NEWS
Jet Master, leading South African sire, dead at 17
Posted: Wednesday, November 16, 2011 7:07 PM
by Myra Lewyn
Five-time South African champion sire Jet Master, whose progeny include iconic Pocket Power, died early Monday morning at age 17 after battling West Nile Virus earlier this year.
The son of Rakeen underwent an operation to repair damaged vertebrae on Saturday at a vet clinic in Western Cape. His surgical team was led by specialist Barrie Grant, D.V.M., M.S. of San Luis Rey Equine Hospital in Bonsall, California.
An expert on equine spinal cord compression, Grant performed similar surgery on 1977 Triple Crown winner Seattle Slew in 2000. Jet Master suffered seizures after the surgery, and there is suspicion that he may have had tumor or edema on the brain.
Jet Master, who was found to have West Nile Virus in May, stood at Klipdrif Stud in Western Cape, but did not cover any mares during the Southern Hemisphere season as he apparently had not recovered the strength and coordination lost to the disease.
No traces of the virus showed up in blood work in July, according to www.tabnews.co.za. When symptoms returned, an old neck injury causing wobbling was discovered.
“We are absolutely shattered,” co-owner Pat Devine told the publication. “Jet Master meant the world to us. He was part of our lives for 16 years and we can’t imagine living without him. “
Pocket Power, from Jet Master’s first crop, was South Africa’s Horse of the Year three times from 2007-2009. He was among 14 top-level winners that also include two-time champion sprinter J J the Jet Plane and Group 1 winner River Jetez (SAf), a full sister to Pocket Power.
Jet Master, produced by Jet Lightning, by Rollins, was South Africa’s 2000 Horse of the Year and champion sprinter, and champion older horse the previous season. He was South Africa’s top stallion each year since in 2007.
“Every day we look forward to watching his sons and daughters running all over the country. We even follow what we call ‘the grandchildren’, wherever they are running,” Pat Devine, who owned Jet Master since he was a foal, told www.tabnews.co.za.
“I can’t explain what great excitement he brought into our lives. He was very special.”
Myra Lewyn is a Thoroughbred Times TODAY editor
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Posted by: Bellwether, Chesapeake, VA on November 17, 2011 at 12:59 AM
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