'He had everything you want in a racehorse' - stunning Cheltenham Gold Cup winner A Plus Tard is retired

A Plus Tard, the horse who helped to secure a seismic slice of history by carrying Rachael Blackmore to a sensational Cheltenham Gold Cup success in 2022, has been retired at the age of ten after failing over the last two seasons to rekindle the spark he showed on that fabulous festival day.

Owned by Cheveley Park Stud, the superstar is officially the sixth-best chaser since 2000, according to Racing Post Ratings, and the fourth-best staying chaser at three miles or further. Only Kauto Star, Galopin Des Champs and Denman rank higher than him on that list.

The 15-length romp over stablemate Minella Indo, who had beaten him in the previous year's race, was the widest margin the Gold Cup had been won by since Master Oats back in 1995 and saw Blackmore become the first female jockey to win the sport's pinnacle Grade 1.

A Plus Tard won eight of his 23 starts for trainer Henry de Bromhead, earned more than €1 million in prize-money, and even managed to beat the top-class Chacun Pour Soi in a Grade 1 over 2m1f at Leopardstown in 2019.

That was the first of his four victories at the highest level as he also landed the 2021 Betfair Chase and the 2020 Savills Chase. He was also a Cheltenham Festival winner in 2019 as well when he sprinted 16 lengths clear to land the Close Brothers Novices' Handicap Chase.

Rachael Blackmore celebrates winning the Cheltenham Gold Cup on A Plus Tard, "a day I'll never forget"Credit: Edward Whitaker (racingpost.com)

However, his runaway Gold Cup triumph is what A Plus Tard will be most remembered for and Blackmore hailed his remarkable achievement that day.

Blackmore told the Racing Post: "That was such an unbelievable day, landing after the last in a Gold Cup and to feel him quicken up like he did was sensational. That was a moment and a day I'll never forget.

"He just had everything you want in a racehorse and is a very special horse to me."

De Bromhead did a masterful job with A Plus Tard in getting him back to win the Gold Cup the year after he had finished second. He said it was his blend of speed and stamina which made him so special, and had no hesitation in describing him as one of the best he has ever trained.

De Bromhead said: "He was such a brilliant jumper, and had so much pace to go along with it. It is extremely hard to find a horse with the blend of speed and stamina he had. He was unreal. He had a great temperament too and when you put all those things together you got a brilliant horse who gave us so many memorable days. He was absolutely one of the best horses I've ever trained.

"He was sublime the day he won the Gold Cup, not only visually impressive, but also one of the highest-rated winners of the Gold Cup in the last 30 years. He was our first horse to train for Cheveley Park Stud and the Thompson family and was bought from France by Alex Elliott. He gave us many memorable days and we were delighted when this very special horse won Cheveley Park Stud their first Gold Cup."

A Plus Tard: won eight of his 23 starts and earned more than €1 million in prize-moneyCredit: Patrick McCann (racingpost.com/photos)

Richard Thompson, director of Cheveley Park Stud, said: "My father and I sat down in early 2018 and agreed on a plan to buy some jumps horses to be trained in Ireland with the aim of winning the Cheltenham Gold Cup.

"Just over four years later, we achieved this objective when Rachael Blackmore rode A Plus Tard to victory in front of 70,000 people at the first Cheltenham Festival post-Covid. My father watched A Plus Tard win the Savills Chase in a thrilling finish on television on December 28 in 2020. He died the very next day. It was the last horse race he ever watched."

He added: "A Plus Tard was also the first Cheltenham winner in the red, white and blue Cheveley Park Stud colours and also Rachael Blackmore’s first winner at Cheltenham in the 2019 Listed Close Brothers Novices' Handicap Chase.

"Rachael rode him to five of his six victories and Darragh O’Keeffe rode him in the other. A Plus Tard will always be a very special horse in the history of my parents’ ownership of Cheveley Park Stud.

"A special thank you to Henry de Bromhead and all the team at Knockeen and to Rachael too. To win the Cheltenham Gold Cup is the holy grail of jumps racing and we will never forget March 18 2022."

Top 10 staying chasers (3m+) since 2000 by RPRs

Kauto Star 191
Galopin Des Champs 184
Denman 184
A PLUS TARD 183
Imperial Commander 182
Don Cossack 182
Long Run 181
Cue Card 180
Vautour 180
Allaho 180

Top 10 chasers since 2000 by RPRs

Kauto Star 191
Sprinter Sacre 190
Master Minded 186
Galopin Des Champs 184
Denman 184
A PLUS TARD 183
Altior 183
Imperial Commander 182
Don Cossack 182
Moscow Flyer 182

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