Lord Windermere (foaled 11 March 2006) is an Irish Thoroughbred racehorse who competes in National Hunt racing. He is a successful steeplechaser, winning the RSA Chase in 2013 and the Cheltenham Gold Cup in 2014. Background Lord Windermere is a bay gelding with a white blaze and three white socks bred in Ireland by Edmond Coleman. He was sired by Oscar, a horse who finished second to Peintre Celebre in the Prix du Jockey Club before becoming a leading sire of National Hunt horses. His other major winners have included Big Zeb (Queen Mother Champion Chase), Rock On Ruby (Champion Hurdle), Oscar Whisky (Aintree Hurdle), Peddlers Cross (Baring Bingham Novices' Hurdle), Black Jack Ketchum (Sefton Novices' Hurdle) and At Fishers Cross (Spa Novices' Hurdle). Lord Windermere's name is a reference to the Oscar Wilde play Lady Windermere's Fan. His dam, Satellite Dancer, showed no signs of racing ability when being well beaten in all three of her races in 1999. As a descendant of the broodmare Nantua, she was distantly related to the Prix de l'Arc de Triomphe winner Nikellora. As a colt foal, Lord Windermere was sent to the Tattersalls Ireland in November 2006 and was bought for €30,000 by the County Kildare-based Kennycourt Stud. As a three-year-old gelding, Lord Windermere was offered for sale at Tattersalls Ireland in June and at Doncaster in August, but failed to find a buyer. In December 2010, the gelding was offered for sale for the fourth time when he was sent to the Cheltenham Breeze-Up sale and was bought for £75,000 by the trainer and former jockey Jim Culloty. The horse entered the ownership of Ronan Lambe and was sent into training with Culloty at Mallow, County Cork. Racing career 2011/2012 National Hunt season: Novice hurdles Lord Windermere began his racing career in novice hurdle races and was ridden in all of his races in the 2011/2012 National Hunt season by Tom Doyle. When Doyle rode the horse for the first time he told Culloty "this is the one you've been waiting for". He made an inauspicious debut, falling at the fourth hurdle when starting a 28/1 outsider at Cork. He was little better fancied when he reappeared at Thurles Racecourse on 17 November, but recorded his first success, beating Golanbrook by six lengths at odds of 25/1. He was moved up in class in December for a Listed race at Punchestown