Robin Des Champs, father to many Cheltenham Festival greats, has died at the age of 21.
The news was confirmed by Glenview Stud in Country Cork, on a horse who only raced five times in his career, winning four hurdles contests back in 2000 at Auteuil, in France.
Since moving to the stud house, he has proved significant in helping to produce several subsequent Cheltenham Festival winners - most notably the likes of Vautour and Quevega.
Vautour, trained by Willie Mullins and owned by the Mr Blobby colours of Rich and Susannah Ricci, won three Grade Ones at the Cheltenham Festival, most recently the Ryanair Chase, before he sadly died in a freak accident back at the yard.
The Mares Hurdle was only founded back in 2008, yet Quevaga won the David Nicholson contest an incredible six times, and is arguably one of the best mares ever to grace the course at Prestbury Park.
Another of Robin Des Champs sons; similarly named - Sir Des Champs, won the Martin Pipe Handicap Hurdle at the Festival, before winning the JLT Novices Chase a year later. This set him up for a crack at the Cheltenham Gold Cup in 2013, where he just came up short against the Nicky Henderson-trained Bobs Worth.
Blow By Blow became his fifth Cheltenham Festival winner this year, when also winning the Martin Pipe - a race for Conditional Jockeys.
Covering plenty of French Mares, it was never his racing profile that came through as he was so lightly raced, so there must of been something seriously special about him.