Shadow Sax dies six months after final race start

Multiple Group 1 winner Shadow Sax has sadly passed away just six months after time was called on his glittering harness racing career.

Owner/breeder Pam Hockham said her beloved gelding had been discovered deceased in a paddock and that an autopsy would be used to find the cause of the horse’s unexpected death.

Hockham said initial thoughts were that Shadow Sax suffered a heart attack or snake bite.

“It was very sad because he was a beautiful horse,” she said.

“He was unbelievable, what he did for us. He was country cups king and he was two-year-old Horse of the Year.

“We’ve had some good horses, but he’d be the best for sure.”

Shadow Sax began his career with trainer Peter Tonkin and then moved into the care of Emma Stewart, who prepared him for both his Group 1 wins in the 2015 Vicbred Super Series 2YO Colts and Geldings Final and 2018 SA Pacing Cup.

He also captured a string of other cups, including Stawell, Geelong, Cranbourne and Horsham.

“I really wanted him to win the Cranbourne Cup and he did. It was fantastic,” said Hockham, a committee member of the Cranbourne club for more than 20 years.

With a record of 23 victories from 42 career starts, he joined the Matthew Craven stable and had eight winless runs for the Ecklin South horseman, ending with a sixth placing at Kilmore on August 21.

The Shadow Play gelding finished with a best winning mile rate of 1:52.5min – recorded when winning the Sokyola Sprint in 2018 – and career prizemoney of $558,833.