One of Queensland's most successful thoroughbred owner-breeders Ross Cutts has died in Brisbane aged 78 after complications from heart surgery.

Cutts is best known for his Group One winners Show A Heart, whose elite wins include a Stradbroke `Handicap and Caulfield Guineas, and Oakleigh Plate winner Woorim.

Show A Heart later stood at Glenlogan Park where he was Queensland's champion sire on multiple occasions.

Cutts bought his first horse 40 years ago, a colt by then top sire Vice Regal.

The horse was Regal Advice who won five races including the 1983 QTC Castlemaine Stakes (J J Atkins.)

When his racing days were over Regal Advice stood at stud in NSW and Cutts bought a mare named Misty Morning for $800 to send to him.

The result was Miss Sandman who won 12 races in Brisbane and went on to produce Show A Heart.

His latest smart horse is the Stuart Kendrick trained Star Of Michelin who is the fifth generation of horses raced by the Cutts family to be a city winner.

"I had a lot of success with Ross and we had a Group One performer in Charnley River who was second in an Atkins and later raced in America," Kendrick said.

"Ross loved his horses and racing."

Glenlogan Park stud principal Steve Morley said Cutts was noted as a fair man who loved the racing industry.