Dato Star dies

Dato Star, one of the north`s best hurdlers in recent years, died this morning of a suspected heart attack.

The 10-year-old was cantering when he collapsed and died on the gallops at trainer Malcolm Jefferson`s Malton yard.

'He looks as if he just had a heart attack,' said Jefferson.

'It`s just one of those unfortunate things. If it had to happen the only thing I`m glad about is that it happened at home. I wouldn`t have liked it to happen anywhere else.'

The Accordian gelding won one race on the Flat earning #21,070 and #142,807 in prize money over jumps.

His nine wins under National Hunt rules included the Prestige Medical Festival Bumper at the 1995 Cheltenham Festival, the 1998 and 1999 Fighting Fifth Hurdles at Newcastle, the 1999 Christmas Hurdle at Kempton and two Haydock Champion Hurdle Trials in 1998 and 2000.

Despite his obvious talent, his career was dogged with injury problems and not having his favoured soft ground on the big day, as typified by his two unsuccessful attempts at the Champion Hurdle at Cheltenham.

'Obvious highlights were his bumper win at Cheltenham and winning the Christmas Hurdle, but probably top of the list was when he came back from injury and won at Haydock in a canter,' said Jefferson.

'He never got his ground at the Cheltenham Festival apart from when he won the bumper there.

'He was a big-hearted horse who came back from everything. He came back from injury two or three times every bit as good as he was.

'We don`t know what he would have done in the future. He hadn`t done an awful lot of racing so there was still quite a lot of miles on the clock.

'These things do happen and you learn to live with them, but it`s always the hardest when it`s one of your favourites.'

Former jockey Mark Dwyer, who partnered Dato Star to victory in the Festival bumper, also has fond memories.

He said: 'It`s bad news. Cheltenham is the best memory I have of him. He was a particularly good horse that day and sadly he always had bits of problems.

'The day he won the bumper he looked as though he was going to be a star.

'He never really got the ground when he wanted it soft, so it was that that stopped him going to the top.

'He was good in his own right but you felt he could have achieved more on soft ground.'