Champion racehorse and stallion Lomitas has been put down in Germany.  The Gestut Fährhof’ based son of Niniski was 22.

Sheikh Mohammed acquired a share in Lomitas to stand him at Darley’s Dalham Hall Stud in Newmarket for five seasons between 2002 and 2006.  Lomitas returned to Fährhof in 2007 but declining fertility meant he covered small, private books of mares.

Lomitas was bred by Fährhof out of champion Surumu filly La Colorada.  His story could have come straight off the pages of a Dick Francis novel.  He was Germany’s champion juvenile colt of 1990 and started favourite for the following season’s German 2000 Guineas.  But he refused to enter the stalls, injuring other horses and handlers.

It earned him a ban from racing and it took horse whisperer Monty Roberts to exorcise the horse’s demons and get him to enter stalls again.

Trained by Andreas Wohler, he carried Gestut Fährhof’s colours to Group 1 wins in the Grosser Preis der Berliner Bank, Grosser Preis von Baden and Europa-Preis.  He was rated third best three-year-old in Europe of 1991, inferior only to Generous and Suave Dancer.  

More intrigue came at four when Fährhof owner Walther Jacobs received threats that Lomitas would be killed or harmed.  After winning the Gerling-Preis and Hansa-Preis, he was poisoned and disappointed as the hot favourite in a Dusseldorf Group 1.

Lomitas was spirited out of Germany to Newmarket and was later transferred to California where he raced on despite suffering hoof problems from the poisoning.

Lomitas was retired at six to take up stud duties at Fährhof.  His best son Silvano won the Arlington Million and HKJC Queen Elizabeth II Cup.  He was also the sire of  German 2000 Guineas winner Sumitas and German Derby winner Belenus.

His best offspring form his spell standing in Britain are high-class pair Championship Point and Veracity and 2009 Prix de l’Opera winner Shalanaya.