Sire Du Berlais (33/1) beat Dashel Drasher, Teahupoo and Flooring Porter to win the Paddy Power Stayers' Hurdle at the Cheltenham Festival; Gordon Elliott's 11-year-old wins at the Festival for the third time in his career; Dashel Drasher demoted to third after stewards' enquiry
Thursday 16 March 2023 16:10, UK
Sire Du Berlais rolled back the years to cause a major upset in the Paddy Power Stayers’ Hurdle at 33/1.
A dual Cheltenham Festival winner, taking the 2019 and 2020 editions of the Pertemps Final, Gordon Elliott's 11-year-old was an outside hope in what was a wide-open and competitive renewal of the three-mile feature on day three.
Two of the more fancied contenders and fellow Irish runners Home by the Lee and Flooring Porter - the defending champion - made much of the running, with the former having to battle back from a bad error early on.
Jeremy Scott's Dashel Drasher (40/1) looked for a long way as if he might be a shock winner, appearing hard to pass as the field turned up the hill.
Favourite Teahupoo had travelled well throughout but struggled to get to the front when push came to shove under Davy Russell, with Flooring Porter keeping on alongside.
Instead it was Teahupoo's stablemate Sire Du Berlais, at the grand age of 11, who powered up the inside of Dashel Drasher to win by just under a length.
Dashel Drasher was second across the line - ahead of Teahupoo and Flooring Porter - but was demoted to third after a stewards' enquiry ruled he had interfered with Teahupoo, who inherited the runners-up spot.
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."
