IRELAND’S tally of victories at the 2016 Cheltenham Festival is now 15 following the decision to disqualify the original winner of the Glenfarclas Chase over the cross-country course, Any Currency. The race has now been awarded to the Enda Bolger-trained Josies Orders, ridden on the day by Nina Carberry in the colours of J P McManus.

Bolger’s other runner Quantitativeeasing has been promoted to third place, with the Gordon Elliott-trained Bless The Wings moved up to second. Many considered Josies Orders somewhat unlucky on the day as he met with interference and made a mistake six from home, but at the post he was more than a length adrift of Any Currency.

Any Currency suffers from a mild form of arthritis and trainer Martin Keighley, whose first Cheltenham Festival winner this was, administered a cortisone injection more than two weeks prior to running. However traces of the drug were found in a post-race analysis and the horse was disqualified.

The British Horseracing Authority absolved Keighley of guilt and did not impose a sanction or fine on him. The trainer was disappointed that the horse was disqualified but one of the gelding’s owners, Mark Boothright, claimed the BHA had “bottled it” by not showing discretion in the case. It has been argued that there were precedents for not automatically taking the race away.

The BetBright Cup is a competition between Ireland and Britain for the most winners trained at the Cheltenham Festival and while the score was 14 each after the four-day meeting, that result will now be amended to read Ireland 15, Britain 13. This is a new record.