Cheltenham Gold Cup hero who won seven times under Rachael Blackmore retires

Cheltenham Gold Cup hero Minella Indo has been retired from racing at the age of 12. The news was officially confirmed by Horse Racing Ireland bringing the curtain down on an outstanding career for trainer Henry de Bromhead and owner Barry Maloney.

Minella Indo burst onto the scene in March 2019 when, despite having yet to win over hurdles, he captured the Albert Bartlett Novices’ Hurdle at odds of 50-1 under de Bromhead’s stable jockey Rachael Blackmore. He confirmed his promise by defeating Allaho in the Grade 1 Irish Daily Mirror Novice Hurdle at the Punchestown Festival.

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Once switching to fences, he scored at the second attempt in Navan and then lined up as a 3-1 chance in the RSA Novices’ Chase at Cheltenham in 2020, where he and Blackmore went down by a length to Champ.

By the time he reached the senior ranks the de Bromhead stable was flush with jumping talent.

So in the 2021 Cheltenham Gold Cup, Blackmore had a choice of mounts. She went for the better fancied A Plus Tard only to go down by a length and a quarter to the stronger Minello Indo, who was ridden by Jack Kennedy.

Minella Indo was to complete, not only a stable one-two, but deliver an unprecedented sweep of the Champion Hurdle, Champion Chase and Gold Cup in the same year for his trainer.

The following year Blackmore chose correctly as A Plus Tard got his revenge to defeat Minella Indo by 15 lengths in the 2022 Gold Cup. Minella Indo ran in one more Gold Cup, when he was pulled up behind Galopin Des Champs in 2023.

He still had more to offer over longer distances and came close to adding the Grand National to his record when leading at the final fence at Aintree last year, but was overtaken by I Am Maximus and Delta Work on the run-in. On his return to Merseyside in April this year, he completed again in ninth place.

He won eight times under rules, earning more than £800,000, with seven of his wins achieved under record-breaker Blackmore.

Fans, reacting on social media, described Minella Indo as “as true Cheltenham legend”.

Another said: “I’ll never forget being at Cheltenham and watching him get done by Champ before he went on to Gold Cup glory. What a horse, happy to see him get that deserved retirement in one piece.”