Don Cossack (foaled 21 March 2007) is a retired German-bred, Irish-trained

Thoroughbred The Thoroughbred is a horse breed best known for its use in horse racing. Although the word ''thoroughbred'' is sometimes used to refer to any breed of purebred horse, it technically refers only to the Thoroughbred breed. Thoroughbreds are c ...

racehorse Horse racing is an equestrian performance sport, typically involving two or more horses ridden by jockeys (or sometimes driven without riders) over a set distance for competition. It is one of the most ancient of all sports, as its basic pr ...

who competed in

National Hunt In horse racing in the United Kingdom, France and Republic of Ireland, National Hunt racing requires horses to jump fences and ditches. National Hunt racing in the UK is informally known as "jumps" and is divided into two major distinct branches: ...

racing. Since his second race the

gelding A gelding is a castrated male horse or other equine, such as a pony, donkey or a mule. Castration, as well as the elimination of hormonally driven behavior associated with a stallion, allows a male equine to be calmer and better-behaved, makin ...

has been owned by the Gigginstown House Stud and trained in

County Meath County Meath (; gle, Contae na Mí or simply ) is a county in the Eastern and Midland Region of Ireland, within the province of Leinster. It is bordered by Dublin to the southeast, Louth to the northeast, Kildare to the south, Offaly to the sou ...

Gordon Elliott Gordon Elliott may refer to: * Gordon Elliott (journalist) Gordon Elliott (born 30 September 1956) is a British Australian journalist and producer, radio and television personality, based now in the United States. He was the executive produc ...

. He was ridden by many leading jockeys including

Nina Carberry Nina Carberry (born 19 July 1984) is a retired Irish female National Hunt jockey. She hails from a racing family and is the daughter of jockey Tommy Carberry. Career Carberry got her first Cheltenham Festival win in 2005 on Dabiroun in the Fred W ...

Davy Russell Davy Russell (born 27 June 1979) is a retired Irish National Hunt jockey. He was Irish jump racing Champion Jockey three times, and won the Grand National (twice), the Cheltenham Gold Cup and the Grand Steeple-Chase de Paris. Childhood and ama ...

, Bryan Cooper,

Barry Geraghty Barry Geraghty (born 16 September 1979) is a retired Irish jockey. He is the second most successful jockey of all time at the Cheltenham Festival. Geraghty rode his first winner in January 1997 and three years later he became the Irish Champio ...

A. P. McCoy Sir Anthony Peter McCoy (born 4 May 1974), commonly known as AP McCoy or Tony McCoy, is a Northern Irish former National Hunt horse racing jockey. Based in Ireland and the UK, McCoy rode a record 4,358 winners, and was Champion Jockey a reco ...

and

Paul Carberry Paul Carberry is a retired Irish National Hunt jockey. Background He was born on 9 February 1974.National Hunt Flat National Hunt flat races, informally known as bumper races, are a type of flat racing but run under National Hunt racing rules in Britain and Ireland. National Hunt flat races were created on 15 July 1891 when a conference between the stewards of ...

races and a

novice A novice is a person who has entered a religious order and is under probation, before taking vows. A ''novice'' can also refer to a person (or animal e.g. racehorse) who is entering a profession A profession is a field of work that has ...

hurdle A hurdle (UK English, limited US English) is a moveable section of light fence. In the United States, terms such as "panel", "pipe panel" or simply "fence section" are used to describe moveable sections of fencing intended for agricultural us ...

before being switched to steeplechasing in the autumn of 2013. In his first season over fences he won two races including the Drinmore Novice Chase and finished second in three other major novice events. In the 2014/2015 National Hunt season he established himself as one of the best chasers in training by winning six of his seven races. He won the Daily Star Chase, Powers Irish Whiskey Chase, Punchestown Chase and

Kinloch Brae Chase The Kinloch Brae Chase, currently run as the Horse & Jockey Hotel Chase, is a Grade 2 National Hunt steeplechase in Ireland. It is run at Thurles Racecourse in late January or early February, over a distance ...

in Ireland before sustaining his only defeat of the season in the

Ryanair Chase The Ryanair Chase is a Grade 1 National Hunt steeplechase in Great Britain which is open to horses aged five years or older. It is run on the New Course at Cheltenham over a distance of about 2 miles and 4½ furlongs (2 ...

