Noel and Valerie Moran's search for a Cheltenham Festival winner goes on after the couple suffered heartbreak on the final day of the meeting last week.
Ginto looked to have the Albert Bartlett Novices’ Hurdle at his mercy as the field approached the final bend.
But as he attempted to ease between rivals, the six-year-old appeared to take a false step and suffered what sadly proved to be a fatal injury.
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The Morans run their horses in the green and white colours of their Bective Stud, which is located in Meath, and stood by Gordon Elliott after a photo emerged of the trainer sitting on top of a dead horse.
Elliott trains all their horses in Ireland, while Olly Murphy, Elliott's former assistant, trains the ones they have in England.
They came into the Cheltenham Festival with plenty of big fancies, but once again left the prestigious meeting without a winner.
Queen's Brook was among their most fancied runners of the week in the Mares' Hurdle on the opening day of the Festival, Tuesday.
She previously finished third in the 2020 Champion Bumper at the meeting and had been tipped up at a number of preview nights ahead of the Festival.
She jumped the last flight of hurdles in the lead, but Marie's Rock got the better of her on the run up the hill as Queen's Brook ended up finishing second.
That race came some 40 minutes after Zanahiyr finished third in the Champion Hurdle behind Honeysuckle and Epatante, while Riviere D'etel was fifth in the Arkle, which was won by Edwardstone, earlier in the day.
American Mike came to Cheltenham with a huge reputation after bolting up by a combined total of 24 lengths in his two racecourse starts prior to last Wednesday's Champion Bumper.
He was sent off as 5/2 second favourite and only found one horse too good for him as 15/8 favourite Facile Vega won by 3¾ lengths.
Of their other runners at the Festival, Hollow Games finished third in the Martin Pipe, Fakir D'alene was fourth in the Kim Muir, Party Central came seventh in the Ryanair Mares' Novices' Hurdle, while Iberique Du Seuil filled the same position in the Boodles.
The couple sold their payments business for €327 million in 2019, pocketing €266million from the deal to sell Prepaid Financial Services (PFS), which they founded in 2008.
They set the business up at their kitchen table in London during the recession, with the company losing €42,000 in its first year of operation.
PFS offers consumer and prepaid cards, current accounts, mobile payments, switching, and merchant services.
Since selling the company, the couple established eCOMM Merchant Solutions, which is based in Navan, where Noel grew up. Valerie is from Zimbabwe and moved to London in 2003.
The company "is focused on providing B2B customers with innovative payment technology solutions" and received the Best Payments Startup Award at the e-Commerce & Payment Industry awards.
But racing is a huge passion of the couple's and they have spent a fortune on horses in recent years.
They set up Bective Stud in Navan in 2016, which has over 40 stables, a three and a half furlong gallop, seven Winter Paddocks, a lunge ring, a six horse walker and 18 grazing paddocks.
They also breed horses at the Stud, with 11-time Grade 1 winner Apple's Jade among their mares after they bought the Irish Champion Hurdle winner off Michael O'Leary for €530,000 in 2020.
The couple also went into partnership with Coolmore's MV Magnier to purchase multiple Grade 1 winner Benie Des Dieux for €350,000 last November.
A son of Shantou was another of their recent purchases after they splashed €230,000 on him at the Goffs Land Rover Sale last June.
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