‘He thinks life is fantastic’ – Paisley Park loving his retirement

Superstar hurdler will embark on a second career at the end of the summer.

Star staying hurdler Paisley Park is settling well into his retirement after the curtain came down on his remarkable career earlier in the year.

The 12-year-old was the flagbearer for Emma Lavelle’s yard season after season, carrying the silks of owner Andrew Gemmell to 11 victories and earning nearly GBP 750,000 in prize-money.

In 31 runs he was in the money 25 times, making him a perennial and much-loved name in National Hunt racing.

Among his victories were four at Cheltenham, including a famous success in the 2019 Stayers’ Hurdle and three editions of the Cleeve Hurdle.

He was also the dominant force in the Long Walk Hurdle in recent years, taking the Grade One title three times in 2018, 2020 and 2022.

Paisley Park winning the Stayers' Hurdle in 2019
Paisley Park winning the Stayers’ Hurdle in 2019 (Paul Harding/PA)

His final race was in the Stayers’ Hurdle at the Festival this year, where he finished 10th and was immediately retired by connections grateful to have enjoyed so many successful seasons with him.

Paisley Park has remained at Lavelle’s base in Wiltshire since and has taken no time at all to adjust to retired life, though at the end of the summer he will embark on a new career and head off to be retrained.

“He thinks life is fantastic, he’s having a very relaxed time at the minute and he’s still with us,” said Lavelle.

“He won’t stay here forever, but everyone’s really enjoying having him around and he’s enjoying being here still.

“His waistline is definitely larger! He’s loving it, having an easy time, all is good.

Paisley Park with trainer Emma Lavelle (left) and owner Andrew Gemmell (second left)
Paisley Park with trainer Emma Lavelle (left) and owner Andrew Gemmell (second left) (Andrew Matthews/PA)

“He’s quite happy with being retired, he’s probably wondering why he tried so hard for so long when he could have been doing this instead!

“He’s been part of the fabric of the yard for so long here that it’s been nice for us to have a gradual release.

“There are a couple of places Andrew is looking at, I think we’re finally ready for him to leave us at the end of summer.

“It’s been great to watch him relax and have the rest he deserves, it’s going to be lovely to watch the second part of his career.”

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