Eclipse Award champion and prominent sire Bernardini has been euthanized due to complications of laminitis, the international Darley stallion operation of Sheikh Mohammed announced Friday morning. One of the best sons of breed-shaping sire A.P. Indy, Bernardini was 18 at the time of his death. He was bred and raised by the Darley operation in the early years of Sheikh Mohammed’s ownership of Jonabell Farm in Lexington, Ky., and returned to live out his stallion career there. :: DRF BREEDING LIVE: Real-time coverage of breeding and sales “Bernardini was Sheikh Mohammed’s first winner of a Triple Crown race – and a homebred one, too – and then a leading sire,” Jimmy Bell, president for Godolphin operations in the United States, said in a press release. “We have been blessed to have him. A beautiful horse, and a lovely character, we are lucky to have so many of his daughters on the farm to continue his legacy.” Bernardini, out of Grade 1 winner Cara Rafaela, won his maiden at second asking for trainer Tom Albertrani, kicking off a six-race win streak that would earn 3-year-old championship honors. After winning the Grade 3 Withers Stakes at Aqueduct, he went on to win the 2006 Preakness Stakes, with Kentucky Derby winner Barbaro pulled up in the early stages. It was the first victory in an American classic for Sheikh Mohammed’s operation. Later that summer, Bernardini easily won the Grade 2 Jim Dandy Stakes by nine lengths at Saratoga before moving on to a seven-length victory in the Grade 1 Travers Stakes. He turned in another virtuoso performance in the Grade 1 Jockey Club Gold Cup at Belmont Park, defeating older horses by 6 3/4 lengths while earning a career-best 117 Beyer Speed Figure. He finished his career with a runner-up effort behind champion Invasor in the Breeders’ Cup Classic at Churchill Downs. “Bernardini was such a majestic animal,” Albertrani said. “He was very talented, one of the best horses I’ve ever been around. I just feel very fortunate to have the opportunity to train him. He was a star.” Bernardini, voted the Eclipse champion 3-year-old male for the 2006 season, retired to stand for Darley in Kentucky beginning with the 2007 season; he also shuttled to its Australian operation for several years. At the time of his death, Bernardini was represented by 861 winners, and was approaching the $100 million milestone in career progeny earnings, with $99,120,536. His 85 stakes winners worldwide are led by multiple Grade 1-winning millionaires Alpha, Cavorting, Stay Thirsty, and To Honor and Serve. Bernardini also is the sire of U.S. Grade 1 winners Angela Renee, A Z Warrior, Dame Dorothy, Greenpointcrusader, Rachel’s Valentina, and Takaful; Australian Group 1 winners Boban and Go Indy Go; Italian Group 1 winner Biondetti; Capezzano, a Group 1 winner in Dubai; New Zealand champion Ruud Awakening; and Madinat Jumeirah, a champion in Bahrain. Bernardini will have several more full crops to race – according to The Jockey Club’s Report of Mares Bred, he covered 133 mares in 2020, the most recent season for which statistics are available – and he has 21 sons at stud worldwide. In recent years, he has been making a name for himself as a stellar broodmare sire, and may make his most lasting impact on the breed in that regard. This May, Bernardini became the youngest stallion ever to reach 50 black-type winners as a broodmare sire. His daughters have produced Kentucky Oaks winner Serengeti Empress and Grade 1 winners Colonel Liam, Catholic Boy, Dunbar Road, Maxfield, and Paris Lights. :: To stay up to date, follow us on: Facebook | Instagram | Twitter “Bernardini was one of a kind,” said Michael Banahan, director of farm operations. “From the day he was born, he exuded class. He was that crop’s best foal, best yearling, and best racehorse. His brilliance was only surpassed by his wonderful character. He will be sorely missed by all on the farm but especially by his handler for the past 15 years, Philip Hampton. It was an honor to be a custodian of this classic-winning stallion whose legacy will live long as a broodmare sire.”