Drakenstein Stud announced the passing of their Cartier Champion, and five time Gr1 winner, Duke Of Marmalade on Friday.
The son of Danehill was 17 at the time of his death-ironically his sire also died at 17.
Majestic – Duke Of Marmalade 9Pic – Chase Liebenberg)
Durke Of Marmalade had been pensioned from stud duties earlier this year.
Drakenstein paid the following tribute to the champion:
“It is with deep sorrow that we announce the passing of Duke Of Marmalade. He died peacefully in his paddock this morning. He was a hero to many on the racetrack, including ourselves, and a true gentleman at stud. His legacy will live on through his progeny to come and his already growing influence as a broodmare sire around the world. He will be sorely missed by all of us at Drakenstein Stud. He lived up to his title as a Duke in every way.”
One of the very best racehorses for his outstanding sire Danehill, Duke Of Marmalade won six of his 16 starts and was Cartier Champion Older Male of 2008.
He reeled off a memorable Gr1 five timer, winning all of the Prix Ganay, Tattersalls Gold Cup, Prince Of Wales’s Stakes, King George VI And Queen Elizabeth Stakes, and Juddmonte International of 2008.
Duke Of Marmalade was retired to Coolmore Stud in 2009 before being exported to South Africa in 2014.
One of six black type performers produced by his Kingmambo sired dam Love Me True – a three-parts sister to US champion and top-class sire Lemon Drop Kid – Duke Of Marmalade is currently the sire of 78 black type horses, with his runners having grossed more than $40 million in stakes.
His stars include champion fillies Rain In Holland, Simple Verse and Sound Of Freedom, as well as fellow Gr1 winners Big Orange, Nutan, Star Of Seville and Temple Grafin.
The Duke Of Marmalade sired Marmelo nearly provided his sire with yet another high-level win when he ran a close second in the 2018 Gr1 Lexus Melbourne Cup, while Duke Of Marmalade is also sire of such high-class group/graded stakes winners as Big Memory, Can’thelpbelieving, Venus De Milo, True To Life and Fillies Guineas winner Santa Clara.
With a number of top-class daughters now at stud, Duke Of Marmalade is poised to become a very successful broodmare sire in the years ahead and already ranks as the broodmare sire of notable group winners likr Antonia De Vega, Chilean Free Wind, Lone Eagle, and Keep On Fly.
