Veteran Sire Du Berlais (33-1) grabbed a shock victory in the Paddy Power Stayers' Hurdle on the third day of the 2023 Cheltenham Festival.
Gordon Elliott's 11-year-old was winning for the third time at the Festival, but it was a first Grade One at Prestbury Park as, under Mark Walsh, he came through to beat another outsider Dashel Drasher (40-1). The JP McManus-owned gelding has been a regular at Cheltenham in March, but has mostly run in handicaps, winning the Pertemps Final Hurdle twice in 2019 and 2020. But he had been second in this Stayers' Hurdle behind Flooring Porter two years ago. And having finished down the field in the Pertemps again last year, he landed a first Grade One victory when taking the JLR Group Liverpool Hurdle at the Randox Grand National Festival at Aintree Racecourse. And he showed he is still no back number at the top level despite not winning since that success at Aintree last April.
Dual winner Flooring Porter had looked as if he would land a third successive victory as he led for much of the way, as he had during his previous wins. But as he tired he was headed at the last flight by Dashel Drasher, who tried to break clear under Rex Dingle. But Jeremy Scott's 10-year-old got into a battle with Sire Du Berlais on the run to the line with the Elliott stable-mate and 5-2 favourite Teahupoo also joining in. But it was Sire Du Berlais who came out on top beating Dashel Drasher by three-quarters of a length, with Teahupoo a neck further back in third. After a stewards' inquiry into interference at the final flight, Dashel Drasher was demoted to third after jumping to his left, with Teahupoo promoted to second – meaning it was a Elliott-trained one-two.
