Veteran Sire Du Berlais (33-1) grabbed a shock victory in the Paddy Power Stayers' Hurdle on the third day of the 2023 Cheltenham Festival.
Gordon Elliott's 11-year-old was winning for the third time at the Festival, but it was a first Grade One at Prestbury Park as, under Mark Walsh, he came through to beat another outsider Dashel Drasher (40-1). The JP McManus-owned gelding has been a regular at Cheltenham in March, but has mostly run in handicaps, winning the Pertemps Final Hurdle twice in 2019 and 2020. But he had been second in this Stayers' Hurdle behind Flooring Porter two years ago. And having finished down the field in the Pertemps again last year, he landed a first Grade One victory when taking the JLR Group Liverpool Hurdle at the Randox Grand National Festival at Aintree Racecourse. And he showed he is still no back number at the top level despite not winning since that success at Aintree last April.
Dual winner Flooring Porter had looked as if he would land a third successive victory as he led for much of the way, as he had during his previous wins. But as he tired he was headed at the last flight by Dashel Drasher, who tried to break clear under Rex Dingle. But Jeremy Scott's 10-year-old got into a battle with Sire Du Berlais on the run to the line with the Elliott stable-mate and 5-2 favourite Teahupoo also joining in. But it was Sire Du Berlais who came out on top beating Dashel Drasher by three-quarters of a length, with Teahupoo a neck further back in third. After a stewards' inquiry into interference at the final flight, Dashel Drasher was demoted to third after jumping to his left, with Teahupoo promoted to second – meaning it was a Elliott-trained one-two.
READ MORE: Full 73 current entries for the 2023 Randox Grand National at Aintree
Trainer Elliott landed a third victory of the week at Cheltenham but it was a first succes in the Grade One feature. The County Meath handler: "Elliott said: "After a hurdle or two I knew he was in a good rhythm. Of course it's a surprise, but Sire Du Berlais can do that – he's either first or last. He stayed on well up the hill in fairness to him and Mark (Walsh) gave him a brilliant ride. It's great to win the race. We were beaten a short head in a Grade One yesterday (with Gerri Colombe), but it's a great game and it's great to be here. We couldn't get him qualified for the Pertemps Final. It just didn't work out for us with ground one day and he probably didn't look that well handicapped. He doesn't do anything too exciting as he minds himself, but that's why he's still going at his age. I thought Teahupoo would win. He travelled into it and ran well."
Winning owner McManus was sealing a record-equalling fourth victory in the race after dual winner after Baracouda (2002, 2003) and More Of That (2014). McManus said: "I thought he ran well in Navan the last day as he was giving a lot of weight away and was running on well at the end. I thought he deserved to take his chance. I've not had too many 33-1 winners here. Creon won at a big price, as did Kadoun (both 50-1 in the Pertemps Final). This fellow I'm afraid went unbacked! We'll enjoy it just the same.
"Gordon has done some job on the horse. We were kind of training him for the Pertemps, but he didn't get qualified and as a result he was in the Stayers'. I must say I thought he had a little chance and after the last I felt he would run up the hill well and give it his lot."
READ MORE: Grand National 2023: dates, tickets and how to watch on TV
Scott, speaking before Dashel Drasher was placed third, said: "We came here but we weren't necessarily thinking we belonged here as we hadn't had the easiest lead into the race, but he just started bouncing again so we came. I'm delighted. Obviously I would have loved to have finished in the other spot, but I'm very proud of him. It's the first time my wife has come to watch him and she bred him and quite frankly does most of the training so it was lovely to have her here."
On Teahupoo, jockey Russell added: "He jumped great, he missed the second-last but I didn't need it as I wasn't under pressure. I just couldn't get upsides Dashel Drasher in the straight, he kept going left then right and if I'd got upsides him I might have been all right. "Off the back of the last he just kept going the same pace but he's run a lovely race, he's only six. I'd say Gordon's a lot happier with this result than I am!"
Gavin Cromwell said of his defending champion Flooring Porter: "He looked his old self, he went a right good gallop, Danny (Mullins) just felt he couldn't get a breather into him but he ran a good, solid race. He ran a gallant race, five or six weeks ago it wasn't looking like we'd be here but the last three weeks I was confident he'd run a solid race."
