Death of Denman aka ‘The Tank’: A sporting legend
From Shergar and Arkle to Dawn Run and Beef Or Salmon, Ireland has had its fair share of brilliant racehorses.
Added to that mix was Denman, the Irish-bred horse whose death was announced yesterday. Known
to racegoers as The Tank, he was a legendary winner of both the Cheltenham Gold Cup and the Hennessy Gold Cup, winning the latter twice. Only two other horses had won the race twice before, one of which was Arkle.
Denman’s famous clashes with stablemate Kauto Star gained him tens of thousands of followers both here and in the UK. Renowned for his iron will, Denman won 14 of his 24 starts, but his finest hour came in the 2008 Cheltenham Gold Cup, when he defeated Kauto Star by seven lengths.
Bred by Colman O’Flynn in Cork, it was clear from an early age that he was special. His first win was in 2004 at Duhallow point-to-point in Liscaroll; his last run was at Aintree in 2011.
Jockey Sam Thomas declared Denman “the best I am ever likely to ride”, while trainer Paul Nicholls described him as “one of our superstars”.
Two fitting tributes to a sporting legend.
