As we move closer to March, the 2025 edition of the Cheltenham Festival dominates the racing discussion. Whilst most headlines centre around the likely winners at Prestbury Park, this week brought the news that a festival star of recent years has passed away.
Sporting the famous Gigginstown House Stud Silks, Delta Work represented Gordon Elliott and his owners admirably between 2017 and 2025, showing sustained levels of class, heart, and a love of his job.
Tragically, the son of Network will not take up his engagement at the 2025 Cheltenham Festival, with Gordon Elliott announcing:
“Sadly, Delta Work died this morning as a result of colic. After showing signs of colic, he was brought to Fethard Equine Hospital and was operated on, but sadly, there was nothing that could be done for him.”
The End of an Admirable Career
Having looked after Delta Work for almost eight years, the loss of such a stable stalwart will be keenly felt at Cullentra House. However, this tenacious performer leaves behind a record which most racehorses don’t come close to matching.
Sadly Delta Work has passed away this morning at the age of 12 after a bout of colic. He was a privilege to train and won 5 Grade 1s and at 3 Cheltenham festivals. He was a hero and will be sorely missed by everyone at Cullentra pic.twitter.com/OoY3bPadG6
— Gordon Elliott (@gelliott_racing) February 20, 2025
Beginning his career in France with Emmanuel Clayeux, Delta Work picked up a win on the flat before being snapped up by Gigginstown and transferred to the County Meath base of Elliott. Connections clearly saw something in the gelding that suggested he would thrive on the British and Irish National Hunt scene. How right they turned out to be.
Delta Work raced 38 times for Elliott, winning 11 times and amassing just short of £1m in prize money. The first of those victories came when storming to a 20l success in a low-key maiden hurdle at Punchestown in 2017, but it wasn’t long before the rising star displayed his talents on the biggest stages.
A Cheltenham Festival Regular
Delta Work made his first Cheltenham Festival appearance a winning one when mastering his stablemate, Glenloe, by a nose in a thrilling edition of the Pertemps Network Final Handicap Hurdle in 2018. That was certainly a sign of what was to come.
Progressing from the hurdling ranks to become a talented staying chaser, Delta Work made four further appearances at the Cheltenham Festival. Having posted a solid third in the 2019 RSA Novices’ Chase and finished fifth in the 2020 Gold Cup, he rediscovered the winning groove when faced with the distinctive obstacles of the Cross Country.
His first crack at the Glenfarclas Chase came in 2022 and saw him deny the brilliant Tiger Roll a fourth win in the race when staying on best of all to master his stablemate by ¾l. He returned in 2023 to successfully defend his crown by a more comfortable 2½l from another Elliott runner, Galvin. That classy victory would prove to be the last of his career.
Five-time Grade 1 Winner
That 2022 battle with Tiger Roll will likely be the enduring memory of Delta Work for British racing fans. However, there were many other highlights along the way. In addition to twice finishing placed in the Aintree Grand National, the strapping brown gelding registered the following five Grade 1 successes:
- 2018 Drinmore Novice Chase
- 2018 Nevill Hotels Novice Chase
- 2019 Punchestown Champion Novice Chase
- 2019 Savills Chase
- 2020 Irish Gold Cup
A fine record from a fine racehorse who will be much missed at the 2025 Cheltenham Festival and beyond. The final word goes to his trainer, Elliott, who, when reflecting on the loss of the 12-year-old stated:
“It was an honour and privilege to train him for Michael and Anita O’Leary and we will be lucky to come across a horse of such class, versatility and longevity again.”