Horse died in build-up to Queen’s stud visit

ONE of the most expensive aspects of the controversial clean-up organised for the visit of Queen Elizabeth II in May has been revealed as the loss of a lucrative horse living at the National Stud.

Verglas, who was partly -owned by Irish taxpayers, died two days before he was due to be inspected by the Queen. She and her husband Prince Philip came to the farm in Kildare to enjoy a stallion parade on the third day of her state visit.

The semi-state company has now confirmed the pale grey sire died when he broke his lower back while fighting against efforts to spruce him up for her arrival.

“Verglas was being groomed in his stable on Tuesday, May 17. He never enjoyed having his mane shortened. He reared up, lost his footing and fell awkwardly against the stable wall.

“This impact fractured the wings of his lumbar vertebrae and he died from internal haemorrhage. A consulting veterinary surgeon was present in the stable before he died,” it said.

The aging stallion was the second most sought-after sire on the stud’s books and in 2011 cost mare-owners €10,000 for each visit to him. He had the capacity to generate more than three quarters of a million euro annually and had already covered 66 mares in this year’s breeding season.

On the day he died there was cleaning and frenetic activity in that section of the farm as workers prepared for the Queen’s visit and hosed down the tarmac, directly outside the showpiece stallion boxes, where the parade took place on May 19.

However, the stud said an investigation has since shown there was no connection between the commotion outside and the accident which claimed the life of Verglas.

“While there was considerable activity about the farm on the day, investigations showed no connection between external activity and his death,” it said.

The stallion had lived at the Kildare stud farm since his move from France in 2004. He was owned by a syndicate which included the stud and its chairman Chryss O’Reilly.

Ms O’Reilly had bought the striking grey horse in 1994 and raced successfully to win €150,000 in 14 races. After his retirement, she retained a share in him and he went to stud in France.

Following a difficult start, he proved his worth just as he relocated to the Irish National Stud in 2004. As a breeder, while he never achieved the success of others in his family, he was still able to command a fee of €15,000 at the height of the equine boom in 2008.

He was to be one of the standout attractions on show for the Queen during her visit to Kildare.

Queen Elizabeth used her visit to view some of the continent’s most successful breeding operations — the Irish National Stud, the Aga Khan’s farm in nearby Gilltown and the Coolmore operation in Tipperary.