English Bloodstock Agent Tote Cherry-Downes Dead

Tote Cherry-Downes, bloodstock agent and racing manager, died April 30 following a lengthy illness, according to the Racing Post. He was 62.

Cherry-Downes began his career as a teenager working at Woodlands Stud, where he established a lifelong friendship with subsequent leading trainer Henry Cecil. He later teamed up with Penny Butler in the bloodstock business.

Owner Charles Wacker III of Greenbay Stables enjoyed a measure of success with the team of Cherry-Downes and Cecil as his Sleepytime and Ali-Royal were group I winners in 1997.

Among the good horses purchased by Cherry-Downes was Be My Native, who won the Coronation Cup (Eng-I) and was runner-up in the second running of the Budweiser Million at Arlington. He also bought Mattaboy and Cajun, who won back-to-back runnings of the Middle Park Stakes (Eng-I) in 1980 and 1981. For Sheikh Mohammed, Cheery-Downes purchased Authaal as a yearling for 3,100,000 Irish guineas at Goffs. The Shergar colt won the Irish St. Leger (Ire-I) and was a major winner in Australia.