Hall of Fame

Won his maiden hurdle as a six-year-old over 2 miles at Taunton on 6 January 2000 by eight lengths when trained by Richard Mitchell. Changed stables to join Philip Hobbs shortly thereafter and the handsome grey just got better and better with age, going on to win 10 races and £687,541. Most notably he won the Champion Hurdle (Gr1) at the Cheltenham Festival in 2003 and finished second to Hardy Eustace in the same race in 2004.

Won a novice hurdle as a five-year-old over 2 miles 3 furlongs at Taunton on 16 January 2003 by seven lengths, when ridden by 20-times champion jockey Tony McCoy. He was trained by the legendary Martin Pipe until he retired and son David took over in 2006. He was a multiple Grade 1 winning chaser with his biggest success coming in the Ryanair Chase (Gr1) at the 2008 Cheltenham Festival. In all he won 13 races and £712,304 during a career that spanned nine years.

German-bred, he won a Listed race on the flat in Germany as a three-year-old before transferring to Martin Pipe for a career over obstacles. He made his British debut in a maiden hurdle over 2 miles at Taunton on 13 February 2003, where he won by a comfortable 5 lengths. He followed that with a six-length victory in a Grade 2 Hurdle at Kempton before being switched to chasing. He made his debut over the big fences in a novice chase over 2 miles at Taunton on 3 February 2004, winning comfortably despite a serious mistake at the last. He must have learned from the experience as he landed the Arkle Challenge Trophy (Gr1) at the Cheltenham Festival in his next start, beating subsequent Cheltenham Gold Cup (Gr1) and King George VI Chase (Gr1) winner Kicking King by a length. He followed that with an easy victory over Thisthatandtother in the Maghull Novices Chase (Gr1) at Aintree. In a career that spanned seven seasons, he won 11 races and £631,924.

French-bred, he started his racing career in France with François Doumen, who successfully landed two Grade 2 juvenile hurdles at Lingfield and Cheltenham. He was to change trainers several times during his career, back and forth between Doumen and Martin Pipe before moving to James Fanshawe during a highly successful hurdling campaign. He was something of a Cheltenham Festival specialist, winning the 1999 Supreme Novices Hurdle (Gr1) for Martin Pipe and Tony McCoy, finishing second to the great Istabraq in the 2000 Champion Hurdle (Gr1) for Doumen before winning the 2002 Champion Hurdle (Gr1) for James Fanshawe. He made a belated switch to chasing as a 10-year-old when switched to Paul Nicholls after a long absence, winning first time out in a 2-mile 2-furlong novice chase at Taunton on 8 December 2005. But that was to be his last career victory as he only raced four more times over the bigger obstacles for two places. In an eight-year career, he won nine races and £419,855.

Racing in the famous Paul Barber colours and trained by Paul Nicholls, he won his second start in a Taunton bumper over 2 miles as a five-year-old on 2 February 2010.  He went on to be a top-class hurdler, finishing second in the Baring Bingham Novices Hurdle (Gr1) at the 2011 Cheltenham Festival before landing the Champion Hurdle (Gr1) at the following year’s Festival. He changed stables to Harry Fry later that year and went on to finish second to Hurricane Fly in the 2013 Champion Hurdle (Gr1). Switched to chasing, he won two small field novice chases but failed to make any impression when down the field in the Arkle Challenge Trophy (Gr1) at the 2014 Cheltenham Festival. He returned to hurdling and won three more races including Grade 2 events at Cheltenham and Ascot. He retired with a record of 12 wins from 27 starts and £636,290.

After finishing second to Cue Card in the Weatherbys Champion Bumper (Gr1) at the 2010 Cheltenham Festival, he won a novice hurdle over 2 miles 3 furlongs at Taunton by 20 lengths on 20 January 2011. He followed this by winning at Newbury before defeating Sprinter Sacre and Cue Card in the Supreme Novices’ Hurdle (Gr1) at the 2011 Cheltenham Festival. He then switched to chasing and won a Grade 2 novices’ chase at Cheltenham and the Grade 1 Henry VIII Novices’ Chase at Sandown to remain unbeaten that year. Tough and versatile, he raced for eight seasons under the care of Paul Nicholls and later Dan Skelton, winning a total of 11 races and £510,857.

