Snow Chief is gone.

[richard burch]

long live the chief.

USA: Snow Chief, winner of the Preakness Stakes in 1986 and USchampion three-year-old male that year, has died at the age of 27.

According to the Blood-Horse, Snow Chief died of an apparent heart attack.

A Grade 1 winner in each of his three seasons on the track, the son of Reflected Glory was trained in California by Mel Stute, for whom he won both the Norfolk Stakes and Hollywood Futurity as a juvenile. His regular rider was Alex Solis.

He won the Florida Derby and Santa Anita Derby at three before his Preakness Stakes and then took the Strub Stakes, a Grade 1 at the time, and the Oaklawn Handicap as a four-year-old.

The biggest disappointment of Snow Chief's career came when he could finish only 11th as 2-1 favourite behind Ferdinand in the 1986 Kentucky Derby.

According to the Blood-Horse, his career record stood at 13 victories from 24 races for $3.38m in prize-money earnings.

"Snow Chief was the most durable horseI have ever trained," Stute said. "He could run in the mud, he could run on the dirt - he was something special."