Punjabi (2008/09)
Punjabi the first horse to win two legs of the Triple Crown of Hurdling. After narrowly beating out former champion Sublimity by a head to take out the 2008 Fighting Fifth Hurdle, Punjabi fell heavily at the second-last flight while vying for the lead of the 2008 Stan James Christmas Hurdle. Three months later, Punjabi held off the late rally of Celestial Halo to win the 2009 Smurfit Kappa Champion Hurdle as a 22/1 outsider.
His trainer, Nicky Henderson, was left to lament what might have been: "He was the forgotten horse. We'd have won a £1 million bonus if he hadn't fallen in the Christmas Hurdle at Kempton. He would have won I think. He was cantering. Anyway this makes up for it." Punjabi's owner, Raymond Tooth, later described Punjabi's fall at Kempton as, "...probably the most expensive fall in the history of racing."
Read more about this topic: Triple Crown Of Hurdling