at Cheltenham. He produced his best form in spring by winning the

Melling Chase The Melling Chase, currently known for sponsorship purposes as the Marsh Chase, is a Grade 1 National Hunt steeplechase in Great Britain which is open to horses aged five years or older. It is run at Aintr ...

and the

Punchestown Gold Cup The Punchestown Gold Cup is a Grade 1 National Hunt steeplechase in Ireland which is open to horses aged five years or older. It is run at Punchestown over a distance of about 3 miles and ½ furlong (3 miles and 120 ya ...

and ended the season as the highest-rated National Hunt performer in Britain and Ireland. In the following season he won a second Daily Star Chase and then took the JNwine.com Champion Chase but fell when favourite for the

King George VI Chase The King George VI Chase is a Grade 1 National Hunt steeplechase in Great Britain which is open to horses aged four years or older. It is run at Kempton Park over a distance of ...

. He won a repeat victory in the Kinloch Brae Chase and then recorded his biggest win in the 2016

Cheltenham Gold Cup The Cheltenham Gold Cup is a Grade 1 National Hunt horse race run on the New Course at Cheltenham Racecourse in England, over a distance of about 3 miles 2½ furlongs ( ...

. He was rated the best National Hunt performer in Britain and Ireland for the second time in May 2016. He was retired from racing in January 2017 following a recurrence of a tendon injury which had prevented him from reappearing after his Gold Cup win.

Background

Don Cossack is a brown gelding with a white blaze bred in Germany by the Gestűt Etzean. He was sired by Sholokhov, who won the

Gran Criterium The Gran Criterium is a Group 2 flat horse race in Italy open to two-year-old thoroughbred colts and fillies. It is run at Milan over a distance of 1,500 metres (about 1 mile), and it is scheduled to take place each year in October. The event he ...

in 2001 and finished second in both the

Irish Derby The Irish Derby (Irish: Dearbaí na hÉireann) is a Group 1 flat horse race in Ireland open to three-year-old thoroughbred colts and fillies. It is run at the Curragh over a distance of 1 ...

and the

Eclipse Stakes The Eclipse Stakes is a Group races, Group 1 Flat racing, flat Horse racing, horse race in Great Britain open to horses aged three years or older. It is run at Sandown P ...

in the following year. His other major winners have included the

German Horse of the Year German Horse of the Year is an award for racehorses instituted in 1957. It is the oldest public vote in the German sports. It was instituted by the WDR journalist Addi Furler. The award is decided by public vote. Records Most wins: * 3 - Orofino ...

Night Magic and the leading French hurdler Esmondo. Don Cossack's dam Depeche Toi was a German mare who finished seventh in the 1994

Preis der Diana The Preis der Diana is a Group 1 flat horse race in Germany open to three-year-old thoroughbred fillies. It is run at Düsseldorf over a distance of 2,200 metres (about 1 mile and 3 furlongs), and it is scheduled to take pl ...

. She was a granddaughter of the 1972 Preis der Diana winner Diu, whose other descendants have included Animal Kingdom. Don Cossack was sent to Ireland where he entered the ownership of W. B. Connors and was sent into training with Edward Hales at

Dundrum, County Tipperary Dundrum () is a village in County Tipperary, Ireland. In the 2016 census, the population was 165. It is in the barony of Kilnamanagh Lower. Location and access Dundrum village lies in the townland of the same name, one of eight in the civil ...

. After his first race he was bought by Michael O'Leary's Gigginstown House Stud and transferred to the stable of

Longwood, County Meath Longwood, historically called ''Moydervy'' (), is a village in southwest County Meath, Ireland. It is located about 15 km south of the town of Trim on the R160 regional road. It is about 50 km from Dublin, off the N4 road. In the e ...

