Dubai Millennium, a brilliant winner of last season's Dubai World Cup, died on Sunday night after losing his week-long battle with grass sickness.

Owner Sheikh Mohammed's bloodstock adviser John Ferguson said Godolphin's European horse of the year in 2000 died after emergency surgery.

Dubai Millennium announced himself with a runaway win in a maiden at Yarmouth on his debut as a two-year-old before joining his owner's Dubai-based Godolphin operation to winter in the sun.

And the horse proved a fine standard-bearer for his country on his return in 1999, when he won five of his six starts and proved himself Europe's top three-year-old miler with wins in the Queen Elizabeth II Stakes and Prix Jacques le Marois.

He appeared not to stay the trip in the Derby. Sent off favourite he could finish only ninth, suffering what turned out to be the only defeat of his career.

But Dubai Millennium proved himself a worldbeater - literally - over 10 furlongs last year.

He ran away with the 2000 Dubai World Cup and he put up a breath-taking display to land the Group One Prince Of Wales's Stakes at Royal Ascot by no less than eight lengths.

But just as a match with French champion Montjeu was being planned last August, Dubai Millennium fractured a leg on the gallops and had to be retired.

He went to stud the winner of nine career races and £2.75 million in prizemoney.

He had covered a reported three-quarters of his first book of mares when he was struck down by the grass sickness which ultimately claimed his life.

Tomorrow's Ascot's meeting has been abandoned after the track was found to be unfit for racing at an inspection yesterday afternoon.