Greatest Racehorses: Long Run 1e204y

Pedigree Details

Sire: Cadoudal (Fr)

Dam: Libertina (Fr)

Dam’s Sire: Balsamo (Fr)

Breeder: Mrs Marie-Christine Gabeur

Foaled: 5 Apr 2005

Race Record & Factfile

Races: 34

Wins: 15

Owner: Mr Robert Waley-Cohen

Trainer: Nicky Henderson                                       

Profile

Owned by Robert Waley-Cohen and ridden in the main by his son Sam, Kauto Star’s dominance of Kempton’s King George VI Chase in a January renewal, and later became just the ninth horse to add the Cheltenham Gold Cup in the same season. A second King George would follow in 2012 for Long Run, who was also placed in a further two Gold Cups.

2008/09 Season

Long Run’s career started in early-May 2008, finishing second in a listed juvenile hurdle at Auteuil. He was soon off the mark, though, going one better at the same course three weeks later, finishing two lengths in front of Mr Thriller – who would subsequently follow Long Run across the Channel – again in listed company.

Long Run – having at this stage been purchased by Robert Waley-Cohen – enjoyed a productive autumn in Paris, winning races in September, October and November, gaining the first of many victories at the highest level in the Prix Cambaceres, the top race for three-year-old hurdlers in , on the last occasion.

He would be seen on two further occasions before his attentions were turned to chasing, winning a Grade 3 at Auteuil in March before finishing third, when ridden for the first time by Sam Waley-Cohen, in the same grade the following month.

Major races won

2009/10 Season

David Cottin was back on board for Long Run’s successful chasing debut in the listed Prix James Hennessy and would retain the partnership for the remainder of his time in . It was a sign of his lofty reputation that Long Run was sent off as 10/7-on favourite for his next outing in the Grade 1 Prix Ferdinand Dufaure just three weeks later. He lacked experience over the larger obstacles, certainly compared with the leading four-year-old chaser at the time Rubi Ball, and in the circumstances Long Run produced a highly creditable effort to get within half a length.

Long Run enjoyed a weight advantage when giving a six-length beating to Rubi Ball in the Prix Orcada on his next outing in October before beating his old rival again – this time on level – in another Grade 1 event for four-year-olds, the Prix Maurice Gillois. In total, Long Run had raced 12 times adn won eight of them with earnings totaling more than €700,000, proving himself the best of his generation in both over hurdles as a three-year-old and fences at four.

Switched from Guillaume Macaire to Nicky Henderson, Long Run’s eagerly awaited British debut came in the Feltham at Kempton, where he was sent off 11/8 favourite. Whilst his amateur rider, Sam Waley-Cohen, was unable to make use of his 5 lb claim, Long Run still benefited from a 7 lb weight-for-age allowance from his older rivals despite lacking nothing in of size or substance. He was soon travelling strongly in touch, chasing the good pace set by second favourite Tazbar. The only minor blemish was that Long Run’s jumping, which had been so assured at Auteuil, was rather hit and miss.

Despite the occasionally ragged jump at Kempton, Long Run was vying for favouritism for the RSA Chase along with stablemate Punchestowns, who had made Big Buck’s pull out all the stops in the previous season’s World Hurdle. Long Run dropped back to two miles for his Festival prep race in the Kingmaker at Warwick and, while his jumping was again less than foot-perfect, he still won comfortably, having 12 lengths to spare over outsider Joe Jo Star.

In the RSA itself, Long Run was below the form he had shown in the Feltham, five serious jumping errors preventing him from fully living up to his billing. Long Run still shaped like the second-best horse in the race won by Burton Port.

Major races won

• Prix Maurice Gillois Grand Steeple-Chase, Auteuil
• Feltham Novices’ Chase, Kempton

2010/11 Season

Long Run’s season started in a similar vein to how the previous one had finished, coming home third at Cheltenham, this time in the Paddy Power Gold Cup. His talent was not in any doubt, but his jumping remained his Achilles' heel, and he would have gone close to winning had he not made several mistakes.

Frost prevented Kempton from staging its traditional Boxing Day card, headlined by the King George VI Chase, but the race was rescheduled to take place three weeks later, with Kauto Star a red-hot favourite to complete an unprecedented five-timer in the race.

Kauto Star was clearly well below form on the day, looking booked for the runner-up spot at best when making a shocking blunder at the second-last. His failure to run to form presented an ideal opening for Long Run, who established himself as a top-class chaser by producing a most authoritative display, impressing with the way he travelled in a soundly-run affair, avoiding the mistakes that had previously hampered him. He came home 12 lengths clear of stablemate Riverside Theatre.

The Cheltenham Gold Cup was up next and the race attracted a stellar line-up, with Long Run facing Denman, the winners of the past four renewals. In a race in which the cream rose to the top, Long Run, Denman and Kauto Star jumped the second-last in a line before Long Run forged clear on the approach to the last. He saw things out strongly, pulling seven lengths clear of Denman, who, despite no longer being quite the force of old, still managed to bag second spot in the race for the third year in a row.

Long Run became the first six-year-old to win the Cheltenham Gold Cup since Mill House back in 1963, while Sam Waley-Cohen became the first amateur to ride the winner since Jim Wilson 30 years earlier on Little Owl.

Remarkably, given his achievements, it was also Nicky Henderson’s first success in the race – he would not have to wait long for his second, with Bobs Worth striking two years later.

