Bobs Worth ended his racing career by finishing third, as an 11-year-old, in the World Hurdle at the Cheltenham Festival in 2016, but is better known as one of a select band of horses – and the first since Flyingbolt in 1966 – to won three different races at the Festival. The beautifully bred son of Bob Back, out of a King’s Theatre mare, arrived at his first Festival, in 2011, with some solid course and distance form. He had won twice over 2 miles 4½ furlongs on the New Course already that year and duly started 15/8 favourite for the Albert Bartlett Novices’ Hurdle, which he won by 2¼ lengths from stable companion Mossley.
Sent over fences the following season by trainer Nicky Henderson, the 7-year-old faced Grand Crus – who’d beaten him 5¼ lengths, at level weights, at Kempton on Boxing Day – in the 2012 RSA Chase, but reversed the form, to the tune of 23¼ lengths, for his second Festival win. After readily winning the Hennessy Gold Cup at Newbury on his reappearance the following December, Bobs Worth started favourite for the Cheltenham Gold Cup. Despite being hampered by the fall of Silviniaco Conti at the third last fence, he finished strongly, drawing away in the closing stages to win by 8 lengths. Regular partner Barry Geraghty – who’d actually owned him as a youngster – said of him, “I’m glad Nicky bought him as I’m the one on board every time he wins.”
