Legend! DENMAN is magnificent in the Cheltenham Gold Cup (2008) - Cheltenham Festival - Racing TV

One of the jumps racing legends!

The mighty Denman - better known as 'The Tank' - powered to victory in the 2008 Cheltenham Gold Cup and maintained his unbeaten record over fences in the greatest of races under jockey Sam Thomas, trainer Paul Nicholls and owners Harry Findlay and Paul Barber.

In a highly-anticipated match-up with great stablemate Kauto Star, Denman proved relentless from the front in an emphatic front-running display in a memorable 1-2-3 for Nicholls as Neptune Collonges - the future Grand National winner - placed third.

The winning rider said: "I don't know what to say, I'm lost for words again." What a horse. He wasn't doing a tap in front, he just stays and stays. I went through the race in my head a million times before and it just went absolutely according to plan."

Denman won 14 of his 24 races before passing away at the age of 18. Widely recognised as one of the greats of National Hunt racing, his tenacity and bravery endeared him to jumps racing fans and his victories under big weights in handicaps harked back to some of the greats of the sport, including perhaps the greatest of them all in Arkle.

Denman won twice at the Cheltenham Festival and also won the Lexus Chase at Leopardstown, now known as the Savills Chase. Perhaps most famously, he twice won the Hennessy Gold Cup - now known as the Ladbrokes Trophy - ands famously landed his second triumph under top-weight of 11st 12lbs in what is readily acknowledged as one of the greatest weight-carrying performances in recent jumps racing history.

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