Owner Lester pays tribute to Iris's Gift following death of Stayers' Hurdle hero

Owner Robert Lester reflected on a life-changing journey instigated by Iris's Gift following the death of the 2004 Stayers' Hurdle hero at the age of 22 on Sunday.

The popular Jonjo O'Neill-trained grey, twice a winner at the highest level, took Lester on an unlikely voyage as the coalman from Cheshire rubbed shoulders with racing's elite.

In a glittering career that yielded nearly £340,000 in prize-money and 14 wins from 25 starts, Iris's Gift achieved a career-best Racing Post Rating of 176 for beating the mighty Baracouda in an epic duel at Cheltenham.

"He changed my family's life and we'll have those great memories forever," said Lester, who is now a publican in Manchester.

"There were lots of high points but obviously it was some day when he beat Baracouda. Jonjo reckons he was the best horse he's trained and at the time Sir Peter O'Sullevan said to me he was his favourite horse in training."

Bought for £5,000 from former jockey and breeder Reg Crank, Iris's Gift went on to become O'Neill's first superstar after arriving at the time of the trainer's move to Jackdaws Castle.

Owner and pub landlord Robert Lester named Iris's Gift after his motherCredit: Edward Whitaker

He won five races in a row as a novice hurdler in 2002-03, a run that persuaded Lester into taking on Baracouda in the Stayers' Hurdle. The boldness was so nearly rewarded as he went down by three-quarters of a length to Francois Doumen's defending champion.

A year later revenge was sweet as Iris's Gift – under one of the great festival rides from Barry Geraghty – held the odds-on Baracouda at bay in a sensational rematch, much to the satisfaction of his owner who had resisted numerous big-money offers.

"When he got beat by Baracouda as a novice in the first Stayers' Hurdle, five different people offered me £1 million for him," said Lester. "But he was named after my mother Iris and I wouldn't accept the money.

"He opened so many doors and I got invited all over the place. I was nominated for owner of the year and finished second to Lord Derby, which wasn't bad going for a coalman from Cheshire."

Iris's Gift failed to replicate his hurdles form over fences and after fifth-placed finishes in the Charlie Hall and Betfair Chase, he sustained a leg injury on the gallops and was retired in December 2006.

"It's a bit of a shame as he would have been 23 on Wednesday but he had a wonderful retirement back with Reg, who nicknamed him 'Ted' after his brother Edward.

"Everyone called him Ted, including Jonjo, and he was a bit of a superstar in Cheshire. He was a brute on the track but a lovely gentleman off it and we'll all miss him greatly."

Iris's Gift in numbers