Gold Cup hero Imperial Call dies

Imperial Call, the 1996 Cheltenham Gold Cup winner, has died aged 25.

The four-times Grade One scorer enjoyed his finest moment on a racetrack under the tutelage of Fergie Sutherland when Conor O’Dwyer’s partner won the blue riband in jumps racing by four lengths from Rough Quest.

In doing so, he became the first Irish-trained horse since Dawn Run in 1986 to claim the Gold Cup, sparking euphoric scenes in the winner’s enclosure.