Michael O'Leary fought back tears after watching Delta Work deny superstar Tiger Roll victory in the two-time Grand National winner's last ever run.
The Ryanair boss watched the two horses that he owns, who are both trained by Gordon Elliott, battle it out in the Cross Country Chase on day two of the Cheltenham Festival with Jack Kennedy just getting the better of Davy Russell in a thrilling finish.
Tiger Roll started the day as the outright favourite for the race, but was replaced at the head of the market by Delta Work prior to the contest going off as rain lashed down at Prestbury Park.
Read more: Tiger Roll just denied glorious farewell as he ends incredible career at Cheltenham
An emotional O'Leary said after the race: “I really would have loved to see Tiger go out on a win. It’s hard not to be disappointed. You’ve a winner at Cheltenham and I’m disappointed.
“It’s just a magical fairytale on ground that doesn’t suit him. He’s gone out on his shield, he’s a warrior and that’s a Gold Cup horse that has beat him and only just on ground he wouldn’t like.
"He is the horse of a lifetime. We'll retire him now. He'll go home to Gigginstown.
"I'm actually upset. I would have loved to have seen him win it. I don't know what to say.
"He's given us so many great days at the races. He's won here five times, finished second twice, and won two Grand Nationals."
O'Leary jokingly added: "I'm going to shoot Jack Kennedy.
"It would have been a fairytale if Delta finished second.
"You have to throw as many as you can at the dart board here and hope something will stick.
"But the important thing today is that he ran well, he came home sound. We can retire him now. Everybody here will get to celebrate him. This is the last time they'll get to see him run on a racetrack. What a warrior. He's a legend."
Both Delta Work and Tiger Roll came into the winners enclosure together after the race and were roared in by a huge crowd who braved the awful weather conditions.
But some sections of the crowd booed when Delta Work crossed the line and O'Leary said: "I was booing myself. I was saying 'please Jack don't go past him, just let him win'.
He also hit back at accusations that Ryanair are hiking up the prices of flights for refugees trying to flee Ukraine, saying: "It's completely untrue. We have very low fare flights both to and from Poland for all the airports."
Delta Work's winning rider admitted he might have been the most hated man in Cheltenham following the race.
Dingle jockey Kennedy, 22, said: “Everybody hates me now but I don’t care! I thought I was always going to get there really. A lot of people don’t like me now after that but it doesn’t really bother me to be honest. After I schooled him the other day I said to my brother that I might be the most hated man in Cheltenham on Wednesday evening, and I was right."
Meanwhile, Russell thought people were wrong to boo Delta Work.
He commented: “Tongue in cheek some people booed Delta Work and I didn’t think that was fair as he put in the same effort as Tiger so he deserved the plaudits."
Winning trainer Elliott added: “Of course I wanted Tiger to win, but once I won the race I didn’t mind especially because it was Gigginstown who are massive supporters of Cullentra. Seeing them come into the ring (together) is what it’s all about.
“Tiger has been the horse of a lifetime and he’ll have a brilliant retirement now with Gigginstown and Michael.
“He’s been with us nine years and he’ll be impossible to replace. To be honest I had a tear in my eye at the reception he got, if he’d won it would have been unbelievable but I’m still delighted with him."
O'Leary has opted not to give Tiger Roll the chance of trying to win a third Grand National next month after criticising the mark given to the horse by the British handicapper.
The feature race of the day also went the way of Ireland as Energumene landed the Champion Chase for Willie Mullins and Paul Townend.
It was a first win in the race for both the legendary trainer and the brilliant jockey and a massive £150,000 bet was placed on the horse, who is owned by renowned gambler and Brighton & Hove Albion owner Tony Bloom, with betting firm Star Bets prior to the Grade 1 contest.
Mullins said after the race: “It’s great to finally win it, it’s great for Paul and great for Tony Bloom. When the rain came he began to get very confident.”
Punters piled cash on Rachael Blackmore's rides prior to Wednesday's action, so much so that some bookies were refusing to take multiples on her five mounts minutes before the opening race.
Journey With Me made most of the running in the Ballymore under Blackmore, but the Henry de Bromhead-trained runner came down at the last hurdle as the Tipperary jockey suffered her second fall of the week.
Thankfully, both Blackmore and the horse were okay following the fall as Sir Gerhard landed the Grade 1 contest for Mullins and Townend.
Cork jockey Shane Fitzgerald sprung a shock in the Coral Cup by steering 50/1 shot Commander Of Fleet to victory as Elliott and O'Leary got their first winner on the board for the week ahead of Delta Work's success.
It was also Elliott's first Festival winner since he returned from a training ban over a photo of him sitting on top of a dead horse named Morgan, who was also owned by O'Leary.
Fitzgerald said: “It’s absolutely serious - the atmosphere round here… even to ride in the likes of here on an athlete of a horse is unbelievable. I can’t thank Gordon [Elliott] and Mr O’Leary enough for giving me the opportunities… It’s unbelievable."
Ireland lead the UK 8-6 going into day three in the battle for the Prestbury Cup after Facile Vega won the final race of the day for Willie Mullins, with his son Patrick on board.
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