Champion racehorse and outstanding sire Canny Lad has been put down at Woodlands Stud at the age of 26.

Darley Australia said Canny Lad, who was retired from active duty in 2011, had spent the past few years in a paddock with another champion, Octagonal, and would be buried at Woodlands.

Trained by Rick Hore-Lacy, Canny Lad was the champion two-year-old of his year, winning six of his seven races including the 1990 Group One Golden Slipper and VRC Sires' Produce Stakes.

At three he ran third behind Better Loosen Up and Sydeston in the Cox Plate.

He was retired to stud the following year and produced 10 Group One winners and 54 stakes winners.

Canny Lad also became an outstanding broodmare sire with Redoute's Choice and Saturday's Stradbroke Handicap winner River Lad among 11 Group One winners out of his daughters.

Hore-Lacy, who also trained Redoute's Choice, said Canny Lad was "a great racehorse, absolutely one of the best I have trained and a great type".

By Bletchingly out of Jesmond Lass, Canny Lad was one of the last exponents of the Star Kingdom dynasty.