Won twice on the flat as a three-year-old for Michael Bell before switching to jumping with Alan King. He won first time out by 14 lengths over 2 miles in a novice hurdle at Taunton on 30 December 2011. After finishing third in the Triumph Hurdle (Gr1) at the 2012 Cheltenham Festival, he turned the tables on Countrywide Flame to win the Matalan Anniversary Juvenile Hurdle (Gr1) at Aintree. Switched to the bigger obstacles, he won two small novice chases before returning to the flat to land a valuable win in the 34-runner Cesarewitch at Newmarket. He won a total of 11 races in an eight-year career and earned £335,243.

Won the Supreme Novices Hurdle (Gr1) at the 2010 Cheltenham Festival as well as two further Graded hurdles at Cheltenham later that year. Philip Hobbs switched him to chasing and he won first time out in a novices’ chase over 2 miles 2 furlongs at Taunton on 30 December 2011. Starting at long odds on, he bounded clear under Richard Johnson to win by 13 lengths in spite of a bad blunder at the last fence. He went on to win the Manifesto Novices Chase (Gr1) at Aintree the following year and remained competitive in the staying chasers ranks for a number of seasons. He won the Peterborough Chase (Gr2), the Charlie Hall Chase (Gr2) as well as the Oaksey Chase (Gr2) at Sandown an incredible four times from 2014 to 2017. He retired with honours after that fourth success in the Oaksey Chase (Gr2) and did so as the winner of 15 races and £667,209.

Trained by Gary Moore for the entirety of his illustrious career, he won a 2-mile handicap hurdle at Taunton on 21 February 2012. But he really found his feet when switched to chasing and became one of the country’s top 2-milers. He won a total of five Grade 1 chases, including the Queen Mother Champion Chase at the 2014 Cheltenham Festival. Add to that two Tingle Creeks, two Celebration Chases, a Clarence House Chase and a Desert Orchid Chase – and it’s clear what a superstar he was. He won a total of 17 races and £885,446.

Won a 2-mile novice hurdle at Taunton by 11 lengths on 7 January 2013 for Paul Nicholls and Ruby Walsh. He progressed well over hurdles, winning the Cleeve Hurdle (Gr2) at Cheltenham before finishing second in the Stayers’ Hurdle (Gr1) at the 2015 Cheltenham Festival. Switched to fences, he was a wide margin winner of the Mildmay Novices’ Chase (Gr1) at Aintree. In a career spanning seven seasons, he won nine of his 30 starts and £339,849.

Started out in point-to-points and hunter chases and only made his debut under rules as a six-year-old. Trained initially by Kieran Burke he won seven of his first nine chase starts, culminating in an impressive eight-length win in the Pulteney Land Investments Novices’ Chase (Listed) at the 2012 Cheltenham Festival. He was placed in both the Cotswold Chase (Gr2) and the Byrne Group Handicap Chase (Gr3) at Cheltenham, before winning a 2-mile 2-furlong handicap chase at Taunton on 4 April 2013. After a failed stint in America, he returned to the UK and in the care of Nicky Henderson was placed in both the Ascot Chase (Gr1) and the Ryanair Chase (Gr1). Unusually, he switched to hurdling as a 10-year-old, winning three minor novice hurdles in a row before his retirement. In all, he won 11 races for £202,919.

Won three times over hurdles, including a Gr2 success at Doncaster before landing a handicap hurdle over 2 miles at Taunton on 17 February 2015 whilst in the care of Nick Williams. He moved to Neil Mulholland after that and became a very useful novice chaser, winning three times and placing five times from just eight runs. His places included creditable thirds behind Douvan in both the Arkle Challenge Trophy (Gr1) at the 2016 Cheltenham Festival and the Maghull Novices’ Chase (Gr1) at Aintree. He changed trainer again, moving to Colin Tizzard, for whom he won the Shloer Chase (Gr2) twice, the Melling Chase (Gr1) and the Punchestown Champion Chase (Gr1). His career stats ended with 11 wins and 13 places from 27 starts and £641,626.

Won a mares’ novice hurdle over 2 miles 3 furlongs at Taunton on 21 February 2017 en route to finishing a creditable fourth in the Dawn Run Mares’ Novices’ Hurdle (Gr2) at that year’s Cheltenham Festival. Trained by Nicky Henderson, her biggest success came in the Christmas Hurdle (Gr1) at Kempton, where she narrowly beat her better fancied stablemate, dual Champion Hurdle (Gr1) winner Buveur D’Air. She also won the Elite Hurdle (Gr2) and the Scottish Champion Hurdle (Gr2) in a career that saw her win nine times from 31 starts and £341,440.