Major races won

• King George VI Chase, Kempton
• Cheltenham Gold Cup, Cheltenham

On this day in 2011 🏇💨

Long Run, aged just 6, beat Denman and Kauto Star in the Cheltenham Gold Cup for @sevenbarrows and @swaleycohen #RacingTVFlashback pic.twitter.com/oGzzrtSEwZ

— Racing TV (@RacingTV) March 18, 2020

2011/12 Season

The Betfair Chase had become the ‘go to’ race for top staying chasers – even before Jockey Club Racehorses dangled a £1 million carrot for winning the ‘Chase Triple Crown’ in 2015 – and Long Run headed north to Haydock in November to take on five rivals, including Kauto Star, whose memorable victory proved that he was anything but a back number even in the autumn of his career. Henderson had suggested that Long Run was "as ready as he could be without a run", implying that he wouldn’t necessarily be at concert pitch, and lack of peak fitness certainly appeared to play a part in his defeat, with his challenge petering out on the approach to the last.

Long Run was expected to be more fully tuned up at Kempton and started favourite for the King George, but he was unable to prevent the best staying chaser for almost half a century from gaining a scarcely believable fifth win in the event. Long Run’s jumping again lacked fluency at times but he gave his all, valiantly getting to within a length and a quarter of the winner, with 17 lengths back to the third.

There was no Kauto Star in opposition for the Denman Chase at Newbury in February and Long Run ran a perfectly good trial for the Gold Cup, conceding weight to four very smart chasers, his jumping standing up pretty well having reportedly having spent some time with Yogi Breisner since the King George. The Giant Bolster maintained a decent gallop for most of the way, but Long Run hit the front before the third-last and held off the late challenge from stablemate Burton Port, who was returning after 15 months off the track.

What was billed by some as a decider between Kauto Star and Long Run at Cheltenham proved to be an anti-climax, however, as Kauto Star, who had suffered a well-publicised schooling fall in the build-up, was clearly not himself and was pulled up on the first circuit. The path was seemingly smoothed for Long Run, but he proved one-paced under pressure and had to settle for third behind The Giant Bolster.

Major races won

• Denman Chase, Newbury

2012/13 Season

Having failed to achieve all that was expected of him the previous season, Long Run again started with a creditable effort in defeat on his reappearance in the Betfair Chase, beaten only by a race-fit improver in Silviniaco Conti, who had been allowed to dictate matters.

The Haydock winner byed the King George, which this year was held on unusually testing ground for Kempton, the race becoming a thorough slog. Long Run won the race for a second time through guts and stamina as much as ability, typically making the odd mistake even before ceding his advantage to Captain Chris with a blunder at the last. However, he rallied to regain the lead close home, proving most game.

Just nine lined up for the Gold Cup, though the race still had a very open feel to it, the old guard missing either through retirement or injury, little separating the first four in the betting. In another race where stamina was tested, Long Run ran creditably under a more positive ride with first-time cheekpieces fitted, the change in tactics playing to his strengths. He was headed by his stablemate Bobs Worth approaching the last, but was unable to respond on this occasion, and lost the runner-up spot to Sir des Champs on the run-in. The race seemed to highlight that the good crop of novice chasers from 2011/12 were turning out to be even better than they had looked at the time.

Long Run made a first trip to Ireland for the Punchestown Gold Cup in April and got a little closer to Sir des Champs than he had at Cheltenham, but, whilst carried slightly left by the winner at the last, essentially had no excuses and was beaten three-quarters of a length.

Races won

• King George VI Chase, Kempton

2013/14 Season

The evidence of the previous season had suggested that Long Run wasn't quite as good as he once was, albeit still capable of proving competitive at the highest level. However, he began the campaign with a whimper at Wetherby in the Charlie Hall, beaten before crossing the fourth-last. Having previously proved remarkably consistent, this was the first time he had finished out of the first three in his entire career.

Long Run did show more in a competitive renewal of the Betfair Chase three weeks later, but was still a long way off his best and didn't have an excuse this time, which tempered enthusiasm for his return to Kempton for the King George on Boxing Day, where he ran poorly with a visor replacing cheekpieces. He looked a shadow of the horse that won the race twice and finished second to Kauto Star in between, his jumping falling apart in the last mile. He was well held in fifth when finally unseating his rider at the last, the first non-completion of his distinguished career.

Sights were very much lowered for Long Run’s next outing, a four-runner conditions event at Kelso, with Knockara Beau – recent winner of the Cleeve Hurdle – his only realistic opponent. The drop in class and small field size put far less pressure on Long Run’s jumping and he drew clear on the run-in to score by six lengths– it would prove to be his final victory.

The Grand National proved a temptation impossible to resist, and there was more than a little hope to be found within Long Run’s pedigree, his half-sister Liberthine having won the Topham in 2006 for the same connections before finishing a creditable fifth in the National itself 12 months later. On the big day, Long Run, a well-fancied 12/1 shot, was noticeably keen beforehand and also once the race began. He was soon in the front rank but only got as far as Valentine’s Brook on the first circuit.

Punchestown once again featured on Long Run’s schedule and he showed no obvious ill-effects from his heavy Aintree fall, finishing a staying-on third in their version of the Gold Cup. After that respectable effort it was decided that the time had come for him to return to for a belated crack at ’s premier chase, the Grand Steeple-Chase de Paris. With Ruby Walsh replacing his regular rider, whose amateur status meant he couldn't take part, Long Run jumped fine but lost touch with the principals on the final circuit, eventually finishing ninth.

2015/16 Season

Having sustained an injury during a reportedly fraught journey back from , missing the entire 2014/15 campaign, a now 11-year-old Long Run suffered a further setback in January 2016, which scuppered any plans to attempt to qualify for the Foxhunter Chase at Cheltenham. Any hopes of returning to Aintree for a second stab at the Grand National were extinguished when finishing only fifth in a hunter at Carlisle in March, an undistinguished end to the story of a top-class racehorse in his pomp.

Long Run after racing

Long Run was retired to the Waley-Cohen family’s Upton Viva National Hunt Stud located on the Oxfordshire/Warwickshire border.

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