BALLARAT racing has lost an old favourite.
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Tuscan Fire was put down after breaking down in the Galleywood Hurdle at Warrnambool gallops on Wednesday.
Jockey Brad McLean pulled up the Dan O'Sullivan-trained nine-year-old, reportedly with a pastern injury, on the flat midway through the feature jumps event.
It is a sad finish to a great career for one of racing's most versatile gallopers.
The undoubted highlighted of his career, which spanned 81 starts, was his appearance in the 2013 Caulfield Cup.
He gained the Caulfield Cup start by winning the 2013 Mornington Cup - a performance which guaranteed him a spot in the field.
In all Tuscan Fire won 12 times, had 13 seconds and 15 thirds for $783,558.
The Galleywood was his 11th jumps start, of which he won two. He was placed four times.
Tuscan Fire spent his whole racing career with O'Sullivan - becoming the backbone of the Ballarat stable.
He debuted at Bendigo in February 2010 and broke his maiden status at his seventh start in Ballarat.
The gelding also tasted success for the first time as a hurdler in Ballarat in April 2012 in a campaign which saw him win twice over the jumps with Brad McLean in the saddle and finish third in the Australian Hurdle.
It was in his next campaign on the flat that Tuscan Fire captured the imagination of the racing community.
While most expected him to pursue the jumps, the son of Tuscanos strung together two wins and three second on city tracks, including a second in the listed Mornington Cup Prelude at Caulfield.
This persuaded O'Sullivan to go to the Mornington Cup, which he duly won.
While he was an outsider and finished 12th in the Caulfield Cup, just being in such elite company gave his connections as massive thrill.
Although wins were hard to come by from that point on,Tuscan Fire continued to race competitively in city class with five seconds and thirds in the space of six starts in the summer of 2015.
He returned to hurdling after running in last year's Warrnambool Cup.
Tuscan Fire began what would he last campaign with a deadheat for first in the Swettenham Stud Summer Championship Final, 1700m, at Caulfield on January 26.
Wednesday was his first start in a hurdle race this preparation.
Tuscan Fire is the second jumper to be euthanised at the Warrnambool May Carnival this year, with the Bryce Stanaway-trained Cliff's Down suffering the same fate on Tuesday.
