BLAKES WORLD, twice a winner of the Golden Muzzle at Portsmouth and a Derby semi-finalist in 2007, died on Tuesday just short of his 14th birthday.
“It was a very sad day here,” trainer Jo Burridge said yesterday. “He’d enjoyed a lovely retirement but age finally caught up with him, and we lost him.”
Owned by Roy Felmingham, the April 2004 son of Blue Gooner and Killeacle Phoebe (both dam and sire were trained by Brian Clemenson for Felmingham), Blakes World held the 430m track record of 26.15 at Portsmouth when the track closed in 2010.
Burridge, who has battled health issues but who is still sending out the winners at Poole including a brace of A1s at the weekend, added: “He’s was a star of the kennel and a permanent feature with me here, and he’ll be sorely missed. He won the Poole Classic for us as well as the Muzzles, ran-up in the Golden Crest too, so was certainly a popular dog for punters in this part of the world. Then to take him to Wimbledon and get so close a Derby final was amazing.”