Racing career

Early career

Don Cossack made his debut in a

National Hunt Flat National Hunt flat races, informally known as bumper races, are a type of flat racing but run under National Hunt racing rules in Britain and Ireland. National Hunt flat races were created on 15 July 1891 when a conference between the stewards of ...

race at

Punchestown Racecourse Punchestown Racecourse is located in the parish of Eadestown, between the R410 and R411 Regional road (Ireland), regional roads near Naas, County Kildare, in Republic of Ireland, Ireland. It is known as the home of Irish Jumps Racing and plays ...

in April 2011 and finished fifth of the twenty-four runners behind King Vuvuzela. In the 2011/2012 season he was unbeaten in three National Hunt flat races, ridden on each occasion by

. After recording his first success at

Naas Racecourse Naas Racecourse is a horse racing venue in Naas, County Kildare, Ireland, approximately 18 miles from Dublin. The course stages both Flat racing and National Hunt racing and in 2010 fifteen race meetings were held there. The Naas Races Company w ...

in October he was stepped up in class for a Grade Two event at

Navan Racecourse Navan Racecourse is a horse racing venue at Proudstown near Navan, County Meath, Ireland, approximately 48 kilometres from Dublin. The course stages Flat racing but is best known for National Hunt racing. Navan Racecourse is owned by Horse Racing ...

in December and started favourite at odds of 4/6. He raced in second as the outsider Rory O'Moore opened up a lead which at one point stretched to over 100

yards The yard (symbol: yd) is an English unit of length in both the British imperial and US customary systems of measurement equalling 3 feet or 36 inches. Since 1959 it has been by international agreement standardized as exactly 0.914 ...

, but made up the deficit in the straight, took the lead in the closing stages and won by one and a half

lengths Length is a measure of distance. In the International System of Quantities, length is a quantity with dimension distance. In most systems of measurement a base unit for length is chosen, from which all other units are derived. In the Intern ...

. On his final start of the season he won by seventeen lengths at

Fairyhouse Fairyhouse Racecourse is a horse racing venue in the Republic of Ireland. It is situated in the parish of Ratoath in County Meath, on the R155 road, R155 Regional road (Ireland), regional road, off the N3 road (Ireland), N3. It hosted its first ...

in April. In the 2012/2013 season Don Cossack was campaigned in

races, and ridden in all four of his races by

. He was successful in his first appearance over obstacles when he won at Navan in November, coming home nine and a half lengths clear of his fourteen opponents at odds of 30/100. He again started odds-on favourite when moved up to Grade One class for the

Navan Novice Hurdle The Navan Novice Hurdle is a Grade Two National Hunt hurdle race in Ireland. It is run in mid-December at Navan in Ireland, over a distance of about 2 miles and 4 furlongs (4,023 metres). The race was first r ...

in December, but looked beaten when he fell at the last hurdle. The gelding showed better form when he returned in February, finishing second to Mozoltov in the

Moscow Flyer Novice Hurdle The Moscow Flyer Novice Hurdle is a Grade 2 National Hunt hurdle race in Ireland. It is run at Punchestown Racecourse in January, over a distance of about 2 miles (3,219 metres) and during the race there are nine hurd ...

at Punchestown and third behind

Annie Power Annie Power (foaled 20 March 2008) is an Irish Thoroughbred racehorse. A National Hunt horse specialising in hurdle racing, she won fifteen of her seventeen races including the Johnstown Novice Hurdle, Irish Stallion Farms EBF Mares Novice H ...

and Defy Logic in the Johnstown Novice Hurdle at Naas.

2013/2014 National Hunt Season: Novices chases

In the 2013/2014 Don Cossack competed over larger obstacles as he ran in novice steeplechases. He made his first appearance over fences over two and three quarter miles on heavy ground at Galway in October. Ridden by Andrew Lynch he took the lead at the last and drew away to win by twenty lengths from Dressedtothenines. The gelding was ridden by Bryan Cooper when he started favourite for the Florida Pearl Novice Chase at Punchestown in November but after taking the lead at the second last he was caught on the run-in and beaten half a length by Morning Assembly. On 1 December, with Russell again in the saddle, Don Cossack started 13/8 favourite for the Grade One Drinmore Novice Chase at Fairyhouse. After being restrained in the early stages he moved up to jump the last in third before taking the lead on the run-in and winning from the Galway Plate winner

Carlingford Lough Carlingford Lough (, Ulster Scots: ''Carlinford Loch'') is a glacial fjord or sea inlet in northeastern Ireland, forming part of the border between Northern Ireland to the north and the Republic of Ireland to the south. On its northern shore i ...

and

Road To Riches A road is a linear way for the conveyance of traffic that mostly has an improved surface for use by vehicles (motorized and non-motorized) and pedestrians. Unlike streets, the main function of roads is transportation. There are many types of ...

