Allaho retired

Awesome Allaho, two-time Ryanair Chase winner at the Cheltenham Festival, is retired
Allaho takes the Horse & Jockey Hotel Chase at
Thurles to give a boost to the Ten to Follow team of Fitz28
Allaho on the way to winning for a final time at Thurles in January of this year
Credit: Patrick McCann (racingpost.com/photos)
Allaho, awesome at his best and a dual winner of the Ryanair Chase at the Cheltenham Festival, has been retired at the age of ten and will now try his hand at dressage.
The strapping son of No Risk At All was last seen winning the Grade 2 Horse & Jockey Hotel Chase by 13 lengths from stablemate Stattler at Thurles in January and was installed as favourite for a third Ryanair Chase afterwards.
But Allaho picked up an injury winning that Thurles contest, a strained hock, and he missed the Cheltenham Festival for a second year in a row. He had finished third to Hewick in the King George earlier in the season.
Willie Mullins hailed Allaho a "great servant", having won ten of his 20 career outings and won the best part of €1 million in prize-money.
Allaho: devastating winner of the 2022 Punchestown Gold Cup
Allaho: devastating winner of the 2022 Punchestown Gold Cup
Credit: Patrick McCann (racingpost.com/photos)
Mullins said: "Allaho has been a great servant to Closutton and I am delighted that he retired sound. We wish him well in his new career."
That new career will be at his owner's Cheveley Park Stud where he will be retrained before he begins to enter dressage competitions with Emma Vine, who is based near Taunton.
Chris Richardson, Cheveley Park's managing director, said: "Patricia Thompson and her son Richard have thoroughly enjoyed embracing David Thompson’s legacy associated with the National Hunt horses. For Allaho to have won the Ryanair Chase in successive years, and contributed to Cheveley Park Stud being leading owner at the Cheltenham Festival in both 2021 and 2022, is a huge achievement."
While Allaho will be best known for his devastating displays in winning his two Ryanair Chases by a combined total by 26 lengths, it was his relentless performance in the Punchestown Gold Cup of 2022 which earned him his highest Racing Post Rating of 180.
On that occasion he made every yard of the running and crossed the line 14 lengths in front of King George winner Clan Des Obeaux, with a length and a half back to two-time Cheltenham Gold Cup hero Al Boum Photo in third.
Allaho: won the second of his two Ryanair Chases under Paul Townend in 2022
Allaho: won the second of his two Ryanair Chases under Paul Townend in 2022
Credit: John Grossick (racingpost.com/photos)
After that ultra-impressive success, Paul Townend said of Allaho: "He's a monster, isn't he? He has the ability to take horses out of their comfort zone."
That's exactly what Allaho did, he took talented horses out of their comfort zones and made them go a stride quicker than they wanted to.
Allaho also won the 2021 John Durkan Chase at Punchestown under Patrick Mullins, but it was Townend who was on board for seven of his ten victories.
Rachael Blackmore did the steering when he won his first Ryanair at the Covid-effected Cheltenham Festival of 2021, with Townend electing to ride previous winner Min on that occasion.