- ch g Kefaah – Not Mistaken (Mill Reef)
- Races: 44, Wins: 9
- Foaled: 28 Feb 1991
- Breeder: Asigh Farms
- Trainer: PJ Hobbs
- Owner: Peter Emery
Dr Leunt Thoroughbred Racing Horse
Foaled in Ireland in 1991 and trained in Ireland for the early part of his career, Dr Leunt was close to the hearts of many racing fans. The flashy chestnut was one of the leading steeplechasers in 1999, and his sound jumping and determined attitude made him a favourite.
Sadly, a heart attack claimed his life after finishing fourth at Cheltenham in the Pillar Chase. The brave chestnut was injured in the 1995 Triumph Hurdle at Cheltenham after crashing through a rail. He ran with a metal plate in his leg for the latter part of his career. Dr Leunt ran 38 times and won nine of his races, including the Racing Post Chase and the Rehearsal Chase in 1999.
Jumping fans will miss Dr Leunt, surely one of the bravest National Hunt horses to grace the turf.
Continue reading about Dr Leunt
An air of despondency hung over Philip Hobbs’s Minehead stable following the death of Dr Leunt, last season’s Racing Post Chase winner, at Cheltenham on Saturday 29th January.
The nine-year-old suffered a heart attack in front of the packed grandstand after finishing unplaced in the Pillar Property Chase won by Looks Like Trouble.
“The only relief is that he died instantly, but it’s obviously very distressing for the owners and all the staff here,” said Hobbs. “He was a wonderful horse to train and losing him is very sad. He was extremely genuine and probably tried too hard for his own good. That could explain it because Andrew Thornton says he kept trying and trying, and the poor fellow just couldn’t manage it.”
Dr Leunt’s jumping career featured nine wins, seven of which came over fences, and his last success, in the Rehearsal Chase at Chepstow in December, took his total earnings to almost £160,000.
That figure would have been higher still but for his disqualification from second in the 1995 Triumph Hurdle at the Cheltenham Festival after he had been forced through a running rail and taken the wrong course. He cracked a pedal bone in the process and, after missing the whole of the following season, subsequently raced with a metal-plate insert.
Dr Leunt was an appropriate winner of the Racing Post Chase because businessman Peter Emery, who owned the horse in partnership with Tony Staple, bought his 50 per cent share after responding to an advertisement in the paper.
