Altior

Altior (foaled 6 May 2010) is an Irish-bred British-trained Thoroughbred racehorse who competes in National Hunt races. After winning one of his three National Hunt Flat races he was unbeaten in five hurdle races including the Sharp Novices' Hurdle and Supreme Novices' Hurdle. In the 2016/2017 National Hunt season he won five consecutive steeplechases including the Henry VIII Novices' Chase, Wayward Lad Novices' Chase, Game Spirit Chase and Arkle Challenge Trophy.

Background

Altior (Latin for "Higher") is a bay gelding with a white star bred in Ireland by Paddy Behan. In June 2013 the three-year-old gelding was auctioned at the Goffs National Hunt sale and was bought for €60,000 by Highflyer Bloodstock.^[3] He entered the ownership of Patricia Pugh and was sent into training with Nicky Henderson at Upper Lambourn in Berkshire.

Altior's sire High Chaparral won the Epsom Derby in 2002 and the Breeders' Cup Turf in 2002 and 2003. His other progeny included So You Think, Dundeel, Free Eagle and Toronado.^[4] His dam Monte Solaro won two National Hunt races and has produced several other winners.^[5] She was a distant female line descendant of the influential French broodmare Democratie.^[6]

Racing career

2014–2015: National Hunt Flat races

Altior began his racing career in a National Hunt Flat race at Market Rasen Racecourse on 18 May in which he started the 4/6 favourite in a seven-runner field. Ridden by Nico de Boinville he led from the start and won in "impressive" style by fourteen lengths.^[7] After an absence of nearly nine months the gelding returned in a Listed National Hunt Flat race at Newbury Racecourse in which he started favourite and finished third behind Barters Hill and Buveur d'Air (also trained by Henderson). He was then sent to Ireland for the Grade 1 Champion INH Flat Race at Punchestown on 29 April and finished sixth of the thirteen runner behind Bellshill.

2015/2016 season: Novice hurdles

In the 2015/2016 National Hunt season Altior was campaigned in novice hurdle races. He made his debut over obstacles at Chepstow Racecourse on 10 October and won by thirty-four lengths from Murray Mount. Three weeks later he won at Ascot Racecourse beating Ch'Tibello by one and a quarter lengths despite making a bad mistake at the final flight of hurdles. On 15 November Altior was moved up in class for the Grade 2 Sharp Novices' Hurdle at Cheltenham Racecourse and started the 2/1 favourite. After racin in second place he took the lead at the second last and held off a strong challenge from Maputo to win by half a length.^[8]On 26 December he won again, taking a novice hurdle at Kempton Park Racecourse by thirteen lengths from the Willie Mullins-trained Open Eagle.

On 15 March 2016 Altior made his first appearance at the Cheltenham Festival when he was one of fourteen horses to contest the Supreme Novices' Hurdle and started the 4/1 second favourite behind Min, an Irish mare who had won the Moscow Flyer Novice Hurdle on her last start. The other runners included Buveur d'Air, Bellshill, Charbel and Petit Mouchoir. After racing in mid-division, he began to make progress after the fifth of the eight hurdles and took the lead approaching the final obstacle. He accelerated away from his rivals to win by seven lengths from Min, with his stablemate Buveur d'Air taking third place.^[9] After the race Henderson said "He always looked to be in the right place, Nico gave him a great ride. I was always happy and he's very good. He and Buveur D'Air have both run cracking races" while de Boinville commented "I was seriously impressed... We know he stays and that's what he did. I think he outstayed them."^[10]

2016/2017 season: novice steeplechases

The 2016/2017 National Hunt season saw Altior competing in novice chases starting with the Starlight Novice's Chase at Kempton on 21 November which he won by sixty-three lengths at odds of 2/13. Henderson commented that he had been considering aiming the horse at the Champion Hurdle and added "he’s got serious pace. You could win a Flat race with Altior any day you like".^[11] Two weeks later he started at odds of 2/7 when he was moved up in class for the Grade 1 Henry VIII Novices' Chase at Sandown Park. After racing in third place, he took the lead after jumping the final fence and "sprinted clear" to in by four lengths from Charbel.^[12] His rider Noel Fehily said "I was most impressed with him going to the last, I was a length down, he winged it and in two strides he was three lengths clear. I thought it was very impressive".^[13] The Grade 2 Wayward Lad Novices' Chase at Kempton saw Altior start at odds of 1/9 against three opponents. He took the lead at the third last fence and won "very easily" by eighteen lengths from Marracudja.^[14] After the race Henderson said "I think he is a very good horse. Going round here on his first chase he was good and at Sandown he was also good. Today you could see he had really worked it out. What he did just now was really 10 out of 10".^[15]

On 11 February 2017 Altior was matched against more experienced chasers in the Game Spirit Chase at Newbury in which his opponents were Dodging Bullets, Fox Norton (Summit Juvenile Hurdle, Cheltenham Chase) and Traffic Fluide. Starting at odds of 30/100 and ridden as on his three previous starts by Fehily he led for most of the way, drew clear of his rivals at the fourth-last fence and won by fourteen lengths from Fox Norton.^[16]

Having won nine successive races, Altior returned to the Cheltenham Festival of 14 March 2017 and started the 1/4 favourite for the Arkle Challenge Trophy. The best fancied of his opponents were Royal Caviar, Charbel, Forest Bihan (Lightning Novices' Chase) and Cloudy Dream. After racing in second place, Altior was left in front when Charbel fell and the second last and stayed on well to win by six lengths from Cloudy Dream.^[17]

Pedigree

References

External links

• Career 1-2-3 Colour Chart – Altior