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To paraphrase Brian Clough: “It may not be the greatest moment in Jump racing history, but it’s in the top one.”
Mike
Tears in my eyes!!
I backed Special Tiara but was cheering Sprinter all the way up the hill!!
What a horse!!
Am having a bloody poor day punting-wise but none of that matters.
Wonderful performance!
Thouroughly enjoyed shouting Sprinter home!
Value Is EverythingSo happy to see him win, such a beautiful animal. Think UDS didn’t run to form perhaps, maybe ground, maybe Special Tiara taking him on. Don’t think Ruby rode his best race, should have forced the issue much earlier
A fabulous achievement all round.
Racehorses rarely come back at this level but when one does it’s just wonderful.
An absolutely wonderful race. For some reason I never fell in love with Sprinter Sacre when he was at the height of his powers. Possibly it was due to the excessive hype, or that it all came just too easily to him. But this season he has shown the combination of class and toughness that is the mark of a true hero, and today was just brilliant
So happy to see him win, such a beautiful animal. Think UDS didn’t run to form perhaps, maybe ground, maybe Special Tiara taking him on. Don’t think Ruby rode his best race, should have forced the issue much earlier
According to Cunningham, Un De Sceaux and Sprinter did amazing mid-race fractions.
If anything 2nd and 3rd got racing too far out. As some tried to point out, ST and VDS are similar horses. Early dominence is important to ST, loves being in front, take a look at what happened at the start of last year’s race.
In his whole life VDS had previously only jumped two fences in second place (first two in the Arkle) after that pulling his way to the front. Ruby tried to con VDS in to thinking he was in front – by going wide, didnt work. Tried to get in front – ST fought back – and they went too quick. Not that it made any difference the ability Sprinter Sacre showed, VDS at his best wouldn’t have beaten SS.
Value Is EverythingAbsolutely fantastic – Nothing will outdo that for a long time. The noise as he closed at the top of the hill was very special. Have a vid on my phone of him being led back down in front of that stands after winning.
During Frankel’s career, I managed to convert my sister into a horse-racing fan and showed her many of the great horses from past to present. Although she adored Frankel, she developed a special interest in Sprinter Sacre and was deeply concerned when she heard of his heart problem. Like most racing fans, we thought that Sprinter’s career was all but over when he was the ghost of the champion that he once was. While his comeback trail this season was encouraging, there was still a question mark hanging over his ability…
So, today, we watched this race and our butterflies were intense … mine felt like a flock of pigeons! There was a moment or two before the home turn where Nico De Boinville seemed to be niggling at Sprinter Sacre and I mumbled to my sister “He’s not gonna do it” when Special Tiara and Un De Sceaux appeared to be running away with the race…
Shortly after, when the head-on view captured Sprinter getting alongside Un De Sceaux, my heart rate shot up. My sister looked as white as a sheet. Then there was that magical moment when Sprinter rounded the home turn and, with the crowd roaring him on, he quickly took three lengths off the Mullins’ hotpot and displayed a streak of his former brilliance as he increased his lead. Sister and I went bananas and virtually shouted the house down. And yes, there were tears as he blazed past the finishing line.
This has to be one of the best races I’ve ever seen. Wonderful, emotional and highly satisfying.
Over.
The.
Moon!Hail to the king Sprinter Sacre!
What a magnificent looking beast.
Thanks NathanAs a physical specimen he was head and shoulders, knees and toes above UDS
and in race too, unfortunate for myself but great for racing in generalGaelic Warrior Gold Cup Winner 2026
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