Master Minded: the champ who blew up a storm with one of the great festival wins

It was always going to be a strange sort of afternoon, one that would inevitably stand out for being far removed from the norm. So, too, was the horse who made that afternoon his own.

The feature race on day two of the 2008 Cheltenham Festival took place on what should have been day three. At the time when the Queen Mother Champion Chase was supposed to be run, around 300 racegoers occupied Cheltenham. They were there to watch racing, not from Cheltenham but Huntingdon and Southwell, where the fifth race was won by They All Laughed. One day later they all watched, as Master Minded did something quite incredible.

Foaled 2003
Pedigree Nikos - Haute Tension
Breeder Marie-Christine Gabeur
Owner Clive Smith
Trainer Paul Nicholls
Main jockey Ruby Walsh
Runs 28
Wins 16
Places 4
Most famous for Remarkable 19-length win in the 2008 Champion Chase