Motivator, the unbeaten 2005 Derby winner trained by Michael Bell and later sire of dual Prix de l’Arc de Triomphe heroine Treve, has died aged 24. The son of Montjeu died on Friday night after completing his 20th season at stud, with his death believed to have followed a suspected heart attack, according to Racing Post’s report on Motivator’s death.
Bell’s tribute lands 21 years after Motivator carried the Royal Ascot Racing Club colours to one of the most emphatic modern Derby victories, sweeping clear at Epsom under Johnny Murtagh to beat Walk In The Park by six lengths.
Motivator Leaves A Derby And Stud Legacy
Motivator’s racecourse peak was brief but brilliant. He won the Racing Post Trophy at two, returned to take the Dante Stakes at York and arrived at Epsom as the colt with both the pedigree and the presence to dominate the Classic.
His later stallion career gave the story wider reach. Treve, his outstanding daughter, won back-to-back Arcs in 2013 and 2014, ensuring Motivator’s influence travelled far beyond the syndicate fairytale that made him a public favourite in Britain.
For Bell, who also trained Oaks winner Sariska, Motivator remains the defining horse of a long Newmarket career: a Derby winner of rare authority, and a stallion whose best offspring kept his name at the centre of European racing’s elite level.