. Don Cossack failed to win his remaining four races that season but produced several good efforts against top-class opposition. He was beaten four lengths into second place by the

Willie Mullins William Peter Mullins (born 15 September 1956) is an Irish racehorse trainer and former jockey. Career He commenced racehorse training in 1988 having previously worked as an assistant to his father Paddy Mullins and Jim Bolger. Willie is a fo ...

-trained Ballycasey in the

Dr P. J. Moriarty Novice Chase The Dr P. J. Moriarty Novice Chase, currently known for sponsorship purposes as the Ladbrokes Novice Chase, is a Grade 1 National Hunt steeplechase in Ireland which is open to horses aged five years or older ...

Leopardstown Racecourse Leopardstown Racecourse is an Ireland, Irish horse-racing venue, located in Leopardstown, Dún Laoghaire–Rathdown, 8 km south of the Dublin city centre. Like the majority of Irish courses, it hosts both National Hunt and Flat racing. Th ...

in February and was then sent to England for his first visit to the

Cheltenham Festival The Cheltenham Festival is a horse racing-based meeting in the National Hunt racing calendar in the United Kingdom, with race prize money second only to the Grand National. The four-day festival takes place annually in March at Cheltenham Rac ...

. He started at odds of 11/1 for the

RSA Chase The Brown Advisory Novices' Chase is a Grade 1 National Hunt chase in Great Britain which is open to horses aged five years or older. It is run on the Old Course at Cheltenham over a distance of abou ...

and appeared to be going well when falling at the fourteenth fence of a race won by O'Faolains Boy. At

Aintree Racecourse Aintree Racecourse is a horse racing, racecourse in Aintree, Metropolitan Borough of Sefton, Merseyside, England, bordering the city of Liverpool. The racecourse is the venue for the Grand National steeplechase (horse racing), steeplechase, whi ...

the following month he finished second to

Holywell Holywell may refer to: * Holywell, Flintshire, Wales * Holywell, Swords, Ireland * Holywell, Bedfordshire, England * Holywell, Cambridgeshire, England * Holywell, Cornwall, England * Holywell, Dorset, England * Holywell, Eastbourne, East Susse ...

in the

Mildmay Novices' Chase The Mildmay Novices' Chase is a Grade One National Hunt chase in Great Britain which is open to horses aged five years or older. It is run on the Mildmay course at Aintree over a distance of about 3 m ...

with

Many Clouds Many Clouds (21 April 2007 – 28 January 2017) was an Irish-bred, British-trained Thoroughbred horse racing, racehorse best known for winning the 2015 Grand National. After being sold as a foal, he was sent to England and trained for a Nationa ...

fourth and O'Faolains Boy fifth. On his final appearance of the season he finished fourth behind Carlingford Lough, Ballycasey and the favoured Morning Assembly in the

Growise Champion Novice Chase The Dooley Insurance Group Champion Novice Chase is a Grade 1 National Hunt steeplechase in Ireland which is open to horses aged five years or older. It is run at Punchestown over a distance of about 3 miles and ½ furlong ...

at Punchestown on 29 April.

2014/2015 National Hunt Season: steeplechases

Don Cossack made his debut against more experienced chasers in the Grade Three Daily Star Chase at Punchestown in October and won by five and a half lengths from the ten-year-old Loosen My Load. At

Down Royal Down Royal Racecourse is a horse racing venue near Lisburn in Northern Ireland. The most valuable race run there is the Ladbrokes Champion Chase, run at the Northern Ireland Festival of racing in November. The most valuable flat race to be run ...

on 1 November he was matched against the Paul Nicholls-trained Wonderful Charm in the Grade Two Powers Irish Whiskey Chase over two and a half miles. Ridden by Cooper, he led from the start and increased his advantage over the last two fences to win by eight and a half lengths. In the

