Pentire (GB) (Be My Guest–Gull Nook {GB}, by Mill Reef), the foundation sire of Rich Hill Stud in New Zealand and responsible for 16 Group 1 winners, passed away following surgery, the stud reported Tuesday. The two-time Group 1 winner was 25.
“He was 25, but I thought he was going to live forever–he was still serving and so healthy and well,” Rich Hill studmaster John Thompson told the NZ Racing Desk. “We noticed after lunch on Monday he looked a bit uncomfortable and I got a bad feeling about it, in 20 years we'd only had the vet to him twice. We got him to the clinic and he went into surgery and when they opened him up they found a tumour that the intestine had wrapped around. They removed the growth and the intestine hadn't been compromised. They got him into recovery, but sadly he didn't wake up.”
Bred by Lord Halifax in Great Britain and sold for 54,000gns as a yearling at Tattersalls September, Pentire raced in the colours of Mollers Racing, with a victory in the 1995 G1 Irish Champion S. a seasonal highlight en route to being named the Irish/English highweighted 3-year-old from 9 1/2-11 furlongs. He added another title as the English highweighted older horse from 11-14 furlongs a year later after a score in the G1 King George VI & Queen Elizabeth Diamond S. In total, the bay was first past the post eight times in 18 starts and was sold to the Yoshida family to stand at Shadai Stallion Station with earnings of $1,364,174.
Shuttled to Rich Hill Stud on Southern Hemisphere time, Pentire also eventually covered mares for two seasons at Gestut Isarland in Germany in 2004 and 2005, before being a permanent resident at Rich Hill Stud in the second half of 2005.
At stud, the half-brother to Italian Group 3 winner Spring (GB) (Sadler's Wells) left 48 stakes winners, 26 at the graded/group level. Leading them is two-time New Zealand Horse of the Year Mufhasa (NZ), who saluted 10 times at the Group 1 level. Pentire also sired G1 Melbourne Cup hero Prince of Penzance (NZ) and another dual Kiwi Horse of the Year winner in MG1SW Xcellent (NZ). Champion Xtravagant (NZ) is a young sire in New South Wales at Newhaven Park, while Say No More (NZ), Pantani (NZ), Rangirangdoo (NZ) and Zarita (NZ), were also MG1SWs.
“It just won't be the same around here without him, but his legacy will live on and Pentire is always going to be seen as a strength in any pedigree,” Thompson said. “He's had four Group 1 winners in the last two seasons and I'm certain there are more to come.”
Pentire was laid to rest at Rich Hill on Tuesday.
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