Midnight Bourbon, a four-time runner-up in Grade 1 races of the highest profile, died at his Churchill Downs barn stall Sunday, according to a report Wednesday.
Trainer Steve Asmussen told Daily Racing Form the 4-year-old colt experienced “an acute gastrointestinal situation” that proved fatal.
Midnight Bourbon’s death came 22 days after he finished fifth in the Dubai World Cup (G1) at Meydan. He chased pacesetter Life Is Good around the track before they faded and lost to Country Grammer.
That loss came after Midnight Bourbon’s third-place finish a month earlier in the Saudi Cup (G1), where he challenged Country Grammer for the late lead before both were caught by eventual 113-1 winner Emblem Road.
Even though he lost his last 11 starts after winning the 2021 Lecomte Stakes (G3) at Fair Grounds, the 4-year-old Tiznow colt was held in high regard by bettors. He carried odds shorter than 6-1 in seven of those races. His best performance might have been his neck loss to eventual 3-year-old male champion Essential Quality in the Travers (G1) at Saratoga.
When he took a late lead only to be caught by 11-1 long shot Rombauer in last year’s Preakness, Midnight Bourbon confirmed Asmussen’s believe that he could compete with anyone in his division.
“He has proven he is more than worthy of consideration for the best 3-year-old races in the country,” Asmussen said at the time. “He’s always been that horse. Anybody that’s ever been around him didn’t doubt that he would put in the effort.”
Midnight Bourbon also held the lead in the stretch last summer in the Haskell (G1) at Monmouth Park. As he began to lose ground, he clipped heels in the deep stretch with Hot Rod Charlie, buckling and throwing jockey Paco López. Hot Rod Charlie was disqualified from his victory, López was riding again the next day, and Midnight Bourbon suffered some scrapes and bruises before racing again six weeks later in the Haskell.
“The last thing you want is something catastrophic to happen,” Asmussen said. “It was a near miss in that regard, so your heart skips a beat.”
Midnight Bourbon’s final U.S. start came Jan. 22 at Fair Grounds, where he finished second by three-quarters of a length to Mandaloun in the Louisiana Stakes (G3).
In spite of a 16: 2-6-5 record that included no Grade 1 or Grade 2 victories, Midnight Bourbon still ran up US$3,557,970 in race earnings.
“I always tell people when you look at his Ragozin Sheets and the numbers he’s running, if you erase his name or cover up his name and say how many races has this horse won in the last year, you would never say zero,” owner Ron Winchell said last month before the Dubai World Cup. “His numbers and his performances are great. He just hasn’t put it together to find the winner’s circle.”
Bred in Kentucky by Barbara Banke’s Stonestreet Farms, Midnight Bourbon was out of the Malibu Moon mare Catch the Moon. Winchell Thoroughbreds bought him for US$525,000 at the 2019 Keeneland September Yearling Sale.
