Saphir Du Rheu enjoyed being back on the racecourse to school over Cheltenham’s cross-country fences recently.
The 10-year-old grey, known as Saffi, returned to the iconic turf to give Cheltenham Festival’s Glenfaclas cross-country chase hopeful Ballycasey and Patrick Mullins a lead over the unique obstacles.
The former Paul Nicholls-trained Grade One winner is thriving in his second career of hunting and team chasing with Charlotte Alexander, who is aiming to event him this season.
“It was brilliant,” Charlotte told H&H, adding that Saffi was very much “game on”.
“We didn’t really have anything small to jump to warm up over and with no crowds there is no atmosphere, so it really was schooling in cold blood.
“It really showed me how much he has come on — he was brilliant before I had him too — but he has grown in confidence through team chasing and hunting.”
Charlotte said Brian Hutton at Talland is to thank for how the horse is progressing in his retraining.
Horse & Hound Newsletter
Never miss out on the latest happenings in the equestrian world
“He is the most beautifully balanced horse,” said Charlotte, adding that he is excelling in his showjumping.
“He is a bit tense still in the dressage, but that is me! He is so balanced and is building up more and more strength behind.
“Paul is brilliant at finding me the most amazing horses. Saffi loves his jumping and has a real ‘go, go, go!’ attitude, yet at the same time he is so sensible.”
Charlotte said the horse has taken to hunting “very quickly”, enjoying Saturdays out with the Beaufort and plenty of jumping.
Following a holiday after retiring from the racetrack in April last year, Saffi — a former H&H cover star — was brought back into work over the summer to start his retraining. He excelled at team chasing, going from novice to leading the Boring Gorings round the Cotswold open “with his ears pricked” in one season, and is entered in his first affiliated event, the BE100 at Aston-le-Walls, on 2 March.
“I’m really excited about him as he is brilliant and so rideable,” Charlotte added.
“He is probably one of the best horses I have ever ridden.”
For all the latest news analysis, competition reports, interviews, features and much more, don’t miss Horse & Hound magazine, on sale every Thursday
Stay in touch with all the news in the run-up to and throughout the major shows and events during 2026 and beyond with a Horse & Hound subscription. Subscribe today for all you need to know ahead of these major events, plus online reports on the action as it happens from our expert team of reporters and in-depth analysis in our special commemorative magazines. Have a subscription already? Set up your unlimited website access now
Lucy is an experienced news journalist, reporter and presenter. Since joining the Horse & Hound team in 2015, Lucy has reported from major global sporting events including the Tokyo Paralympic Games and multiple European Championships, as well as Badminton, Burghley and London, to name a few. She has covered current affairs and sports news across the full spectrum of equestrian disciplines and racing, as well as human and equine welfare, industry news and court cases.