John Durkan Memorial Punchestown Chase The John Durkan Memorial Chase is a Grade 1 National Hunt steeplechase in Ireland. It is run over a distance of about 2 miles and 4 furlongs {2 miles 4 furlongs and 40 yards, or 4,060 metres) at Punc ...

five weeks later he started second favourite behind the Mullins-trained Boston Bob, a winner of four Group One races including the

and the

, with the previous Gold Cup winner

Lord Windermere Lord Windermere (foaled 11 March 2006) is an Irish Thoroughbred racehorse who competes in National Hunt racing. He is a successful steeplechaser, winning the RSA Chase in 2013 and the Cheltenham Gold Cup in 2014. Background Lord Windermere i ...

also in the field. Ridden by Brian O'Connell he took the lead when Baily Green and Rathlin fell at the eighth fence. Despite some jumping errors and interference from the two riderless horses he maintained his advantage and drew away after the last to win by four and a half lengths from Boston Bob, with Lord Windermere in third. Only three horses opposed Don Cossack in the Kinloch Brae Chase at

Thurles Racecourse Thurles Racecourse is a horse racing venue in the town of Thurles, County Tipperary, Ireland which stages National Hunt racing. Racing has taken place at Thurles since 1732 when a three-day festival took place at the venue. The course is located ...

in January, but they included

Champagne Fever Champagne Fever (foaled 26 May 2007) is an Irish Thoroughbred racehorse who competes in National Hunt racing. He is noted for his front-running style and has won seven of his thirteen races. After beginning his racing career on the amateur po ...

who was made favourite. After racing in second, Don Cossack moved up to join Champagne Fever and was left clear when the favourite fell at the last. He came home forty-four length ahead of Texas Jack with another sixty-one lengths back to the outsider Smokey Joe Joe. In March 2015, Don Cossack appeared for the second time at the Cheltenham Festival and started 5/2 favourite against fourteen opponents in the Grade One

. He travelled well into the race but a jumping mistake approaching the final back straight made him lose couple of lengths and position on the leading horses. After quickly recovering and getting back into the race he was hampered at second-last fence but managed to stay on well up the hill to finish third behind Uxizandre and the mare Ma Filleule. On 10 April, Don Cossack was made 3/1 joint-favourite with Champagne Fever for the Melling Chase at Aintree, with the other contenders including

Al Ferof Al Ferof (30 March 2005) is a retired French-bred British-based National Hunt horse owned by John Hales. He was initially trained by Barry Murphy in wexford for Martin Timothy Murphy. He was then trained by Paul Nicholls (horse racing), Paul Ni ...

Cue Card Cue cards, also known as note cards, are cards with words written on them that help actors and speakers remember what they have to say. They are typically used in television productions where they can be held off-camera and are unseen by the au ...

and

Sire de Grugy Sire de Grugy (foaled 21 June 2006) is a French-bred, British-trained Selle Français racehorse who competed in National Hunt racing. He showed promise in his early career, winning the Dovecote Novices' Hurdle at Kempton Park Racecourse in 2011 ...

. Ridden by

, who replaced the suspended Cooper, he tracked the leaders before overtaking Cue Card at the third last and quickly went clear. Despite being eased down by McCoy in the closing stages he won by twenty-six lengths from Cue Card with John's Spirit four and a half lengths back in third. Gordon Elliot commented "I said a couple of years ago he was the best horse I've trained. It didn't work out then, but he looks it now. AP said he just gallops and gallops. It will be the Gold Cup now." Don Cossack ended his season at Punchestown on 29 April when he was moved up in distance and started 5/2 second favourite for the Punchestown Gold Cup over three miles and a furlong. Boston Bob and Cue Card were again among the opposition but his main threats seemed to be Djakadam (the 2/1 favourite) and Road To Riches who had finished second and third to

Coneygree Coneygree (foaled 23 February 2007) is a retired British Thoroughbred racehorse who competed in National Hunt races. In a career which ran from November 2010 to February 2019 he ran in eighteen races, winning nine times. In March 2015, he beca ...

in the current season's Gold Cup. Bryan Cooper opted to ride Road To Riches, who had recorded Group One wins in the JNwine.com Champion Chase and the

Lexus Chase The Savills Chase is a Grade 1 National Hunt steeplechase in Ireland which is open to horses aged five years or older. It is run at Leopardstown over a distance of about 3 miles (4,828 metres), and ...

