Umatune, the dam of Group 1 winner Ihtsahym, died at Yarradale Stud on Tuesday night.  She was 15.

“She appears to have had a haemorrhage and died just before midnight,” Yarradale stud manager Bernadette Hamill reported on Wednesday.  “She was a character with a lovely personality and was a real favourite here at Yarradale.”

Umatune (Umatilla - God's Tune by Godswalk) was a Listed winner of the 2001 Crystal Slipper Stakes at Ascot and was purchased as a broodmare prospect by Oakland Park’s Neville Duncan in 2003.

Her first foal Jestatune (Rory's Jester) won the LR Gimcrack Stakes and she followed up with Saxon Palace (Bletchley Park), a three-time winner who was also G2 placed in a WA Guineas.

Umaar (Xaar) kept the winning run going with a running double at Ascot in 2009 and Ihtsatune (Ihtiram) added more black-type when she was Group 3 placed in the 2010 WA Sires’ Produce Stakes.

Ihtsatune later made it four winners from four to race, albeit after 17 starts, in a maiden at Seymour.

Duncan bred Umatune back to Oakland Park sire Ihtiram and struck the jackpot with Ihtsahymn who will be voted 2013-14 WA Horse of the Year after a summer hat-trick in the G2 WA Guineas, G1 Kingston Town Classic and G2 C B Cox Stakes at Ascot.

Duncan sold Umatune to Yarradale’s Ron Sayers and Geisel Park’s Eddie Rigg shortly after she foaled Ihtsahymn but retained a link to the family through the mare’s daughters Jestatune and Ihtsatune.

“Ron and Eddie have her yearling filly by War Chant and she’s an outstanding type,” Hamill said.  “Her final foal is a filly by Musket.

“Neville and the staff at Oakland Park always asked after Umatune.  She was the type of mare that captured everyone’s heart.”

IHTSAHYMN
Group 1 winner's dam has died at Yarradale Stud