Coolmore has announced the death of world champion three-year old and Group 1 sire Rock of Gibraltar - the horse whose talents led to a tug of war involving Irish business tycoon JP McManus and Sir Alex Ferguson - following heart failure on Sunday night.
The son of Danehill, Rock of Gibraltar was bred by Joe Crowley, Anne-Marie and Aidan O’Brien and became the first horse to notch seven consecutive Group 1 race wins in the northern hemisphere, smashing Mill Reef's 30-year record in doing so.
An illustrious career began for Rock of Gibraltar when he won at the Curragh on his first start for O'Brien.
He then claimed success in the the Gimcrack and the Railway Stakes before further triumphs came in the Grand Criterium and Dewhurst in a landmark-filled season.
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Success in the 2,000 Guineas, Irish 2,000 Guineas, St James’s Palace Stakes, Sussex Stakes and Prix du Moulin followed as the legendary racehorse posted endless wins for his owners Mrs John Magnier and Sir Alex Ferguson.
Off the track, he will be remembered as the all-winning, all-siring horse whose exploits caused a fallout at the heart of one of football's biggest clubs, Manchester United.
The legendary horse ran in the colours of Manchester United boss Sir Alex Ferguson under an agreement he had with the Coolmore stud.
However, their positions on the breakdowns of ownership differed and ultimately Ferguson was not entitled to half the income from the horse's breeding rights.
Ferguson himself explained the dynamic in the past.
He said: "He ran in my colours under an agreement I had with the Coolmore racing operation in Ireland.
"My understanding was that I had a half-share in the ownership of the horse; theirs was that I would be entitled to half the prize money."
Magnier and JP McManus were the largest stakeholders in Man United at the time and this led to a strained dynamic between the ownership group and Ferguson, who was managing the club at the time.
Relations between fans of the club and their owners began to sour and there was even a Cheltenham Gold Cup Day protest planned, something which Ferguson had to publicly plead against going ahead.
The conflict reached a resolution of sorts when Ferguson settled out of court for £2.5m, a sum which many experts speculated he could have made per year had he agreed to proposals on the table from Magnier.
Malcolm Glazer watched on as the equine row frayed relations between ownership and manager at the famed club and in May of 2005, four years on from the initial fallout over Rock of Gibraltar, he and his family swooped in to pick up the pieces as they took over the club for a fee of £790m.
That takeover fee reportedly yielded a cool £70m for Magnier and McManus as they forewent their stake in the club.
Speaking on the passing of Rock of Gibraltar, Coolmore's Castlehyde Stud manager Paddy Fleming reflected on the gap he will leave in the lives of those operating the stud.
He said: “He was healthy and looking great right up to the end.
"He was a fantastic racehorse and a very good sire who will be missed by all the staff here.”
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