PICTURES: Tipperary Ryanair Chase success story is celebrated at the Emigrants Rest

There was great excitement in the Emigrant’s Rest pub in the Old Bridge in  Clonmel last Friday night as another spectacular Cheltenham success for the Acheson family was celebrated.

The clientele are more accustomed to welcoming Clonmel Commercials and other teams as they celebrate sporting achievements but the impressive Ryanair Chase trophy was a real showstopper.

USE THE ARROWS OR 'NEXT' TO BROWSE THROUGH THE FULL GALLERY

Brian Acheson proudly brought the prestigious trophy for a visit after the incredible success of his horse Heart Wood in one of the Cheltenham showpiece races.

READ MORE : Tipperary owners Robcour return to the winners enclosure in Cheltenham

“I wanted the lads here in the pub to see the cup, I wanted the lads to be part of the cup. It is a great buzz for the pub, myself and JP are very proud of the pub and it is great for the community,” said Brian Acheson whose Robcour team has now won for six successive years in Cheltenham.

“When you go into Ronan Quirke and the girl behind the counter tells you ‘ye had a great Cheltenham, the town was roaring for you’, I get a great kick out of that,” said Brian Acheson.

“As much as I got a kick out of that win, I got a real kick to hear half the town was on Air of Enlightenment at ten to one, our winner in the last race at Cheltenham on Friday,” he added.
The Robcour team had 28 runners in Cheltenham this year.

“We had two winners. For us in National Hunt Cheltenham is the All-Ireland Final and you throw as many bullets as you can at it,” said Brian Acheson.

READ NEXT: Double for Rachael Blackmore and Robcour at Cheltenham

“This horse finished second in the same race last year so we knew he had a chance. He ran in Tramore on New Year’s Day and won and I said we could have a Cheltenham horse here,” he added.

The Clonmel-based racehorse owner paid tribute to all of the dedicated team involved with Heart Wood and all of the Robcour horses.