Irish Champion Stakes (G1) winner Economics has died in India at age 5.
The son of Night of Thunder had been sold to stand at Poonawalla Stud Farms following his eighth-place finish in the Champion Stakes (G1) at Ascot Racecourse in October.
Trained by William Haggas for Shaikh Isa Salman Al Khalifa, Economics was a 6-length winner of the Dante Stakes (G2) at York on just his third start. After connections decided to bypass a tilt at the Epsom Derby (G1), the chestnut returned to land a second group 2 in the Prix Guillaume d'Ornano (G2) at Deauville.
His career highlight came when landing the 2024 Irish Champion Stakes, defeating dual Derby hero and 2023 Breeders' Cup Turf (G1T) victor Auguste Rodin, as well as 2024 Irish Derby (G1) winner Los Angeles and the top-class Luxembourg.
As a result of that win, Economics moved into the top five of the Longines World's Best Racehorse Rankings for 2024 and was nominated for the Cartier Horse of the Year and 3-year-old colt awards.
But Economics ran just twice more, when down the field in the last two runnings of the Champion Stakes.
Tom Marquand, who partnered Economics in six of his seven starts, posted on social media: "Very sad news about an extremely special horse to a lot of people. He rewarded everybody's work and passion with an exceptional day in Ireland winning the Royal Bahrain Irish Champion Stakes."
