Kirsten Rausing’s Lanwades Stud reports the death of champion and top sire Selkirk. The son of Sharpen Up—Annie Edge, by Nebbiolo died Jan. 3 due to old age at 25.
Bred and owned by George Strawbridge Jr., the Pennsylvania-bred Selkirk stood entire stud career at Lanwades Stud in Newmarket, England.
“I feel immensely privileged to have had Selkirk standing at Lanwades throughout his stud career. He was a wonderfully kind and co-operative character,” said Rausing in a release. “We will greatly miss him, but his memory will live on, not only here at the stud, but throughout the Thoroughbred industry in this country and abroad.”
As a racehorse, Selkirk was a brilliant miler, winning six of 15 starts for Strawbridge and trainer Ian Balding. He ran second twice and was third three times while racing at 2,3, and 4. He earned $843,661.
Selkirk broke his maiden at first asking, then ran fourth behind champion Hector Protector in the CIGA Grand Criterium (Fr-I) in the fall of 1990. At 3 he made six starts, winning twice late in the season in September. After taking the Milcars Temple Fortune Stakes at Kempton he was a 1 1/2-length winner of the one-mile Queen Elizabeth II Stakes (Eng-I) at Ascot. The victory was impressive enough that was highweighted on the 1991 English Free Handicap at 7-9 1/2 furlongs.
His best year came at 4, with a 3-1-1 slate from seven starts. He topped Lahib by 2 1/2 lengths in the Juddmonte Lockinge Stakes (Eng-II) to start the season. Prior to winning Goodwood’s Beefeater Gin Celebration Mile Stakes (Eng-II), Selkirk ran second to Marling in the Sussex Stakes (Eng-I). Third in a repeat run at the Queen Elizabeth II Stakes, he rolled to a 2 1/2-length score at Newmarket in the seven-furlong Challenge Stakes (Eng-II). He finished out his racing career at Gulfstream Park in South Florida with a fifth-place finish behind Lure in the Breeders’ Cup Mile (gr. IT). He was Europe’s champion miler that year.
He began his stud career at Lanwades in 1993 for a fee of £20,000 . It rose to as high as £40,000 (2005-07). He is the sire of 92 stakes winners from 987 foals, good for an outstanding strike rate of 9.3%. He is responsible for 16 grade/group I winners including two 2012 top line winners in Flower Bowl Invitational Stakes (gr. IT) winner Nahrain and Cityscape, winner of the Dubai Duty Free Sponsored by Dubai Duty Free Stakes (UAE-IT).
Other grade/group I winners by Selkirk include Squeak (Beverly Hills Handicap, Matriarch Stakes), Wince (Sagitta English One Thousand Guineas), and Announce (Darley Prix Jean Romanet)
Selkirk is the second foal out of Annie Edge, winner of the 1984 New York Handicap (gr. IIT) and Riggs Handicap (gr. IIT) and third in the Irish One Thousand Guineas (Ire-I). He is a half brother to 1998 Suwannee River Handicap (gr. IIIT) winner Seebe (by Danzig). Sharpen Up, the sire of Selkirk, is also responsible for top sires Kris and Diesis and is the sire of Pebbles, winner of the 1985 Breeders’ Cup Turf (gr. IT).