Mulholland calls time on Destrier career

‘He’s been a great horse and will be well looked after’.

Carole’s Destrier, such a great flag-bearer for the Neil Mulholland yard, has been retired by the Limpley Stoke trainer.

Winner of six of his 26 chase starts including the William Hill Supporting Greatwood Veterans’ Handicap Chase last year – a race in which he was due to run in again on Saturday at Newbury – earned over £160,000 in his 36-race career.

However, with the current inclement weather and little chance of finding better ground, the decision was taken to retire the 12-year-old.

Speaking at Newbury on Friday, where Mulholland completed an across-the-card double as Indian Brave followed up a recent Chepstow handicap chase win half an hour after Exelerator Express scored at Doncaster, said: “We actually retired Carole’s Destrier today on account of the fact that we can’t get the ground for him.

“He won the London National in 2015 at Sandown for us and he has been a great servant. He was in here tomorrow, but the ground is horrendous.

“Head girl Maisie Bush, who rides him every day, is mad keen on him, so she will take him and look after him.

“He gave us some great days – he won the Mandarin Chase here and the veterans’ chase here last year, and he also won the Silver Plate over hurdles at Kempton in 2014 for horses that don’t get into Cheltenham.

“He’s been a great horse and will be well looked after.”

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