Henry De Bromhead's 2022 Cheltenham Gold Cup winner A Plus Tard has been retired.
The Henry De Bromhead-trained ten-year-old won eight of his twenty-three starts over a seven-year career and created a slice of history when helping Rachael Blackmore become the first female rider to land Cheltenham's blue riband prize in 2022.
Cheveley Park's four-time Grade 1-winner produced a special performance to beat Minella Indo by fifteen lengths that day but will also be strongly remembered for his wide-margin success in the 2021 Betfair Chase.
Henry De Bromhead's star chaser struggled to make an impact in four subsequent outings, including when beaten 81-lengths by last year's Gold Cup hero Galopin Des Champs in the Savills Chase at Leopardstown last month.
Richard Thompson, director of Cheveley Park Stud, said: "My father and I sat down in early 2018 and agreed a plan to buy some National Hunt 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, 2020. He died the very next day. It was the last horse race he ever watched.
"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' Chase. Rachael rode him to five of his six victories and Darragh O'Keeffe rode him in the other one.
"For all of the above reasons, 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 National Hunt racing and we will never forget March 18, 2022."
The Cheltenham Gold Cup hero will remain at De Bromhead's yard for the time being before heading back to Cheveley Park (Newmarket) to enjoy a well-deserved retirement.
De Bromhead said: "A Plus Tard was our first horse to train for Cheveley Park Stud and the Thompson Family. He was bought from France by Alex Elliot and gave us many memorable days, culminating in the 2022 Gold Cup.
"He was sublime that day, not only visually impressive, but also one of the highest-rated winners of the Gold Cup in the last 30 years, as well as being one of the best horses we have ever had in our yard.
"We were delighted when this very special horse won Cheveley Park Stud their first Gold Cup."
A Plus Tard retires having accumulated over £957,000 in prize money.
