'We had a wonderful mare' - brilliant festival winner Concertista is retired

Cheltenham Festival winner Concertista was described as a "wonderful mare" by Anthony Bromley, racing manager to owners Simon Munir and Isaac Souede, as connections brought the curtain down on the eight-year-old's career.

The daughter of Nathaniel, trained by Willie Mullins, was last seen pulling up in the Stayers Hurdle at the Punchestown festival, where she picked up an injury to her hock in what proved to be her final appearance.

A winner of six of her 19 races over hurdles, fences and on the Flat, her crowning moment came when landing the Mares Novices' Hurdle at the 2020 Cheltenham Festival when she won by 12 lengths under regular rider Daryl Jacob.

She was odds-on to record a second festival victory in the following year's Mares' Hurdle, a race she looked to have at her mercy before a late flourish from Black Tears denied her in a thrilling photo-finish.

She had also been denied in a photo at Cheltenham in 2019 when a short-head second to stablemate Eglantine Du Seuil in the Mares' Novice Hurdle on what was her very first start over the smaller obstacles. She went on to break her maiden tag in style 12 months later.

Concertista battles it out with Black Tears in the 2021 Mares' Hurdle, losing out in a photo at the festival for the second time in three yearsCredit: Pool

Bromley said: "We had a wonderful mare. She raced at four consecutive Cheltenham Festivals. She was beaten in two photo-finishes and won her novice hurdle well.

"She won a couple of Graded races this season over fences and we took her back hurdling for Punchestown, but she injured her hock. Thankfully she's okay for breeding.

"She was quite amazing. She nearly won the Mares Novices' Hurdle at the Cheltenham Festival on her hurdling debut, and then she broke her maiden in the same race the following season."

A future at stud now beckons for Concertista, who brings a fabulous pedigree to the table for both Flat and National Hunt.

Bromley said: "She's got a very strong Flat pedigree. She has siblings who are black-type French Group horses, so it's a lovely pedigree. She'd be an asset to any broodmare band.

"At the moment we're just going to get her right. The vet said she could race again, but we decided she's done enough."

Also paying tribute was Mullins, who said: "She was a good mare for Simon and Isaac. She was great at Cheltenham when she won and obviously unlucky to be beaten there too, but a win is better than a second any day of the week."

Concertista details

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