Dual Queen Mother Champion Chase star bows out: ‘He was a joy and will be hard to replace’

Six-time Grade One winner Energumene has retired aged 12, after finishing third behind his victorious stablemate Il Etait Temps in the Punchestown Champion Chase on Tuesday (28 April).

Energumene started his career in a British point-to-point under the guidance of the Laceys before joining top Irish trainer Willie Mullins. He went on to win the Queen Mother Champion Chase at the Cheltenham Festival and the Punchestown Champion Chase in both 2022 and 2023.

In all, the Denham Red gelding, owned by Tony Bloom, won 14 of his 23 races under Rules and more than £1.2m prize money.

His final win was the Underwriting Exchange Fairyhouse Fairyhouse Chase on 6 April.

“He gave us a great day out at Fairyhouse the last day, he rolled back the years,” Mr Mullins told Racing TV, following Energumene’s final start in the William Hill-sponsored Champion Chase at Punchestown.

He said the ground was too dry for him, but that he “still ran a great race”.

Mr Mullins named Energumene’s first Champion Chase win at Cheltenham as his favourite memory with the horse and added: “He’s a huge big horse, a strong horse, probably not one you’d think would be a Champion Chaser looking at the size of him – you’d think he might be more a three-mile chaser. The fact that he had that speed and ability to jump marked him out.”

Jockey Paul Townend, who was in the saddle for the majority of Energumene’s races, also paid tribute to the horse on Racing TV.

“He was a star of a horse,” he said. “He was a joy and will be hard to replace.”

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