Best Mate was an Irish-bred, English-trained racehorse and three-time winner of the Cheltenham Gold Cup. He was a popular horse, and his sudden death while racing made front-page news.
Graham Lee is an Irish jockey. Based in England, he won the 2004 Grand National on Amberleigh House. In 2014 he switched to riding on the flat and won the Ascot Gold Cup on Trip To Paris in 2015.
Gordon Elliott is a County Meath-based National Hunt racehorse trainer. After riding as an amateur jockey, he took out a trainer's licence in 2006. He was 29 when his first Grand National entry, the 33 to 1 outsider Silver Birch, won the 2007 race. In 2018 and 2019 he won the Grand National with Tiger Roll, ridden by Davy Russell and owned by Gigginstown House Stud, the first horse since Red Rum to win the race twice. In 2018 he also won the Irish Grand National, with General Principle. On two occasions, in 2017 and 2018, he was the top trainer at the Cheltenham Festival.
Denman was an Irish-bred National Hunt racehorse sired by Presenting. Known as The Tank, Denman was widely known for his great rivalry with Kauto Star for the Cheltenham Gold Cup. This large horse with a front-running style won the Cheltenham Gold Cup in 2008.
Paul Carberry is a retired Irish National Hunt jockey.
The Lismullen Hurdle is a Grade 2 National Hunt hurdle race in Ireland which is open to horses aged four years or older. It is run at Navan over a distance of about 2 miles and 4 furlongs, and it is scheduled to take place each year in November.
The Triple Crown of Hurdling is awarded to a horse that wins all three of the open, two-mile Grade 1 Hurdling races in any given English National Hunt season:
- The Fighting Fifth Hurdle, held at the Newcastle Racecourse
- The Christmas Hurdle, held at Kempton Park Racecourse
- The Champion Hurdle, held at Cheltenham Racecourse
World Bet Exchange (WBX) was a person-to-person betting exchange based in Notting Hill Gate, London in the United Kingdom, and licensed and regulated by the UK Gambling Commission. WBX.com was founded in 2002 by Malcolm Gray but did not officially launch until November, 25th, 2006. In an interview prior to launch, Gray was quoted as saying: "In an industry where the current market leader has a virtual monopoly, we believe the arrival of WBX will put every exchange player back in control. We will continually seek to offer a vibrant, exciting and innovative alternative to Betfair, and we hope this will promote healthy rivalry." On 16 March 2015 the company announced that it was shutting, effective 5pm the same day.
Punjabi is a British Thoroughbred racehorse, born to sire, Komatie and dam, Competa. Punjabi started racing as a three-year-old in 2005. He won his first race, a Class 6, in May 2006 at Newcastle Racecourse in Newcastle, England.
Sublimity was an Irish Thoroughbred racehorse whose Flat racing and hurdling career was highlighted in 2007 when he won the Champion Hurdle at the Cheltenham Festival. By Selkirk and out of Fig Tree Drive, Sublimity is owned by the late Bill Hennessy and trained by his son Robert Alan Hennessy in Ratoath, County Meath, Ireland.
Harchibald is a retired French-bred, Irish-trained thoroughbred racehorse.
Go Native was an Irish Thoroughbred racehorse, born to sire Double Eclipse and dam Native Idea. He was owned by Docado Syndicate, trained by Noel Meade, and his primary jockey has been Paul Carberry. He was purchased by the Docado Syndicate for £25,000 from horse dealer Martin Cullinane. As of March 21, 2009, Go Native’s career record stands at 8 wins, 4 places and 0 shows, with 3 of his wins coming in Grade 1 Hurdle races. He has amassed £310,254 in lifetime earnings.
The Docado Syndicate is a six person horse racing ownership group from Ireland. The syndicate includes Eamon Doyle and Kitty Carr, owners of the Park House Hotel in Galway City for the past 34 years. Doyle and Carr are also the owners of the Galway Restaurant, also located in Galway City. Along with Doyle and Carr, the Docado Syndicate ownership group also includes Carr’s sister Maura, her husband Sylvie Dowd and their children Tom and Ann Marie. The Syndicate’s name, Docado, is formed by using the first two letters of the principal owners’ last names: DOwd, CArr, DOwd.
Davy Condon is an Irish National hunt racing jockey in Great Britain and Ireland. Condon’s father, Michael Condon, was an amateur jockey. His father rode for Jimmy Murphy and Charles Byrnes, but a fall that left him in a coma cut his career short with just one win to his credit. His nephew Richard is also a jockey and had a winner at the Cheltenham festival in 2021 on Heaven Help Us. His grandfather, Gerry Townend, was also a notable amateur jockey. Condon retired in 2015 after a spinal injury.
Noel Meade is a horse trainer from Castletown, County Meath, Ireland. He established Tu Va Stables in Meath as a place to train his horses.
Tommy Carberry was an Irish jockey who rode mostly in National Hunt races. He was Irish jump racing Champion Jockey four times. He is best known for winning the 1975 Grand National on L'Escargot. He rode a total of 16 Cheltenham Festival winners, including L'Escargot in the 1970 and 1971 Gold Cup and Ten Up in the 1975 Gold Cup. After retiring from race riding in 1982 he became a trainer and in 1999 saddled the winner of the Grand National, Bobbyjo.
Nina Carberry is a retired Irish female National Hunt jockey. She hails from a racing family and is the daughter of jockey Tommy Carberry.
Silviniaco Conti was a French-bred, British-trained Selle Français racehorse who competed in National Hunt races. After winning several important races over hurdles he emerged as a leading long-distance steeplechaser in 2012. After winning both his races in his native country, the horse won his first three races in England, culminating with a success in the two and a half mile Ascot Hurdle. After running poorly over shorter distances he was ruled out of a bid for the Champion Hurdle and was switched to steeplechasing. In his first season as a chaser he won the Mildmay Novices' Chase and finished second in a strong renewal of the Feltham Chase. In the 2012/2013 season he won the Charlie Hall Chase, Betfair Chase and Denman Chase and in the following season he was rated the best jumper in Britain and Ireland after wins in the King George VI Chase and Betfred Bowl. In the 2014/2015 season he recorded repeat victories in the Betfair Chase, King George VI Chase and Betfred Bowl but failed when favourite for the Cheltenham Gold Cup. In the following season he was beaten in his first three races but returned to form in February to win the Grade One Ascot Chase by 20 lengths.
The Jezki Hurdle, currently run as the Bottlegreen Hurdle, is a Grade 3 National Hunt hurdle race in Ireland which is open to horses aged four years or older. It is run at Down Royal over a distance of about 2 miles and half a furlong, and it is scheduled to take place each year in late October or early November.
Don Cossack is a retired German-bred, Irish-trained Thoroughbred racehorse who competed in National Hunt racing. Since his second race the gelding has been owned by the Gigginstown House Stud and trained in County Meath by Gordon Elliott. He was ridden by many leading jockeys including Nina Carberry, Davy Russell, Bryan Cooper, Barry Geraghty, A. P. McCoy and Paul Carberry.
