Gai Waterhouse has paid tribute to the horse who provided her with her biggest thrill in racing following the death of Fiorente.

Widden Stud announced late on Tuesday afternoon that the 2013 Melbourne Cup winner had died at the age of 15 after ‘battling an ongoing chronic illness’.

“I was deeply saddened to hear of the passing of Fiorente,” Waterhouse said.

“He gave me the greatest joy of my racing life winning the Melbourne Cup in 2013.

“He was the most beautiful horse to train, so talented and handsome, and he took everything before him.”

After starting his career in England, where he was trained by Sir Michael Stoute and counted the Group 2 Princess Of Wales’s Stakes (2412m) at Newmarket as his biggest success, he arrived in Melbourne in the spring of 2012 and was runner-up in the Melbourne Cup won by Green Moon .

The son of Monsun returned 12 months later to provide Waterhouse with her first win, and champion jockey Damien Oliver a third success, in Australia’s greatest race.

Later that season he won the Group 1 Australian Cup before being retired to Sun Stud ahead of the 2014 breeding season and served his final couple of seasons at Widden Victoria.

Phil Marshall, a part of the Widden Victoria sales and nominations team who also worked with Fiorente at Sun Stud, was ‘devastated’ by his death.

“Fiorente was unbelievably tough but at the same time an absolute gentleman,” Marshall said.

“The staff who knew him well are understandably shattered; he will be greatly missed not only by us but by the whole industry.

“Throughout his career he was able to produce horses with the same bravery and tenacity, which he had in spades.”

Fearentless, a daughter of Fiorente, won the final race at Hamilton in Victoria around the same time Widden announced his death, while Group 2 winners Lunar Flare, Stars Of Carrum and Hawkshot are among his best-performed progeny.