Bob Olinger takes a Bow
- Henry de Bromhead Racing
- Apr 30
- 2 min read
Bob Olinger delivered a fairytale end to a glittering career with a stirring victory in the Ladbrokes Champion Stayers Hurdle at Punchestown, writes Paul Martin.
Owner Brian Acheson confirmed prior to the race that it would be the 11-year-old’s last dance and the two-time Cheltenham Festival hero marked it in style with a fifth Grade 1 success.
Teahupoo, who is also owned by Acheson’s Robcour operation, was seeking a third consecutive victory in this race but Darragh O’Keeffe timed his charge perfectly on Bob Olinger before holding off a late charge from Jimmy Du Seuil to claim a memorable triumph.
It brought up a treble on the day for the jockey, who moved to 99 winners for the season and closed to within three of Jack Kennedy in the race to be crowned the 2025/26 champion.
“For an 11-year-old to come back and win a race of this nature is unbelievable,” he said.
“They are a fantastic operation, Davy (Roche) rides him out every day at home and knows him inside out. He was tacking up this morning and said ‘he’ll win today’ and he was spot on.
“This year he is staying better than ever. I was behind the ones I wanted to be behind and waited, and he gave me a good jump at the last. It’s absolutely brilliant to be riding a horse of his calibre.
“It’s an honour for me to be up there with Jack, I’ve had a fantastic season and we’ll see how we get on from here on in.”
Emotional owner Acheson compared the popular veteran, who won the Turners’ Novices’ Chase in 2022 and the Paddy Power Stayers’ Hurdle three years later at Cheltenham, to his ‘third child’ as he outlined the reasons behind the retirement decision.
“He has done everything he needed to do,” he said. “I just wanted him at home.
“He has been a rockstar and he the script. Darragh gave him a peach of a ride, the ground just didn’t suit Teahupoo today.
“I’m stuck for words. He is a special horse who has given us some special memories.”
