‘An unexpected incident and a great shame’: MV Magnier admits shock as Coolmore loses super stallion Wootton Bassett, but remains determined to write the future

In the high-stakes world of thoroughbred breeding, where fortunes are made and lost on the promise of a single bloodline, the sudden death of Wootton Bassett has sent ripples of disbelief through the global racing community. The 17-year-old stallion, a cornerstone of Coolmore Stud’s empire, passed away on September 23, 2025, at Coolmore Australia, succumbing to acute pneumonia following a choke. Michael Vincent Magnier, known as MV, the rising force behind the family’s operations, did not mince words when reflecting on the loss. “What happened to Wootton Bassett is a freak incident and was a big shame,” he told the Racing Post, his voice carrying the weight of both personal grief and professional resolve.

Wootton Bassett’s journey from unheralded racehorse to one of the most coveted sires in the world reads like a script from a rags-to-riches equine drama. Foaled in 2008, he was a modest performer on the track, securing just three wins from 14 starts, including a Listed victory in the Windsor Castle Stakes as a juvenile. Sold as a yearling for a mere £46,000, his racing career peaked with a runner-up finish in the Group 2 Mill Reef Stakes. Yet it was in the paddocks of Haras d’Etreham in France where his true legacy began to unfold. Standing his first season at a fee of €10,000, Wootton Bassett’s progeny quickly proved their mettle. By his third year at stud, his fee had dipped to €4,000 amid early doubts, but patience paid off handsomely. Offspring like Almanzor, the 2016 Prix de l’Arc de Triomphe winner, and subsequent stars such as Persian King and Sottsass elevated him to elite status.

Coolmore’s acquisition of Wootton Bassett in 2020 for a reported $100 million marked a pivotal moment, shuttling him between Ireland and Australia. His fee soared to a career-high of €300,000 for the 2025 season, reflecting his dominance in the European sires’ list, where he led by over €2.4 million in earnings. To date, he has sired 129 black-type performers, including 16 Group 1 winners—a staggering haul that includes the French Derby hero Camille Pissarro, the Poule d’Essai des Poulains victor Henri Matisse, and the recent July Cup winner Whistlejig. His current juvenile crop brims with potential, featuring Aidan O’Brien-trained contenders like Albert Einstein, Hawk Mountain, and Puerto Rico, all eyeing autumn riches in races such as the Dewhurst Stakes and Breeders’ Cup Juvenile Turf.

The circumstances of his passing were as abrupt as they were heartbreaking. On shuttle duty in Australia’s Hunter Valley, Wootton Bassett suffered a choke—a common but perilous affliction in horses where food or saliva obstructs the esophagus. What began as a manageable episode escalated into pneumonia, overwhelming even the best veterinary efforts. Coolmore Australia confirmed the news the following day, noting that despite round-the-clock care, the stallion could not be saved. For a horse at the zenith of his powers, with his second Irish-bred crop just hitting the track and three more generations in the pipeline—yearlings, foals, and mares in foal—the timing felt cruelly premature.

MV Magnier, the 34-year-old scion of the Magnier dynasty, was candid about the emotional toll. “I don’t mind saying this, I was a bit down in the mouth when it happened,” he admitted, crediting his father, John Magnier, for a timely perspective shift: “but my father reminded me there’s still a lot of things to be happy about.” Magnier’s praise for the Australian team was effusive: “In fairness to everybody in Australia they did an incredible job to try to save him. I’ll put it to you this way, if I get sick, I’ll be going down there so they can look after me too.” He also lauded the foundational work at Etreham, where executive director Nicolas de Chambure had nurtured Wootton Bassett from obscurity. “That’s where Nicolas de Chambure deserves all the credit. He did an incredible job with the horse. We were very lucky to have the guys to get the deal done. They supported him with a lot of good mares, as did our clients.”

Yet, true to Coolmore’s ethos of relentless forward momentum, Magnier quickly pivoted to the horizon. The loss stings, but it does not paralyze. Clients, he noted, are buoyed by the depth of Wootton Bassett’s influence: “Thankfully a lot of our clients have three crops of Wootton Bassetts to come.” Coolmore’s roster remains a powerhouse, headlined by proven sires like Galileo, Dubawi, and Justify. Speaking of the Triple Crown winner, Magnier quashed rumors of a relocation: “Being realistic, Justify will stay in America. He’s an incredible stallion… America is the right place for him.” Meanwhile, plans are afoot to retire Group 1 winners Camille Pissarro, Henri Matisse, and Delacroix to stud in 2026, injecting fresh Wootton Bassett blood into the breeding shed.

The broader Coolmore machine hums with optimism. Young guns like Auguste Rodin, City Of Troy, and St Mark’s Basilica are poised to join the senior ranks, while O’Brien’s enthusiasm for Albert Einstein underscores the excitement: “If we’d had Albert Einstein running all year he could’ve done something exceptional. He really believes he’s a very good horse.” In the days following the announcement, tributes poured in from around the globe. Tom Magnier, MV’s brother, shared a poignant X post: “Wootton Bassett, one of the world’s great sires has sadly passed away today at Coolmore Australia.” Breeders and owners echoed the sentiment, mourning not just a horse, but a architect of dreams.

For Coolmore, this “unexpected incident” is a chapter’s end, not the story’s close. As MV Magnier put it, “Listen, it’s a shame for everyone, but sadly these things happen.” In the unforgiving arithmetic of bloodstock, where every foal is a gamble and every stallion a legacy, the Magnier family’s determination shines through. They have weathered storms before—Galileo’s colic scare in 2008, the economic tremors of the early 2010s—and emerged stronger. Wootton Bassett’s spirit, etched in the sinews of his progeny, will gallop on. Coolmore, ever the visionaries, are already scripting the sequel, eyes fixed on a future where innovation and inheritance converge once more.