Stumptown’s connections were still on cloud nine on Monday, 24 hours on from their hero having secured a slice of history by becoming the first Irish-trained winner of the Velka Pardubicka, with one member of the Furze Bush Syndicate lauding rider Keith Donoghue as the “king of cross-country”.

Having reeled off four cross-country wins on the bounce, culminating in a decisive victory at the Cheltenham Festival under Donoghue, the syndicate has already enjoyed a remarkable journey – but it reached even greater heights in the Czech Republic on Sunday.

Stumptown’s most recent appearance had come when pulled up in the Grand National at Aintree in April, but he bounced back on his return to post a famous victory for trainer Gavin Cromwell in landing the 135th running of the daunting 31-obstacle 4m2½f Pardubice contest. 

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Published on 13 October 2025inInternational

Last updated 18:00, 13 October 2025