'A gentle giant' - Henderson remembers Finian's Rainbow after death aged 18

Finian’s Rainbow, winner of the 2012 Queen Mother Champion Chase and part of Nicky Henderson’s famous seven winners at that year’s Cheltenham Festival, has died aged 18.

Owned by Michael Buckley, Finian’s Rainbow was a three-time Grade 1 winner over fences and was remembered as a “gentle giant” by his trainer on Thursday.

“He was a special horse and we had a lot of fun with him over hurdles and fences,” Henderson said. “He really was the most lovely person and an absolute gentle giant of a horse. Michael absolutely loved him.”

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Watch: Finian's Rainbow wins the 2012 Champion Chase

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While he was a winner over hurdles and finished third in the Grade 1 Challow Novices’ Hurdle, Finian’s Rainbow truly excelled when switched to fences at the end of 2010, finishing second in the 2011 Arkle to Captain Chris before landing the Maghull Novices’ Chase at Aintree.

The following year Finian’s Rainbow continued his progression with victories in the Desert Orchid Chase and Melling Chase alongside his memorable win in the Champion Chase at the festival, when his regular home rider Conor Murphy scooped £1 million for a £50 accumulator placed on all seven of Henderson’s winners at the meeting.

Henderson said: “It was an amazing Champion Chase that he won and he really was a lovely horse. I have the [racing] plates of all the seven horses who won at Cheltenham that year in a frame and his are twice the size of the others.

“Conor looked after him and rode him every day and it was not a surprise that Finian’s was the backbone of that bet he had on the horses.”

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The Cheltenham Festival when Nicky Henderson had the golden touch

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Following his retirement from racing in 2015, Finian’s Rainbow was gifted by Buckley to Murphy, who had used the winnings from his bet to establish himself as a trainer in America.

Writing on Twitter on Thursday, Murphy said: "Very sad to report we lost Finian’s Rainbow due to colic yesterday evening. I felt very lucky to ride him daily during my time in Seven Barrows and very grateful to have him with me here in Kentucky the last few years. His Champion Chase win is a day I’ll never forget. RIP Fin."

Finian’s Rainbow raced 19 times winning on ten occasions and placing in a further four races. In total, he won £498,641 in win and place prize-money.

Finian's Rainbow career details

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