Minella Indo

Minella Indo (foaled 18 April 2013) is an Irish

Minella Indo began his next campaign in the Grade 3 M.W. Hickey Memorial Chase at Wexford Racecourse on 26 October. Starting the 8/13 favourite in a four-runner field and won very easily, coming home 25 lengths clear of the Kim Muir Chase winner Milan Native, despite being eased down by Blackmore in the closing stages.^[12] De Bromhead said "I'm delighted with that - he jumped brilliant and Rachael was brilliant on him. He looked sharp for his first run... you'd be hoping he'd turn into a Gold Cup horse, but we'll see and we'll take it one race at time."^[13] Four weeks later the gelding went off the odds-on favourite for the Grade 2 BetVictor Make Your Best Bet Chase at Navan and recorded another easy victory as he went to the front at the penultimate obstacle and won by seven and a half lengths from Bramah Bull.^[14] In December the gelding was moved up to Grade 1 class and started favourite for the Savills Chase at Leopardstown Racecourse but fell at the eight fence of a race which was won by his stablemate A Plus Tard.

On 7 February Minella Indo went off favourite for the Irish Gold Cup at Leopardstown, but after being in contention for most of the way he finished fourth of the five starters behind Kemboy, The Storyteller and Delta Work, beaten just under seven lengths by the winner. With Blackmore riding A Plus Tard, Minella Indo was partnered by Jack Kennedy when he started at odds of 9/1 for the Cheltenham Gold Cup over three and a quarter miles on 19 March. Al Boum Photo, who was attempting to record a third consecutive win in the race, started favourite, while the other nine runners included Native River, Kemboy, Champ, Lostintranslation (Betfair Chase), Santini (runner-up in the previous year) and Frodon (King George VI Chase). After tracking the leaders as Frodon set the pace Minella Indo moved up to take the lead on the final turn. He held off a sustained challenge from A Plus Tard to win by one and a quarter lengths with a gap of four and a quarter lengths back to Al Boum Photo in third.^[15] The 21-year-old winning jockey, who has been plagued by injury problems said "This is what I have dreamed of as a child. It could always be a lot worse - broken legs and broken collarbones will heal. It's obviously unfortunate, but you have to get on with it. It's definitely the best day of my life. I know I'm still young, but I suppose I have been in the position where I could have been winning them for a couple of years, so to get it done is brilliant."^[16]

2021/22 season

Minella Indo started the season with a 5 horse race at Down Royal in October. He came 3rd in a race won by Frodon. In the King George VI Chase he pulled up. In the Irish Gold Cup he was ridden by Robbie Power. He came 2nd by 6.5 lengths to Conflated. In the Cheltenham Gold Cup he was again ridden by Robbie Power. He came 2nd by 15 lengths to A Plus Tard.

2022/23 season

Minella Indo's first race of the season was in the Savills New Years Day Chase in heavy conditions. He was ridden by Rachael Blackmore. He won by a neck from Stattler. In the Cheltenham Gold Cup he was ridden by Nico De Boinville. He was pulled up.

2023/24 season

Minella Indo started the season with a race at Punchestown in October. He won by 1.75 lengths from Hurricane Georgie. In November in a grade 1 race at Down Royal he came 4th out of the 4 runners. In January he came 4th in a Cheltenham cross country handicap carrying top weight. At the Grand National he was 6th in the weights and was ridden by Rachael Blackmore. He led going over the last but was overtaken by I Am Maximus and Delta Work in the run in to finish 3rd, 8 lengths behind winner I Am Maximus and 0.5 lengths behind 2nd Delta Work.^[17][18]

Pedigree

References