Top Sire Majestic Light Dies at Age 27

Prominent Central Kentucky stallion Majestic Light died last Friday at Hagyard-Davidson-McGee veterinary clinic near Lexington, Ky. following colic surgery. The 27-year-old horse had shown signs of colic that morning at the Hancock family's Claiborne Farm near Paris, Ky.

Majestic Light (Majestic Prince—Irradiate, by Ribot) covered 29 mares this year. “Not all the results are in as far as how many are in foal, but he was a highly fertile stallion, and we expect the numbers to be very strong,” said farm manager Gus Koch.

Majestic Light's 69 stakes winners include such major winners as Lite Light, French champion Lacovia, Solar Splendor, Wavering Monarch, Prince True, Simply Majestic, and Hidden Light. Campaigned as a homebred for Ogden Mills (Dinny) Phipps, Majestic Light scored grade I wins in the Swaps and Man o' War Stakes and the Monmouth Invitational and Amory L. Haskell Handicaps. He won 11 of 31 races and earned $650,158. He was buried at the Marchmont cemetery at Claiborne.