, and so Don Cossack was partnered by

Paul Carberry Paul Carberry is a retired Irish National Hunt jockey. Background He was born on 9 February 1974.

2015/2016 National Hunt Season: steeplechases

Don Cossack seasonal debut was highly anticipated having been rated the best staying chaser of the previous season by both the official and

Timeform Timeform is a sports data and content provider located in Halifax, West Yorkshire, England. Founded in 1948, it provides systematic information on form to punters and others involved in the horse racing industry. The company was purchased by ...

handicappers. He made a winning reappearance on 15 October 2015 in the same Grade 3 race he won last season without being asked for any serious efforts, although he faced an in-form adversary in Cailin Annamh who was bidding for a hat-trick having won a Grade 2 contest last time out. The facile victory earned him a spot on ''

Racing Post ''Racing Post'' is a British daily horse racing, greyhound racing and sports betting publisher which is published in print and digital formats. It is printed in tabloid format from Monday to Sunday. , it has an average daily circulation of 6 ...

''s front cover edition of Friday, 16 October 2015 with the title ''The Don'' Dazzles, the nickname popular among his fans was also used by his trainer Gordon Eliot and journalists to describe him after winning 5 out of 6 races in the 2014/2015 season. Two weeks later he won the

Champion Chase The Queen Mother Champion Chase is a Grade 1 National Hunt steeplechase in Great Britain which is open to horses aged five years or older. As part of a sponsorship agreement with the onli ...

at Down Royal in a small field which included the winner of this race in 2013 Roi Du Mee and the last year's runner-up Rocky Creek. He led four fences from home and was totally unextended to cross the line eight lengths clear of the duelling Rocky Creek and Roi Du Mee, who were separated by a neck. His connections later expressed their intention to target the King George at Kempton on Boxing Day followed by a tilt at the

Cheltenham Gold Cup The Cheltenham Gold Cup is a Grade 1 National Hunt horse race run on the New Course at Cheltenham Racecourse in England, over a distance of about 3 miles 2½ furlongs ( ...

in March. At the end of 2015 on

Boxing Day Boxing Day is a holiday celebrated after Christmas Day, occurring on the second day of Christmastide (26 December). Though it originated as a holiday to give gifts to the poor, today Boxing Day is primarily known as a shopping holiday. It ...

Don Cossack competed in the

in a nine runners field. He started the 15/8 favourite but during the race had his supporters worried as he was losing positions and showing distress signals being inconvenienced by the fast pace set by the dual title holder

Silviniaco Conti Silviniaco Conti (14 April 2006 – 9 April 2018) was a French-bred, British-trained Selle Français horse racing, racehorse who competed in National Hunt races. After winning several important races over Hurdling (horse race), hurdles he emerge ...

earlier on. However, approaching the final stages of the race he started to pick up and was gradually coming in contention when reaching the final home turn. At the second last fence Don Cossack left his two main rivals to battle it out as he took a heavy fall when he was just getting the better of the eventual winner

said "I don´t know where we would have finished but it would definitely have been in the first three" Only 3 weeks later he was back on the racetrack to retain the Grade 2

over two and half miles that he also won in 2015 and after a workmanlike performance on the soft ground, he finally got the best of his three rivals extending after the last fence to win by nine and half lengths. On 18 March Don Cossack was made the 9/4 favourite for the Cheltenham Gold Cup. He was partnered by Cooper, who opted to ride the horse in preference to the owner's other runner

Don Poli Don Poli (foaled 21 April 2009) is a retired Irish thoroughbred racehorse. Don Poli won three Grade 1 races in his career. Career Originally sourced by Seán Tiernan and Bernard Stoffel, Don Poli made his racecourse debut in March 2013 at Auteu ...

