That was followed by another victory in the Agfa Hurdle before going to Cheltenham undefeated in four races. He was sent off the 9/2 second favourite for the Champion Hurdle behind the 5/2 favourite, Rhinestone Cowboy. Rooster Booster moved up to challenge two hurdles from home, quickened into a clear lead approaching the last, and stayed on strongly up the Cheltenham hill, coming home eleven lengths clear of the second, Westender. His rider, Richard Johnson, said of the gelding, "he's a bit wooden-headed, but it's hard to complain when he keeps going like that. He's a jockey's dream." Rooster Booster was then sent to Liverpool to contest the Aintree Hurdle in April, where he was sent off the 5/4 favourite. He led over the last but was caught in the closing stages and beaten a head by the Edward O'Grady-trained Sacundai after Johnson dropped his whip on the run to the finish. In the course of the season, the nine-year-old improved his rating from 144 to 170. The 2003/04 season saw Rooster Booster win just one race, the Champion Hurdle Trial, but he ran consistently well in top races, finishing second in four Grade I races: the Christmas Hurdle, Champion Hurdle, Aintree Hurdle, and Punchestown Champion Hurdle. Later career Rooster Booster ran in many of the same races in the following season, 2004/5, but with little success. After finishing second in the Christmas Hurdle, he finished down the field in both the Champion Hurdle and the Aintree Hurdle. He did win the Concept Hurdle at Sandown in April, before ending the season finishing fourth in the Swinton Hurdle. Rooster Booster began the 2005/06 season with victory at Huntingdon and followed that up with a run in the Greatwood Hurdle, where he finished fourteenth. Death On 20 December 2005, Rooster Booster collapsed during a routine training session in preparation for a run in the Christmas Hurdle and died from heart failure. The Independent described him as one of racing's "most cherished champions", while his regular jockey Richard Johnson said, "He gave great pleasure not only to myself but to the owner and to everyone connected with him". References 1994 racehorse births 2005 racehorse deaths Cheltenham Festival winners Champion Hurdle winners National Hunt racehorses Thoroughbred family 16-c Racehorses trained in the United Kingdom Racehorses bred in the United Kingdom