Grade 1 winner Majestic Harbor dies at 14

The durable racehorse Majestic Harbor, a Grade 1 winner who made 42 starts, died of a suspected cardiac event Tuesday at Harris Farms, where he has been standing at stud, according to his co-owner, Lori Hebel-Osborne, who raced Majestic Harbor as part of a partnership.

Majestic Harbor scored the biggest win of his career in the Grade 1 Gold Cup at Santa Anita in 2014, defeating, among others, Game On Dude and Clubhouse Ride.

At stud, Majestic Harbor was California’s leading freshman sire of 2020, when he sired four maiden winners from a mere six starters. In 2021, he was the top stallion in the state in terms of average earnings per runner and median earnings per runner. He began his stallion career in Indiana at Swifty Farms in 2017 before moving to Harris Farms in 2018.

His first crop includes the stakes winner Platinum Tiara.

Majestic Harbor, who would have turned 14 on Wednesday, was stricken after covering a mare. Plans are for him to buried in the horse cemetery at Harris Farms.

“As you can imagine, we are all in shock and completely devastated by the news,” Hebel-Osborne said in a press release. She campaigned the horse along with her husband, David Osborne, her parents – Carol and the late Charles Hebel – and Ron Beegle and his brother, Ray. Their partnership was known as Gallant Stables.

“He was just a huge part of our life, and he gave us so much of his life to make ours bigger and brighter,” Hebel-Osborne said. “He had so much personality. He had so much talent. He had it all. We all loved him so much. Hard to believe that he is gone so soon.”

Majestic Harbor, by Rockport Harbor out of the French Deputy mare Champagne Royale, won 10 times in 42 starts, including four graded stakes, and finished in the money 25 times. In addition to the Gold Cup, he won the Grade 3 Tokyo City at Santa Anita in 2014, and in 2016 both the Grade 2 Alysheba at Churchill Downs and Grade 3 Mineshaft at the Fair Grounds. He raced in 27 stakes and competed at 10 different racetracks.

Majestic Harbor won the Gold Cup for trainer Sean McCarthy. He raced in the Midwest with trainer Paul McGee. He won graded stakes for both trainers.