. Cue Card was the 5/2 second choice in the betting with Don Poli and

Djakadam Djakadam (foaled 12 May 2009) is a French-bred, Irish-trained Thoroughbred racehorse who competes in National Hunt races. Background Djakadam is a bay gelding bred in France by Richard Corveller. He was sired by Saint des Saints, a top class Fren ...

on 9/2 and Smad Place (

Hennessy Gold Cup /Ladbrokes Trophy The Coral Gold Cup is a Premier Handicap National Hunt steeplechase in Great Britain which is open to horses aged four years or older. It is run ...

) on 10/1. The other four runners were Carlingford Lough, O'Faolains Boy, On His Own (runner-up in 2014) and Irish Cavalier. Smad Place and O'Faolains Boy made the running with Djakadam, Don Cossack and Cue Card close behind. Smad Place began to struggle approaching the third last where Cue Card fell. With O'Faolains Boy quickly fading from contention the race lay between Don Cossack and Djakadam on the turn into the straight. Don Cossack opened up a clear advantage at the second last and stayed on strongly to beat Djakadam by four and a half lengths. Don Poli was ten lengths back in third ahead of Carlingford Lough and Irish Cavalier. After the race Cooper said "Everything went perfect. I didn’t want to get him crowded and we got into a lovely jumping rhythm. I knew turning in that there was only one winner bar a fall. He could have gone round again. There were a lot of press around saying that I couldn’t get on with the horse and I think I’ve proved you all wrong now".

Injury and retirement

The gelding was being prepared for a run at the Punchestown festival when he sustained a serious tendon injury. He returned to training in the 2016/17 season with the Gold Cup as his objective. In January 2017 however Gordon Elliott that Don Cossack had suffered a recurrence of his leg injury and would be retired from racing. The trainer commented "It's a real sickener for Gigginstown, myself, Bryan Cooper and the whole yard... He's a horse of a lifetime and he owes us nothing. I said all season that if he had any sort of setback at all we would retire him straight away... A peaceful retirement awaits him out in Gigginstown."

Assessment and honours

In May 2015, Don Cossack was rated the best chaser of the previous season. The official Anglo-Irish classification awarded him a 175 rating, ahead of the two times King George winner

(172), the novice Gold Cup winner

(172) and the other progressive novice JLT Chase winner Vautour (171). On 7 December 2015 at the

Horse Racing Ireland Horse Racing Ireland (HRI; ga, Rásaíocht Capaill na hÉireann) is the governing body of horse racing on the island of Ireland. It is based in the Curragh, County Kildare, next to the racecourse of that name. HRI was founded in 2001, succee ...

annual awards, Don Cossack was jointly awarded the title of Horse of the Year after tying in the vote with

Faugheen Faugheen ( foaled 2 May 2008) is an Irish Thoroughbred racehorse best known for winning the 2015 Champion Hurdle and back-to-back Christmas Hurdles in 2014 and 2015. His best performance on a racecourse came in the 2016 Irish Champion Hurdle f ...

. The other Irish contenders for the award were Gleneagles – winner of the

English English usually refers to: * English language * English people English may also refer to: Peoples, culture, and language * ''English'', an adjective for something of, from, or related to England ** English national ide ...

and

Irish 2000 Guineas The Irish 2,000 Guineas is a Group 1 flat horse race in Ireland open to three-year-old thoroughbred colts and fillies. It is run at the Curragh over a distance of 1 mile (1,609 metres), and it is ...

, Legatissimo –

1000 Guineas The 1000 Guineas Stakes is a Group 1 flat horse race in Great Britain open to three-year-old fillies. It is run on the Rowley Mile at Newmarket over a distance of 1 mile (1,609 ...

winner, Nichols Canyon – a top novice hurdler, winner of five Grade 1 hurdles and Un de Sceaux – easy winner of the Arkle Trophy Chase. Trainer

was present at the ceremony along with jockey Bryan Cooper and owner Eddie O’Leary who represented Gigginstown House Stud. In May 2016, Don Cossack was rated the best chaser season for the second year in succession, with an improved rating of 177.

Pedigree

References

External links

Career 1-2-3 Colour Chart
– ''Don Cossack'' {{Cheltenham Gold Cup winners 2007 racehorse births Racehorses bred in Germany Racehorses trained in Ireland Thoroughbred family 1-h Cheltenham Gold Cup winners