Iris's Gift was a

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: ...

racehorse trained in Britain by Jonjo O'Neill.

Racing career

National Hunt Flat races

He made his

racecourse A race track (racetrack, racing track or racing circuit) is a facility built for racing of vehicles, athletes, or animals (e.g. horse racing or greyhound racing). A race track also may feature grandstands or concourses. Race tracks are also use ...

debut in August 2001, where he won a

National Hunt flat race 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 ...

Worcester Racecourse Worcester Racecourse is a thoroughbred horse racing venue located in the city of Worcester, Worcestershire, England.''British Racing and Racecourses'' () by Marion Rose Halpenny - Page 247 Horse racing has taken place here since at least 1718. I ...

. He followed that up with another success at the same track the following month, before winning a Grade 2

Newbury Racecourse Newbury Racecourse is a racecourse and events venue in the civil parish of Greenham, adjoining the town of Newbury in Berkshire, England. It has courses for flat races and over jumps. It hosts one of Great Britain's 36 annual Group 1 flat ...

in February. Iris's Gift lost his unbeaten record on his next start, where he finished fifth in the

Champion Bumper The Champion Bumper is a Grade 1 National Hunt flat race in Great Britain which is open to horses aged four to six years. It is run on the Old Course at Cheltenham over a distance of about 2 miles and ½ ...

at 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 Ra ...

. He had one more race that season, where he finished second in

Champion Standard Open NH Flat Race The Champion Standard Open NH Flat Race is a Grade 2 National Hunt flat race in Great Britain which is open to horses aged from four to six years. It is run at Aintree over a distance of about 2 miles and 1 furl ...

at Aintree Racecourse in April.

Novice Hurdles

Iris's Gift was immediately sent novice hurdling the following season and started with a winning debut over the obstacles in October at Bangor. He followed that up with another win at Cheltenham Racecourse the following month before winning the Grade Bristol Novices' Hurdle in December 2002. After winning his next two starts, including the Prestige Novices' Hurdle, he was stepped up to Grade 1 level in the

. Rather than contest one of the top novice hurdles, he contested the

World Hurdle The Stayers' Hurdle is a Grade 1 National Hunt hurdle race in Great Britain. It is open to horses aged four years or older. It is run on the New Course at Cheltenham over a distance of about 3 mil ...

as a novice, where he finished a 3/4 length second to

Baracouda Baracouda was a top staying hurdler for racehorse trainer François Doumen in the late 1990s and early first decade of the 21st century. Amongst his major successes, he won the Stayers Championship, the World Hurdle twice, as well as winning 10 ...

. In his final appearance of the season, he won the

Sefton Novices' Hurdle The Sefton Novices' Hurdle is a Grade 1 National Hunt hurdle race in Great Britain which is open to horses aged four years or older. It is run at Aintree over a distance of about 3 miles and half ...

by 8 lengths as the 10/11 favourite.

Senior Hurdles

The 2003/04 season didn't see Iris's Gift re-appear until February, where he finished second in the Pertemps Handicap Hurdle Qualifier at

Haydock Park Racecourse Haydock Park Racecourse is a racecourse in Merseyside, North West England. Within the boundaries of the historic county of Lancashire, the racecourse is set in an area of parkland bounded by the towns of Haydock to the west, Ashton-in-Makerfie ...

. He then went to the

, where he reversed last year's result when beating

in the

. That was followed by victory in the Liverpool Hurdle at Aintree Racecourse in April before he went to

Punchestown Punchestown Racecourse is located in the parish of Eadestown, between the R410 and R411 regional roads near Naas, County Kildare, in Ireland. It is known as the home of Irish Jumps Racing and plays host to the annual Punchestown Irish Nationa ...

, where he finished second to

Rhinestone Cowboy "Rhinestone Cowboy" is a song written by Larry Weiss and recorded by American country music singer Glen Campbell. When released on May 26, 1975, as the lead single and title track from his album '' Rhinestone Cowboy'', it enjoyed huge popularity ...

in the Punchestown Stayers Hurdle.

Steeplechasing

The 2004/05 season saw Iris's Gift make just the one appearance. He was sent novice chasing that season in the

Ascot Chase The Ascot 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 Ascot over a distance of about 2 miles and 5 furlongs (2 miles, 5 fu ...

, finishing fifth behind It Takes Time. The 2005/06 season saw Iris's Gift continue over fences. Under the jockeyship of

Tony 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 ...

, he competed a hat trick over fences between September and October. He was then stepped up in class, where he finished a 13 length second in the Worcester Novices' Chase at odds on. On his next start, in February 2006, he fell in a novice chase at

Warwick Racecourse Warwick Racecourse is a horse racing course in Warwick, England. It is a National Hunt racing course and has a programme of 25 meetings throughout the year, many of which are televised. The first stand was built in 1808, and its most recent red ...

. In his final appearance of the season, Iris's Gift went to the

in an attempt to win 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 (3 ...

in his novice season, but he was pulled up in the race. The following season (2006/07) proved to be his final season of racing. He made his seasonal reappearance in the Charlie Hall Chase, where he finished a 30-length fifth behind Our Vic, before finishing a distant fifth to

Kauto Star Kauto Star (19 March 2000 – 29 June 2015) was a French-bred National Hunt champion racehorse trained by Paul Nicholls in Somerset and owned by Clive Smith. He was known for his versatility and longevity, being the only horse ever to be top ...

in the

Betfair Chase The Betfair 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 Haydock Park over a distance of about 3 miles and furlongs (3 miles 1 furlong ...

. That race was the final one of his career, and Iris's Gift was retired.

References

{{reflist 1997 racehorse births Cheltenham Festival winners Thoroughbred family 31 National Hunt racehorses Racehorses bred in the United Kingdom Racehorses trained in the United Kingdom 2019 racehorse deaths