Final Orders provided Gavin Cromwell with a second success in the Velka Pardubicka in Czechia on Sunday.
Cromwell had landed the nation's most famous race with Stumptown a year earlier and saw the trick repeated by his remarkable Cheltenham Cross-Country hero Final Orders.
Final Orders started life on the level with Simon Crisford before moving to Garvan Donnelly for whom he raced in Ireland under both codes. He joined Cromwell in 2022 and continued to ply his trade in both spheres but his form took off over fences that year, winning five of his first six starts and contesting handicaps at both Cheltenham and Aintree after winning a valuable prize at Leopardstown.
Last season saw the 10-year-old reinvented as a cross-country performer and he took to the new discipline with gusto, winning at Cheltenham in December and at The Festival and Final Orders has now added another famous victory to his haul with a hard-fought success on the continent under Keith Donoghue.
Cromwell told the Racing Post: "It was a fantastic ride by Keith again; the ground wasn't ideal but he overcame it. I think the 'Taxis' [jump] was a little bit of a moment and the loose horses were always a concern but when we turned onto the main track I thought we had a very good chance."
Donoghue told Czech television: "He did it well. I thought I was going to win easier turning in and it was a good battle. He's a very tough horse and it's great to do it again.
"I lost my stirrup [at the Taxis] but thankfully we stayed on.
"We knew it wouldn't be easy coming here; it's a very tough race. The likes of Jan Faltejsek [on runner-up Godfrey] riding beside you, a man who has a great record around here, so it's never easy."
Gavin Cromwell and Keith Donoghue go back-to-back in the Velka Pardubicka! 🇨🇿
— Horse Racing Ireland (@HRIRacing) October 11, 2026
Final Orders follows in Stumptown’s footsteps in the unique Czech race 👏👏👏#GreenTeam #RacingRunsInUs pic.twitter.com/UfaJmaexz7
More from Sporting Life
- Free bets
- Racecards
- Fast results
- Full results and free video replays
- Horse racing news
- Horse racing tips
- Horse racing features
- Download our free iOS and Android app
- Football and other sports tips
- Podcasts and video content
Safer gambling
We are committed in our support of safer gambling. Recommended bets are advised to over-18s and we strongly encourage readers to wager only what they can afford to lose.al
If you are concerned about your gambling, please call the National Gambling Helpline / GamCare on 0808 8020 133.
Further support and information can be found at begambleaware.org and gamblingtherapy.org.

