightyquinn in the 2009 Village Kid Sprint rating 1:54.8 for the 1780 metres.
Saab remains one of only two Golden Nugget winners sired by a Golden Nugget winner. His sire Classic Garry won the 1983 Golden Nugget and in addition to Saab also sired the 1997 winner Salinger.
