Potters Corner, who won the Welsh and Midlands Nationals – not to mention the 2020 virtual Grand National – has been retired after a “magical” career.
The Christian Williams-trained horse will enjoy “plenty of attention and love”, bowing out after a final appearance in a veterans’ chase at Warwick on 16 November.
“He’s been the horse of a lifetime for us,” his owners Jonathan Davies, Gareth Williams and All Stars Sports Racing said in a statement. “He has taken us to heights we didn’t believe were possible when we set out on our journey with him.”
The owners said Potters Corner’s “finest hour” was his triumph in the Coral Welsh National in December 2019.
“It was a stunning triumph by a fabulous horse and repaid the patience of Christian Williams,” the statement said, adding that the trainer had given him plenty of time to recover from an injury before a roll in which “Potter” also won the Midlands National early that year.
The owners said the horse never quite regained the form that won him Welsh National – although he “won” the virtual Grand National during the first Covid lockdown in 2020, he was pulled up in the following year’s race.
“[But] he has been running with credit in cross-country chases, losing out by the narrowest of margins at Cheltenham last season,” they said. “This autumn, he has shown a bit more at home but it was evident at Warwick that his genuine, hard-working nature and willingness to win has lost cohesion with his physical capabilities, which when combined made him such a successful long-distance chaser.
“Potters Corner has given everyone involved with him so many magical days and along the way has advertised the skills of his trainer Christian Williams and his young jockey Jack Tudor.”
Potter bows out with seven wins to his name, having won a total of £225,986.
“It was an easy decision to call time on the horse’s career and he will now enjoy a happy retirement just a couple of miles from Christian’s yard with Harriet Tudor, who already rides him every morning and will no doubt give him plenty of attention and love,” the owners said.
“Lastly, thank you to all who have played a part in Potter’s racing career and to the thousands of well-wishers and fans he gained throughout his career.”
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