'He was the best I've trained' - Morris pays tribute to War Of Attrition

The 2006 Cheltenham Gold Cup winner War Of Attrition has died at the age of 23, with Eddie O'Leary hailing him an "amazing horse who got the whole Gigginstown operation going".

War Of Attrition retired to Gigginstown House Stud after finishing runner-up in the 2010 Punchestown Gold Cup but was hit with a bout of colic and was euthanised on Friday night.

The finest hour of a stellar career that spanned more than seven years was the Gold Cup success in 2006 when, as a seven-year-old, War Of Attrition stayed on strongly under Conor O'Dwyer to beat the previous year's Grand National winner Hedgehunter by two and a half lengths.

When asked whether it was the best day of his career in racing, trainer Mouse Morris said: "Well, it's the most fags I've smoked in a day anyway so it must have been!"

"He's the best I've trained anyway. Well, so far! He had speed and he stayed and when you get one like that who has both it's a rare commodity. He could have been a Champion Hurdle horse, that's how much speed he had.

"He always turned up on the big days and he was very good the day he won the Gold Cup. He had a very high cruising speed and that stood to him that day. He took Conor [O'Dwyer] everywhere he wanted to go. He was some horse."

Six weeks after that famous Cheltenham success, War Of Attrition cemented his status as the best staying chaser in training that year by beating Beef Or Salmon in the Punchestown Gold Cup.

War Of Attrition won 14 of his 34 career races, three of which came at Grade 1 level, and he was also placed in 12 other outings.

Eddie O'Leary: 'He was an absolute legend and we all loved him'Credit: Peter Mooney

He was ultra-consistent at the top level and was just touched off by Brave Inca in one of the most thrilling finishes to the Supreme Novices' Hurdle in 2004.

Eddie O'Leary said: "He was an absolute legend and we all loved him. He was an amazing horse and when you think he was only beaten a short-head by Brave Inca in the Supreme, it shows you how much class he had.

"The only time he ever fell was in a point-to-point before we got him and he was a top staying chaser for so many years. Mouse [Morris] did the most brilliant job with him. He was the main reason he had the career he did. He trained him brilliantly.

"War Of Attrition started it all off for us really, he was the one who got the whole Gigginstown operation going. He retired to Gigginstown after his racing career and Joe O'Mahony looked after him so well.

"He looked great right up until the day he died; he was like a bullock and loved life. Unfortunately, he was just hit with a bout of colic and it wasn't fair to him. We put him to sleep on Friday night. He will be dearly missed by everyone."

Eddie's brother Michael revealed in a Racing Post interview back in 2020 that War Of Attrition was one of only two bets he has ever had.

Unfortunately for him the wager was staked ahead of the 2004 Supreme rather than the Gold Cup two years later.

O'Leary said: "I've only had two bets in my life. I had fifty quid on Tuco when he won the Land Rover Bumper at Fairyhouse and, don’t ask me why, but I collectively had about three or four grand on War Of Attrition to win the Supreme Novices’ at prices between 33-1 and 50-1. Of course he had to go and get chinned by Brave Inca."

As well as his Gold Cup success and two other Grade 1 wins, War Of Attrition also won the Irish Daily Star - Best For Racing Coverage Chase at Punchestown, the Grade 3 won earlier this month by Galvin, on three occasions in 2005, 2006 and 2008.

War Of Attrition in numbers

£741,257 career earnings
174 peak rating
34 starts
14 wins
3 Grade 1s
1 Cheltenham Gold Cup