De Bromhead hails retiring Minella Indo as an 'absolute legend'
STANDING DISH: Minella Indo won twice and finished second twice at the Cheltenham Festival. Picture: Francesca Altoft/Inpho
Minella Indo has been retired from racing at the age of 12 with trainer Henry de Bromhead hailing the 2021 Cheltenham Gold Cup hero as an “absolute legend”.
A 50-1 winner of the Albert Bartlett Novices' Hurdle at the 2019 Festival, Minella Indo went on to finish second to the fast-finishing Champ in the RSA Insurance Novices' Chase in 2020.
However, he enjoyed his finest hour at the Cotswolds a year later, thwarting stablemate A Plus Tard to win the Gold Cup before the pair traded places in the blue riband in 2022.
Paying tribute to Minella Indo, De Bromhead said: "He was such a savage horse, an absolute legend who was owned by wonderful people. The Moloneys are such terrific supporters of ours and the sport in general so it was amazing for them to have Indo. He was a special horse and we had some of the most wonderful days together.
"The Gold Cup stands out but the day he won the Albert Bartlett was very special too. Rachael (Blackmore) had never won a Grade One before and he was 50-1. He had never won a bumper or a hurdle race so for him to win a race like that as a maiden was magic."
Reflecting on Minella Indo’s finest hour, De Bromhead told the : "I'll never forget the year he won the Gold Cup — it was the covid year — and there was a television in the Irish yard over there opposite his box. On the Friday morning the television was showing replays from the day before and he started kicking his box as he was watching them. It was the most amazing thing because he was the quietest, laziest and most placid horse you could ever find. I knew he was up for it that day and he sure as hell was."
