Vale Burnstone

Vale Burnstone

Vale Burnstone

Anyone who wonders why owners celebrate their wins as thoroughly as many of them do, needed only to be at Cranbourne on Wednesday morning.

Trainer and part-owner Robbie Griffiths was watching his latest star Burnstone canter slowly in trackwork, when the 2YO colt suddenly faltered, collapsed and died of a suspected heart attack or internal haemorrhage.

The son of Redoute’s Choice burst into Blue Diamond calculations ten days ago, when he realised every owner’s dream with a sensational debut victory in the MRC Blue Diamond Preview LR.

His death is a devastating loss for his large group of owners: Thomas Bruin, Barb Gallaher, Holland Racing Syndicate,  Scott Hookey, Cheryl McCarthy, Frank The Tank Racing, Andrew Reynolds, Avondale Racing, Robert Skarott, Jason Small, Mack Thompson, Ray, Anne, Marcus & Jon-Paul Wregg & Allan Young.

Bunstone was bred by Arrowfield & Klawervlei Studs and bought by Griffiths Racing for $40,000 from the Arrowfield draft at the 2014 Inglis Melbourne Premier Sale.  He was the 121st stakeswinner and the 29th juvenile stakeswinner for his champion sire, with strong prospects of becoming his third Group 1 Blue Diamond winner after Undoubtedly (2005) and Nadeem (2006).

Brief as it was, Burnstone’s career has also boosted the credentials of his dam Merlene de Lago (by Encosta de Lago), a Group 2-winning daughter of champion juvenile Merlene. Merlene de Lago has a Starcraft colt in the Arrowfield draft at next month’s Inglis Melbourne Premier Sale.