Politologue, who was trained by multiple champion trainer Paul Nicholls and owned by John Hales, won 12 of his races during his seven-year career between May 2015 and March 2022.
After winning one race and finishing second in the other in France, where he was bred by Mme Henri Devin, the then four-year-old Politologue came to England to Paul Nicholls’ yard. He won two novice hurdle races in the 2015/16 season, before moving on to the bigger fences the following year.
During the 2016/17 season he won three chase races, including the Noel Novices’ Chase, and the following season he became a specialist chaser over two and two-and-a-half miles, recording victories in the Haldon Gold Cup, Tingle Creek Chase, Desert Orchid Chase and Melling Chase. He won the 1965 Chase in November 2018 before notching the biggest win of his career in the 2020 Queen Mother Champion Chase at Cheltenham Festival under Harry Skelton.
In December 2020 he won the Tingle Creek Chase for a second time, which was also his final victory. He won a total of £1,038,065 during his illustrious 31-race career.
His last race was in March 2022, when he finished fourth in the Queen Mother Champion Chase under Harry Cobden. His retirement was announced shortly after and Paul Nicholls said at the time: “I’m delighted with that and he’s run really well. He hasn’t quite got the legs of the others now when coming down the hill, but he enjoyed it as I knew it would.
“He’s been a brilliant servant for us – he’s won over a million quid and won the Champion Chase so we’re really proud of him.”
So, now he is no longer seen on racecourses, what is Politologue up to?
The 11-year-old gelding returned to the Hales’ at the end of the season, for his usual summer holiday, before moving to Mike and Lucy Felton to enjoy an active retirement.
He joined the four-time World Hurdle (Stayers’ Hurdle) winner Big Buck’s, who retired in 2014, at the Feltons’ Dorset base. He has since been enjoying some hunting with Mike with the Blackmore & Sparkford Vale.
Updates on Politologue can be found on Mike and Lucy’s Locketts Farm Facebook page, where he has been pictured enjoying a “spa day” and enjoying time in the field with Big Buck’s.
A recent Locketts Farm post said that Politologue “loves attention”.
“He is such a bonny horse who has happily settled into life at Locketts,” the post continued.
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