Dancing Brave was hailed as a "once-in-a-lifetime horse" today after news broke of his death at the age of 16. The 1986 Prix de l'Arc de Triomphe winner, rated "my most outstanding horse" by owner Khaled Abdulla, suffered a suspected heart attack in Japan, where he has been standing as a stallion since 1991.

Former trainer Guy Harwood admitted "we thought he could walk on water", after the horse's devastating display at Longchamp, where jockey Pat Eddery recalled Dancing Brave "killed" a high-class field.

Dancing Brave had been close to death twice in his younger days but his demise on Monday was completely unexpected. A spokeswoman for the Japan Bloodhorse Breeders' Association said: "It was very sudden and he seemed fine the day before.

"In the papers they are calling it a heart attack but we are not sure of the cause and we are waiting for the results of an autopsy."