Vichai Srivaddhanaprabha, the owner behind the fast-growing King Power Racing string, is dead after a helicopter crash on Saturday evening, BBC confirmed late on Sunday.
Srivaddhanaprabha, 60, the CEO of Thai duty free shopping company King Power International Group, was also the owner of Leicester City Football Club. His helicopter left the club's ground following Saturday's match but shortly after take-off witnesses saw the helicopter start to spin before crashing in the car park just outside the ground and bursting into flames. Four other people died in the crash in addition to Srivaddhanaprabha.
King Power Racing's significant contribution to British racing first became apparent at the Goffs London Sale of 2017, where, through bloodstock agent Alastair Donald, the owner bought six horses for just over £2 million—almost half that sale's aggregate.
Donald was subsequently kept busy for King Power Racing at last year's yearling sales, assembling what has in recent weeks started to look like a decent team of runners. Many of those yearlings went into training with the operation's principal trainer Andrew Balding, with some also going to Richard Hannon and Ralph Beckett, and the agent has been similarly active at recent sales.
At the start of the year, Balding had 20 2-year-olds and 14 older horses under his care for King Power Racing. They include this season's dual Group 2-winning miler Beat The Bank (GB) (Paco Boy {Ire}) and Donjuan Triumphant (Ire) (Dream Ahead), who was third in the G1 QIPCO British Champions Sprint nine days ago.
On the day of the crash, King Power Racing's Morando (Fr) (Kendargent {Fr}), a 290,000gns purchase by Donald at last year's Tattersalls Horses-in-Training Sale, dead-heated with Young Rascal (Fr) (Intello {Ger}) for victory in the G3 St Simon S., while juvenile Happy Power (Ire) (Dark Angel {Ire}) won at Doncaster and Fox Tal (Ire) (Sea The Stars {Ire}) took third in the G1 Criterium de Saint-Cloud. All three horses are trained by Balding, who on Friday sent out another 2-year-old, Good Birthday (Ire) (Dabirsim {Fr}), to win at Newbury. To underline the level of Srivaddhanaprabha's investment, the three juveniles respectively cost 625,000gns, 475,000gns and €500,000 as yearlings, while the filly King Power (GB), a Frankel (GB) half-sister to the Oaks winner Talent (GB) (New Approach {Ire}) who was fifth on debut on Saturday, was a 2.5 million gns purchase.
In Britain this season, King Power Racing has had 56 individual runners, 32 of which have won 41 races between them. Bye Bye Hong Kong (Street Sense), who had been set to run in Sunday's G1 Criterium International at Chantilly, was declared a non-runner as a mark of respect.
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