Labaik jumping the last at Cheltenham© Photo Healy Racing
One of racing's greatest equine characters Labaik, winner of the 2017 Supreme Novice Hurdle, has been confirmed by his trainer Gordon Elliott to have died from colic 'two or three months ago'.
In typical Labaik fashion, varying rumours have circulated in recent days and today trainer Elliott confirmed “he died of a colic two or three months ago here in the yard.
“It has been reported on Twitter he sustained a cut to a leg and was put down which wasn't true. He wasn't being ridden out and had been retired.
“He won a Supreme Novice Hurdle for us, was very talented and a very good horse.”
Controversy and close examination followed Labaik at every step and despite being a serial refuser, once refusing to race at Laytown, did win the 2017 Supreme Novice Hurdle at Cheltenham, when proving a popular 25/1 winner.
However his intended sale at Aintree Sales weeks later was stopped by the Criminal Assets Bureau (CAB), and in October 2019, the High Court ruled the horse was purchased with the proceeds of crime by part-owner John Boylan, a drug-dealer and armed robber.
Elliott, who owned five per cent of the horse, and part-owner Aidan O'Ryan had been cleared of any wrong-doing and there was never any suggestion that either was involved in crime.
Labaik's final two races, at the 2017 Punchestown Festival, were also controversial as trainer Elliott unsuccessfully battled Willie Mullins for that season's Trainers Championship.
Labaik refused to jump-off for his Punchestown novice hurdle run, with Melon and arch competitor Ruby Walsh 'taking a turn' as the runners initially moved towards the tapes.
Two days later Labaik finished fourth, against open horses, in the Punchestown Champion Hurdle, in what proved to be his final race as he sustaining a career-ending suspensory ligament injury to a hind leg.