After a promising start in France, he joined Paul Nicholls as a five-year-old and quickly established himself as a useful hurdler, winning four times including a handicap hurdle over 2 miles 3 furlongs at Taunton on 6 April 2017. But it was as a chaser that he truly came into his own, winning nine times including the Kauto Star Novices’ Chase (Gr1), the Reynoldstown Novices’ Chase (Gr2) and the Oaksey Chase (Gr2). In all, he won 14 of his 40 starts and £395,459. In retirement with Jimmy Frost, he is now one of Taunton Racecourse’s RoR “Horses for Courses Ambassadors” alongside stablemate Frodon, both horses parading at Taunton to the delight of their loyal supporters.

Won his first five starts over hurdles as a juvenile, his first defeat coming when narrowly beaten by his stablemate in the Triumph Hurdle (Gr1) at the 2015 Cheltenham Festival. Trained by Nicky Henderson, he was even better over the bigger obstacles, winning nine times including the Scilly Isles Novices’ Chase (Gr1), the Christy 1965 Chase (Gr2), the Oaksey Chase (Gr2) and the Peterborough Chase (Gr 2) twice. The first of his Peterborough Chase wins was actually at Taunton due to the race being transferred when adverse weather conditions caused Huntingdon’s fixture to be abandoned. In all he won 16 of his 33 starts and £479,890.

Won a couple of chases in France before joining Venetia Williams as a five-year-old. Showed himself to be a useful staying hurdler and transferred that ability to chasing, his most important success coming in the Grand National Trial Handicap Chase (Gr3) at Haydock Park. He changed stables to join Paul Nicholls and, following a wind operation, became a bit of a household name at Taunton by reeling off a hat-trick of wins in the Portman Cup over 3 miles 4 furlongs under Bryony Frost. He retired with a career record of 13 wins from 49 starts and £442,341.

After winning her first two starts over hurdles, she justified favouritism to win the Byerley Stud Mares’ Novices’ Hurdle (Listed) at Taunton on 30 December 2019. She was an eight-length winner for Nicky Henderson and Nico de Boinville and she looked to have a very bright future. However, she was plagued with wind problems and needed two wind operations to help her find her best form after some indifferent performances. Patience and perseverance paid off as she went on to win the David Nicholson Mares’ Hurdle (Gr1) at the 2022 Cheltenham Festival and followed that with another impressive win in the Irish Mares’ Champion Hurdle (Gr1) at Punchestown. In total she won nine of her 22 starts for £352,837.

With a flat pedigree to die for, she started her racing career with two fluent wins over hurdles at Taunton on 8 January and 6 February 2024. She made it three-in-a-row in the Dawn Run Mares’ Novices’ Hurdle (Gr2) at the Cheltenham Festival next time out, beating the very talented Brighterdaysahead comfortably. She became a dual Cheltenham Festival winner the following year when she took advantage of the falls by Constitution Hill and State Man to land the Champion Hurdle (Gr1). This tough and resilient mare did it again in the Fighting Fifth Hurdle (Gr1) at Newcastle, benefitting from the falls of Constitution Hill (again) and The New Lion. To date she has won eight of her 18 starts for earnings of £634,493 and trainer Jeremy Scott will be hopeful of further success with her next season.

Won four times on the flat in Germany before joining Joe Tizzard. Made his debut over obstacles at Taunton on 14 November 2024, bolting up by 25 lengths in a maiden hurdle over 2 miles 3 furlongs. He followed this with another comfortable win at Taunton four weeks later, in a novice hurdle over 2 miles. He showed progressive form the following season, winning at Ascot and Cheltenham before landing the Kingwell Hurdle (Gr2) at Wincanton. He finished a creditable fourth in the Champion Hurdle (Gr1) at the 2026 Cheltenham Festival before ending the season with another good third in the Aintree Hurdle (Gr1). He has a career record to date of five wins from 11 starts over hurdles and earnings of £242,891 and looks to have a bright future ahead for his connections.

Won a novice hurdle at Exeter to open his account second time out under rules but didn’t win again until he was switched to chasing by his training partnership of Philip Hobbs and Johnson White. He won a handicap chase at Taunton over 2 miles 7 furlongs on his chasing debut on 11 December 2025, before following up in another handicap chase at Taunton over the same distance on 9 March 2026. His connections made the bold move to target the Scottish Grand National (Gr3) at Ayr over 4 miles on heavy ground in April. He jumped and travelled beautifully to land a memorable victory at 20-1. To celebrate, connections of the 6-year-old chestnut brought him back to Taunton to parade at its final meeting of the 2025-26 season, where he was greeted with warm applause from the healthy Ladies Day crowd. His early career record stands at four wins from 13 starts and £144,962 to date and he looks to have a bright future in the staying chase division next season.