Champion colt Old Vic was put down on Monday after suffering a bout of colic at Sunnyhill Stud in Ireland.  A G1 winner of the 1989 French and Irish Derbies, he had been a leading light among National Hunt stallion ranks.

Old Vic (25) was a first-crop son of Sadler’s Wells and was instrumental in establishing his sire’s reputation.  He was trained by Henry Cecil for Sheikh Mohammed and was unbeaten as a three year-old starting with the Burghclere Stakes, Sandown Classic Trial and Chester Vase by a combined aggregate 16 lengths.

He won the Prix du Jockey Club by seven lengths and a month later won the Irish Derby unchallenged by four lengths under jockey Steve Cauthen.  “He won the Irish Derby with an abscess in the saddle area twice the size of a golf ball,” Cecil recalled.  “I had to use a number of foam pads with a hole cut out to enable him to take part.”

Old Vic (Sadler´s Wells – Cockade by Derring-Do) was bred at Stowell Hill Stud in Somerset and was out of a sister to English 2000 Guineas winner High Top.  He developed into a top jumps sire with progeny the calibre of Cheltenham Gold Cup hero Kicking King and Grand National winners in Comply Or Die and Don’t Push It.

Old Vic’s only sire son in Australia was Newmarket stakes winner Kutta.  He was based in NSW but didn’t make any impact in eight seasons at stud out here.  Old Vic mare Young Vic is the dam of Falvelon sprinter Walking Or Dancing, a feature winner of the Magic Millions Cup and LR Newcastle Newmarket in 2010.