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John and Sean Quinn’s star mare Highfield Princess has sadly passed away just weeks after retiring from racing following an " inoperable fracture".
The four-time Group 1 winner quickly became a worldwide fan-favourite having progressed from winning a Class 6 handicap at Ayr in September 2020 to competing at the very top-level across the globe.
A remarkable five-year-old campaign resulted in three straight Group 1 victories which included the Prix Maurice de Gheest, the Nunthorpe Stakes and the Dubai Flying Five Stakes at the Curragh. The daughter of Night Of Thunder would go on to round off her season with an excellent fourth-place finish in the Breeders' Cup Turf Sprint at Keeneland.
The John and Sean Quinn-trained superstar would continue to race at the top-level as a six-year-old and arguably enjoyed her finest day in the sun when running out a tenacious winner of the Group 1 Prix de l'Abbaye at Longchamp last October. A highly respectable sixth-place finish in the Hong Kong Sprint at Sha Tin a few months later would be the final time Highfield Princess would grace the turf as a racecourse.
A return to the track at seven was high on the agenda for John and Sean Quinn's globetrotting star but having been found to be cast in her box just ten days ago, Highfield Princess was retired from racing.
However, Highfield Princess was unable to recover from the fracture and in a statement released by John and Sean Quinn on Sunday, that although she "fought with the same extraordinary spirit she showed on the racecourse, last night she lost her life."
"We would like to thank Jonathan Anderson and the team at Rainbow Equine Hospital, who did everything possible to help the 'Princess' and keep her comfortable."
John Quinn said: "Highfield Princess took us all on the most remarkable journey. She possessed Group 1 ability but also a Group 1 attitude. Whether it was a routine canter or a big sprint race around the world she would put in 100 per cent effort into what she did. I am grateful for all that she did for herself and for our team. We will miss her more than words can say."
A winner of £1,852,945 in prize-money, Highfield Princess took her owner-breeder John Fairley and his family around the globe on the biggest stage, an experience he described as "an extraordinary adventure."
Fairley said: "It has been the privilege of our lives to have known Highfield Princess. We are all heartbroken."
"She was the horse you dream of breeding and owning. She took our family on an extraordinary adventure around the world and created so many precious memories. She loved to race and her intelligence, toughness and will to win were incredible. She was truly a special horse, a member of our family.
"There were so many people involved in her incredible journey. From the stud where she was born, to the people who helped her take her first steps under saddle and the farm where she spent her holidays. We know the team at John and Sean Quinn Racing, who have looked after the 'Princess' with dedication and love, will also be devastated. We would like to thank them all for their tender care over the years. She was so happy in that yard.
"Highfield Princess was the pride of Yorkshire, a superstar on the racecourse and adored by so many, for her irrepressible spirit at home and on the racecourse. We're thinking of everyone who loved and admired her, in the UK and all around the world. She will be forever held in our hearts."