On March 18, 1999 – the same day on which Paul Nicholls won his first Cheltenham Gold Cup with See More Business – a dozen horses went to post for the three-mile hurdling championship, the Stayers’ Hurdle. Deano’s Beeno, trained by Martin Pipe and ridden by Tony McCoy, and Le Coudray, trained by Aidan O’Brien and ridden by Charlie Swan, shared joint-favouritism at 2/1, with Lady Rebecca, trained by Venetia Williams and ridden by Norman Williamson, next best at 3/1 and 16/1 bar the front three in the market.
Deano’s Beeno was the only one of the market leaders who failed to figure in the finish, paying the price for setting a strong pace and weakening to finish only ninth of 10 finishers. Le Coudray and Lady Rebecca, though, went head-to-head on the run to the final flight and Le Coudray looked all over when taking a two-length lead inside the final hundred yards. However, in a classic case of “It Ain’t Over ’til It’s Over”, Anzum, who had been noted starting “pick up for a place” by commentator Graham Goode approaching the final flight, produced a strong run to deny Le Coudray by a neck.
Trained by David Nicholson and ridden by Richard Johnson, Anzum had looked a bona fide 40/1 chance beforehand, having finished fully 52 lengths behind Lady Rebecca, on the same terms, in the Cleeve Hurdle, also at Cheltenham, two months previously. He would, however, follow up in the Champion Stayers Hurdle at Punchestown a month later, for all that Le Coudray, who was sent off at 1/2 for that contest, finihsed distressed after being pulled up entering the straight. The following December, having been transferred to the care of Nicholson’s former assistant, Alan King, Anzum also beat Deano’s Beano, at level weights, in the Long Walk Hurdle at Ascot.