The news of Fiorente's passing comes only a few weeks after his daughter, Lunar Flare, announced herself a leading contender for the race that catapulted her father to stardom in 2013.
The Grahame Begg-trained mare is now second favourite for this year's Melbourne Cup, a race Fiorente won 12 months after finishing second at his first start in Australia since being recruited from Europe.
Lunar Flare ran a new peak figure with her 5-1/2-length win in that 2800-metre Listed event, but she is not the highest-rated son or daughter of the son of Monsun, who initially stood at Sun Stud before taking up residence at Widden Victoria.
Below is a list of the stallion who has seven crops of racing age on the ground with two still to come.
117 – HAWKSHOT/BEAUTY LEGACY
The seven-year-old gelding, who is out of the Encosta De Lago mare Rosa Perlato, is back in Australia after a two-year stint in Hong Kong, but posted his best numbers under the name Hawkshot before heading abroad and going by Beauty Legacy He ran to his peak number in consecutive starts in the autumn of 2019, initially when second to Mystic Journey in the Group 1 Australian Guineas and then when seventh behind the same filly in the $5m WFA All-Star Mile. His peak winning figure was 115, which was returned in the Group 2 Autumn Stakes. Now back in Australia and trained by Adam Campton on the Gold Coast, he has retained his Hong Kong name.
114 – LUNAR FLARE
The seven-year-old mare is a strong chance to claim the mantle as Fiorente's top performer by the end of the year if Melbourne Cup markets are to be believed with the daughter of the Encosta De Lago mare My Fair Lago second favourite to win this year's big race. That's off the back of her Andrew Ramsden Stakes win, when she elevated her peak figure from 109 to 114.
113 – STARS OF CARRUM
Now seven, the gelding out of the Anabaa mare Signoret broke his maiden in the Group 2 Moonee Valley Vase, running the same number he returned when second to Extra Brut in the following week's Group 1 Victoria Derby. He ran to 113 a third time when fourth in the 2019 Mornington Cup, won by Self Sense.
109 – NOBEL HEIGHTS
The Matt Cumani-trained five-year-old , who is from the Helissio mare Free Friday, is a Group 1 placegetter, having run 106 when third in the 2021 South Australian Derby, before elevating his career peak to 109 with his win at Flemington in February this year.
108 – NOT USUAL GLORIOUS
The tough on-pacer, who is out of the Hold That Tiger mare Temper Tantrum, has run to 108 on three occasions, including his win in last year's Benalla Gold Cup and his second placing to Rolls in this year's Listed Warrnambool Cup.
107 – POWER SCHEME
The six-year-old younger brother to Hawkshot, who is now plying his trade in Singapore as Sun Power, ran to 105 in the biggest of his four wins – in the Listed Fernhill Stakes – but his peak rating came seven days later when seventh in one of the strongest Group 1 Champagne Stakes of recent times, which was fought out by Castelvecchio and Loving Gaby.
In addition to the above high-achievers, Fiorente has also produced Group 3 SA Fillies Classic winner Moor Gait and Listed winners Baronova, Cousin Ivan and Liquero.
