Final Orders wins the Cross Country
Final Orders wins the Cross Country

Gavin Cromwell wins second Velka Pardubice with Final Orders


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."


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