Paisley Park lands third Cleeve Hurdle

Paisley Park claimed his third successive victory in the Cleeve Hurdle with an astonishing run that saw him almost left at the start.

The Emma Lavelle-trained gelding won the staying feature in both 2019 and 2020 before his 2021 bid for a treble was scuppered due to waterlogging — and this latest tilt looked well and truly blighted, too, as he spun round and lost lengths on the field.

Gradually eased back into it by Aidan Coleman, the 5-1 chance — winner of the Stayers’ Hurdle in 2019 — jumped the last level with 8-15 favourite Champ and powered up the hill to register a three-and-a-quarter-length success that had at one stage looked an impossibility.

Nicky Henderson’s Champ was the eventual runner-up, with Rebecca Curtis’ Lisnagar Oscar the third-placed horse at 14-1.

“He’s tried that a few times, he has that in him — I was waiting for him and he still did it. I thought I was doing enough, but he’s just probably getting a bit older and a bit wiser,” Coleman said of Paisley Park’s start.

“He’s a very good horse, people have been writing him off this year. This is really special, the longevity of this horse is just a testament to his ability and his character. This is his track, I know he’s won two Long Walks at Ascot, but he’s won three Cleeves now and a Stayers’.

“I said to Paddy (Brennan) at the top of the hill that I was still in it, even though I’d whipped around. They weren’t getting away from me and I knew he’d hit the line. He’s just different around this track, regardless of what goes before or after, this is just very special.

“It’s very special for a multitude of reasons, mainly just how much of a champion he is.”