CHELTENHAM HERO SPARKY GAYLE DIES

Sparky Gayle, who had a memorable triumph in the 1997 Cathcart Challenge Cup Chase at Cheltenham, has been put down at the age of 28. Trained in Dumfriesshire by the late Colin Parker and ridden by Brian Storey, he stormed up the hill to beat fellow borders raider Major Bell by four lengths. He followed up a month later in the Future Champions Novices’ Chase at Ayr and won 12 of his 39 career starts for his owners, Ray and Anita Anderson Green. East Lothianbased Ray Green said: “It is the end of an era but he had a good innings and was here with us for 17 years after he retired. We buried him in the paddock beside the house so he will never be forgotten. Our dual Scottish National winner Merigo is still with us and is very upset at losing his old pal. A measure of his feat is that ‘Sparky’ is the last Scottish-trained horse to win a Graded chase at the Cheltenham Festival and I’d love to get another one like him.”