A tribute has been paid to top-class racehorse and stallion Mtoto, who has died at the age of 28, at the Aston Upthorpe Stud at Aston Tirrold, near Didcot.
Trained by the late Alec Stewart, Mtoto won eight races including Sandown’s Eclipse Stakes twice, the Prince of Wales’s Stakes twice and the King George VI And Queen Elizabeth Stakes, both at Ascot.
Mtoto retired to Aston Upthorpe Stud in 1989 and spent the next 17 years as a stallion in a career where he sired the 1996 Derby winner Shaamit and the 1997 Ascot Gold Cup hero Celeric.
He spent the last four years living in retirement there.
Liam O’Rourke, stud director at Dalham Hall, said: “Mtoto was an inspiration to many – from racing professionals and the public to the staff at Aston Upthorpe where he will be sadly missed.”
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