The four-year-old, unraced for Godolphin, cost just €3,000 when bought at the sales by Hilltop Racing.

The gelding suffered a fatal injury on the gallops this morning while training. He was due to run in the Rathasker Stud Phoenix Stakes at The Curragh this weekend.

Sceptical won four races in a row, including the Listed Woodlands Stakes at Naas, before finishing a close third to Hello Youmzain and Dream Of Dreams in the Diamond Jubilee Stakes at Royal Ascot.

The son of Exceed And Excel, rated 116, last ran in the July Cup at Newmarket, where he finished runner-up to Oxted.

Denis Hogan, who retired from race riding last week during the Galway Races in order to concentrate on his training career, announced the news via his Twitter account this morning, stating:

“We have been dealt a devastating cruel blow at Boherna this morning with the loss of our superstar sprinter Sceptical. He was a horse of a lifetime and a game changer for my training career and everyone at Boherna.”

Sceptical’s owners paid tribute to him, saying:

“He was an amazing horse for us and we’ll remember all the great days we enjoyed with him.”

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