Leprechaun Yap Suddenly Dies In Pup To Digital
Aged just seven, “Black” as she was affectionately known, collapsed at her Little River home before dying in the back seat of owner Diane Bartolo's car during the mad rush to the vet.
“She was drinking a lot of water in the days leading up to her death, but she seemed very happy and healthy”, a devastated Dianne said.
“(Husband) Paul and I had race caller Rob Testa and his partner Brooke at our place the day before she died and they even remarked about how beautiful she looked. I've spoken to (vet) Michael Bell about it and he thinks the problem was possibly circulatory”, she added.
Leprechaun Yap had 37 starts for 14 wins and was narrowly beaten by Dance Portrait in the 2003 Group 1 Laurels at Sandown Park.
She had four litters, three to Brett Lee and one to Spiral Nikita, and produced superstars such as Betty's Angel and Miss Mini Mouse, who ran 1st and 2nd in the 2006 Group 1 Melbourne Cup. Some of her other progeny included Group 1 winner Leprechaun Pace, Talk's Cheap (now at stud), Bo Frazier, Glamorous, Global Warming and Fast Indian.
She was mated to international sire Digital four weeks ago, and the value of those pups would had been estimated by Bartolo at $20,000-$25,000 each.
Leprechaun Yap's sudden death comes just three months after her mother Leprechaun Miss passed away at thirteen years of age.
[…] Bred by Victorian breeders Paul and Diane Bartolo, Magic Sprite’s dam Glamorous is a daughter of Spiral Nikita and the Bartolo’s pre-potent producer Leprechaun Yap, the mother of 2006 Australian Greyhound of the Year Betty’s Angel and a host of other Group winners who died in late 2008 while in pup to overseas sire Digital. […]