James Fanshawe and Johnny Murtagh hail ‘special’ filly Soviet Song

James Fanshawe and Johnny Murtagh have both handsome paid tribute to multiple Group One-winning filly Soviet Song following her death at the age of 15.

The mare was put down at the Oak Lodge Stud in Kentucky on Monday but the announcement of the death was delayed until yesterday in order to first inform as many as possible of the 18,000 members of the Elite Racing Club, her owners, of the news.

Trained in Newmarket by Fanshawe, Soviet Song won her first Group One as a two-year-old in the Fillies’ Mile at Ascot in 2002 and went on to record four more victories at the top level in the Falmouth Stakes (twice), the Sussex Stakes and the Matron Stakes.