Sizing John won the 2017 Cheltenham Gold Cup, giving trainer Jessica Harrington and jockey Robbie Power one of the biggest victories of their careers.
The seven-year-old won the race at Cheltenham on Friday, March 17th, 2017, beating Minella Rocco by two and three-quarter lengths, with Native River a short head further back in third.
Sizing John started at 7/1 and produced a strong staying performance to claim National Hunt racing’s biggest prize.
His victory was particularly interesting because for much of his earlier career he had been regarded as a horse best suited to shorter distances. The 2017 Gold Cup changed that perception completely.
The Run Up To The 2017 Gold Cup
The months leading up to the race were marked by the absence of several major names.
Don Cossack, winner of the 2016 Gold Cup, was retired in January after suffering another tendon injury, and then the 2015 winner Coneygree was also ruled out.
Then came perhaps the biggest blow of all when Thistlecrack, who had won the 2016 King George VI Chase and was expected to start favourite for the Gold Cup, had a tendon problem that ruled him out less than a month before Cheltenham.
That left a much more open betting market. Djakadam had finished second in the Gold Cup in both 2015 and 2016 and started the 2017 race as the 3/1 favourite.
Native River, who had enjoyed a fine season including victories in the Hennessy Gold Cup and Welsh Grand National, was 7/2.
Cue Card was another major contender at 9/2. He had fallen three fences from home when still involved in the 2016 Gold Cup and returned to Cheltenham at the age of 11 for another attempt at the race.
Sizing John was available at 7/1, very much in the middle of the pack.
Sizing John Steps Up in Distance
Sizing John had spent much of the previous two seasons racing over around two miles.
The problem was that he repeatedly found himself facing one of the outstanding two-mile chasers of the period, Douvan.
Sizing John raced against Douvan seven times over hurdles and fences without beating him, and among those defeats was a second-place finish behind Douvan in the 2016 Arkle Challenge Trophy at Cheltenham.
There was clearly plenty of ability there, but beating Douvan over two miles was proving almost impossible.
Sizing John had also moved from Henry de Bromhead to Jessica Harrington ahead of the 2016/17 season, where Harrington began trying him over longer distances, a decision that transformed his fortunes.
In January 2017 he won the Kinloch Brae Chase at Thurles over two and a half miles. He was then stepped up to three miles for the Irish Gold Cup at Leopardstown in February.
It was his first race over three miles, but there were no signs that the distance was a problem when he beat Empire Of Dirt by three-quarters of a length and suddenly became a serious Cheltenham Gold Cup contender.
What Happened in the 2017 Cheltenham Gold Cup?
Thirteen horses eventually lined up for the 2017 Gold Cup, which was run over three miles, two furlongs and 70 yards on good ground.
Tea For Two’s race ended almost immediately when he blundered badly and unseated Lizzie Kelly at the second fence. Further ahead, Native River was prominent from the early stages and eventually moved into the lead on the second circuit.
Robbie Power was more patient aboard Sizing John, and rather than becoming involved in the battle for the lead too early, he allowed his horse to settle around midfield before gradually moving closer as the race developed.
The pressure increased after the fourth-last fence with Native River still battling away at the front, while Djakadam travelled strongly into contention for Ruby Walsh. Sizing John was also moving through the race well.
Cue Card, meanwhile, suffered another painful Cheltenham Gold Cup exit when, for the second year running, he fell at the third-last fence.
Thankfully horse and jockey were unharmed, but his chance of finally adding a Gold Cup to his long list of major victories had disappeared.
Sizing John Takes Control
The decisive moment came around the second-last fence when Djakadam moved up to challenge Native River but made an important mistake at the obstacle.
Sizing John was ready to take advantage, and Power sent him into the lead shortly after the second-last, and suddenly the question was no longer whether Sizing John could stay the Gold Cup distance; it was whether anyone could catch him.
He approached the final fence with an advantage of around three lengths and jumped it cleanly, and from there, he stayed on strongly up the Cheltenham hill.
Minella Rocco finished particularly well from further back in the field, passing Native River in the final strides to take second place, but he never looked likely to reach the winner.
Sizing John crossed the line two and three-quarter lengths clear.
2017 Gold Cup Result
Sizing John won the 2017 Cheltenham Gold Cup at odds of 7/1.
Minella Rocco finished second at 18/1, while Native River was third at 7/2, beaten only a short head for the runner-up position.
Djakadam, the 3/1 favourite, finished fourth, half a length behind Native River.
Saphir Du Rheu completed the first five at odds of 33/1.
The winning time was 6 minutes 36.10 seconds.
It was a remarkable achievement for Jessica Harrington, who was saddling her first-ever runner in the Cheltenham Gold Cup.
For Robbie Power, it was another major success at Cheltenham and came ten years after he had ridden Silver Birch to victory in the 2007 Grand National.
A Remarkable Season for Sizing John
Cheltenham did not mark the end of Sizing John’s success that spring, and five weeks later he headed to Punchestown for another major test.
Once again he won when he defeated Djakadam in the Punchestown Gold Cup, completing a rare sequence of victories in the Irish Gold Cup, Cheltenham Gold Cup and Punchestown Gold Cup during the same season.
It confirmed that his move away from two-mile races had completely changed his career, and a horse who had spent much of his earlier career chasing Douvan had become the leading staying chaser of the season.
What Happened to Sizing John After the 2017 Gold Cup?
Sizing John returned later in 2017 and won the John Durkan Memorial Chase at Punchestown by seven lengths.
However, his racing career became increasingly affected by injury. He finished only seventh when odds-on for the Christmas Chase at Leopardstown later that month and was then ruled out of his attempt to defend the Cheltenham Gold Cup in 2018 after suffering a hairline fracture to his pelvis.
A long period away from racing followed, but he eventually returned at Punchestown in December 2019, where he fell three fences from home.
Further injury problems prevented another full comeback, and his retirement was announced in September 2020. He finished his career with nine victories from 21 starts and prize money of more than €850,000.
