European champion Snowfall dies after suffering pelvis injury

Snowfall, last year’s European champion 3-year-old filly, was euthanized after suffering a pelvis injury, her connections said Tuesday.

“Very sad news for all,” Coolmore Stud said in a Twitter post confirming the story reported by European media.

“Snowfall sustained a serious injury a few weeks ago,” trainer Aidan O’Brien told Racing Post, “She damaged her pelvis. She was fed at lunchtime by one of the lads, and when he went back to her an hour later, she was lame in (her stall). Our vet John Halley thinks that she did the splits and injured her pelvis, but obviously we don’t know exactly how it happened. Her condition seriously deteriorated a couple of days ago, and we were left with no choice but to take the heartbreaking decision to have her put to sleep. We did everything we could for her, but it wasn’t to be.”

By Deep Impact bred in Japan out of the Galileo mare Best in the World, Snowfall was a three-time Oaks winner in 2021. She set a record with her 16-length triumph in the Epsom Oaks (G1) last June. Victories in the Irish Oaks (G1) and Yorkshire Oaks (G1) followed last summer.

Snowfall’s winning streak ended against older rivals. She finished second to Teona in the Prix Vermeille (G1) and sixth against males and females in the Prix de l’Arc de Triomphe (G1), both at ParisLongchamp. Her last race was Oct. 16 at Ascot, where she finished third in the British Champion Fillies & Mares Stakes (G1).

She finished her career with a record of 14: 5-1-2 and, according to Equibase, earnings of $1,210,242.

“She is a massive loss to everyone here, from a racing and breeding perspective,” O’Brien told Racing Post. “She was such a high-class mare.”