Lisnagar Oscar continues to post winning performances

Former Stayers’ Hurdle hero retains ability and character in abundance as he is cherished in his post-racing home.

The bay’s finest moment on a racecourse was a career-defining triumph in the three-mile Grade One at the 2020 Cheltenham Festival, a win that came at odds of 50-1 and would prove to be his last despite two more seasons in training with .

His path to his new owner was first trodden by his former stablemate Clancy’s Cross, another son of who had been trained by Curtis before a second career in Staffordshire with Jenny Bennett.

Bennett followed Oscar’s offspring after her success with Clancy’s Cross, and was particularly fond of Lisnagar Oscar having watched his exploits on the track before he became hers as the Christmas present of dreams in 2022.

“I knew Rebecca had a few in training by Oscar and he was one of my favourite horses, him and Paisley Park, I’d followed them both throughout their careers and loved them,” said Bennett.

“I went off down to Pembrokeshire and as soon as I saw Oscar I knew he was the one, I tried him and said I’d have him.”

Lisnagar Oscar took to retraining and his new life out of racing immediately, and was an instant success in showjumping and Retraining of Racehorses classes before a serious tendon injury threatened to end his new career and perhaps even his life.

The prognosis was not encouraging and the possibility of him being euthanised was even raised, but as the Bennett family live on a farm and have ample room for Lisnagar Oscar to convalesce, he was put out to pasture in the hope that time would heal him.

“In January and February we just lightly hacked to give him down time, then in March we started to do little bits with him and in April he went to his first competition,” Bennett said.

“He won British Showjumping classes, he won RoR classes, he qualified for the London International Horse show as a working show horse but then he did his tendon, that was a crash down.

“The vet said he was unlikely to return to work and in most cases he would have been put to sleep, but because we’re on a farm at home they suggested we chuck him out in the field for however long it takes until he’s sound again.

“We wanted to give him a chance so that’s what we did, and in June 2023 I started hacking him again because he was sound and he’d got to the point where he was unbearable!

“If you went to fetch one of the others he’d try and sneak in with them, we knew he needed to do something.

“He was turned out with the cows and he would just annoy my dad, following him up and down all day and he couldn’t even shoo him off.

“He’ll walk in anywhere you leave the door open, he was in the parlour once because someone had left the gate open and he’d just followed them through. He doesn’t care, so unflappable and he’s got so much personality.”

Fully recovered and now in his 12th year, Lisnagar Oscar has a hit the ground running with plenty of showjumping success already this year and some exciting plans on the horizon.

“He takes everything in his stride, he’s already got five British Showjumping wins under his belt this year and he’ll be aimed at the Bronze League Final that is at Horse of the Year Show, he’ll also do the RoR league this year,” said Bennett.

“Our family friend’s daughter, who is 15 and a total novice having come through a riding school, she’s going to ride him at our local county show at the end of May – he’ll do all that for me and then he’s as quiet as anything for her.”

Lisnagar Oscar clearly has the heart to go with his ability and is no less treasured by his new owner and his former trainer than he was in his glory days spent striding up the hill at Cheltenham.

“I don’t know how he was a successful racehorse, he’s so laid back! The bigger the show, the more chilled he is,” Bennett said.

“He’s an absolute angel, he’s so easy to do. My mum always gives him carrots and if he sees her, he’ll coming trotting over and whinnying.

“He’s very friendly and there’s not a single thing bad about him. He’s a little horse with a big heart, that’s the best way to describe him.

“Rebecca still messages me now to see that he’s doing well, she really does care what happens to them after racing.”