'He was gentle and he was great' - owner-breeder pays tribute as popular chaser and charity star Mister McGoldrick dies aged 27

Owner Richard Longley has paid tribute to popular chaser and longstanding charity ambassador Mister McGoldrick after his death aged 27. 

The jumps stalwart, who was trained for most of his career by Sue Smith, was a fixture around the northern circuits and enjoyed his finest moment when winning the 2008 Racing Post Plate at the Cheltenham Festival. 

Upon retirement he joined the retraining and rehoming racehorses charity New Beginnings in 2012 and undertook a range of roles under the watchful eyes of Kevin and Pam Atkinson. 

"It was the end of an era for me in particular," Longley said. "Pam and Kevin up in York did absolutely brilliantly with him and it was Sue Smith who recommended him to them. 

"He did everything for them, even pulling a funeral cortege of [north-eastern racing correspondent] Doug Moscrop. That's just the sort of horse he was – he'd do anything and they loved him."

The son of Sabrehill won 15 of his 91 starts and more than £370,000 in prize-money, with his last win coming in a Huntingdon veterans' chase in 2010. He was ridden by a range of jockeys but struck up a particularly good relationship with Dominic Elsworth. Longley set up syndicate Mcgoldrick Racing in 2009 in his star's honour.

Sue Smith: trained Mister McGoldrick for most of his careerCredit: Edward Whitaker

When asked for his best memory of Mister McGoldrick, Longley said: "There were so many stories, but it would have to be his win at Cheltenham. My daughter's car broke down in the morning and I wasn't going to go, but my wife persuaded me to. 

"I wasn't even going to have a bet but I managed to get my £10 each-way on at the Tote just in time. It ended up paying 140-1 and I ended up with £1,600. I watched it and never thinking for a minute he'd win but when he went ten lengths clear I just shouted out 'God, that's my f****** horse!'

"From then on everything was a blur. I nearly knocked a bloke over on my way to find Sue and then getting the trophy from a golfer I admired. It was the big day."

On what made the horse so special, he added: "He was a laid-back character and that was thanks to Sue. When he got off the horsebox she said to Harvey 'God, what have we let ourselves into here?' and one of his older trainers said I'd be lucky to get £500 for him. He was gentle and he was great."

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