- Sire Du Berlais suffered a fatal injury during the Champion Stayers Hurdle
- The 12-year-old overcame three obstacles from the finish on Thursday
Trainer Gordon Elliott was left “absolutely heartbroken” following the death of three-time Cheltenham winner Sire Du Berlais from a fatal injury.
The 12-year-old cleared three fences from the finish of the Ladbrokes Champion Stayers Hurdle at Punchestown on Thursday.
Among his three Cheltenham wins is the 2023 Paddy Power Stayers Hurdle.
Sire Du Berlais also twice claimed the top-flight Liverpool Hurdle from Aintree.
An emotional Elliott paid tribute to the horse owned by JP McManus after the race.
Sire Du Berlais suffered a fatal injury during the Champion Stayers Hurdle on Thursday
Trainer Gordon Elliott was left “absolutely heartbroken” after the death of the “horse of his life”
He told RacingTV: “It’s absolutely heartbreaking.”
‘He’s been the horse of a lifetime for us at Cullentra and everyone is gutted about it.
‘It has been incredible for us and we are all devastated.
‘Our thoughts are with JP and the McManus family. Remove shine all week.
“He always wore his heart on his sleeve and was great.”
