Top sprinting mare Warm Love was put down over the weekend after contracting pneumonia.
Prepared by David Brideoake at Mornington, Warm Love initially suffered from an abscess to her heart which developed into pneumonia.
The daughter of Octagonal won six races and was placed in another five of her 14 starts for more than $350,000 in prize money.
She was Group One-placed when third behind Black Caviar and Hay List in the Lightning Stakes at Flemington in February.
The four-year-old won over 1000m from Definitely Ready at her latest outing at Flemington in July after running third to Secret Flyer in the Listed Monash Stakes at Caulfield.
Warm Love was purchased for the bargain price of $9000 but Brideoake was unable to find owners for her so he and his family raced her.
Meanwhile, dual stakes winner Uxorious will not race until the autumn after suffering a shattered hind sesamoid.
“We can only assume he has kicked out at something and shattered the sesamoid because it is not a galloping injury,” Warrnambool trainer Matthew Williams said.
The six-year-old had arthroscopic surgery on Tuesday and was to go out for a lengthy spell.
“Being a fracture to his off-hind sesamoid it is a very unusual injury,” Williams said.
“I’ve never had a horse do a sesamoid there.”
The Choisir gelding has won seven of his 13 starts including the Listed Wangoom Hcp (1200m) at Warrnambool in May and the Group Three Spring Stakes (1200m) at Morphettville at his latest start on August 6.
Williams said Uxorious would have four weeks of rest before being brought back into work in January to prepare for The Goodwood in May.
AAP TURF
