Tidal Bay

Tidal Bay
Tidal Bay (left with noseband) racing in the Bet365 Gold Cup at Sandown Park in April 2012
Sire	Flemensfirth
Dam	June's Bride
Damsire	Le Moss
Sex	Gelding
Foaled	12 May 2001
Country	Ireland
Colour	Bay
Owner	Graham & Andrea Wylie
Trainer	Howard Johnson Paul Nicholls
Record	36: 13-11-3
Earnings	£641,088
Major wins
Mersey Novices' Hurdle (2007) Arkle Challenge Trophy (2008) Maghull Novices' Chase (2008) Cleeve Hurdle (2010) Bet365 Gold Cup (2012) West Yorkshire Hurdle (2012) Lexus Chase (2012)
Last updated on 4 November 2012

Tidal Bay is an Irish bred Bay gelding Thoroughbred race horse foaled on 12 May 2001. He was the winner of two Grade 1 jumps races, the Arkle Challenge Trophy and the Maghull Novices' Chase in 2008. Trained by initially by Howard Johnson and subsequently by Paul Nicholls and owned by Graham and Andrea Wylie, he was bred by John Dorgan.

He made his debut in a National Hunt flat race (under Michal Kohl) at Wetherby on 18 March 2006, where he finished a half length second to Scribano Eile. He was then second again by only a neck just under a month later at Aintree. In doing so he beat the decent Kicks For Free, Hennessy and Wichita Lineman.

In his first season racing Tidal Bay was sent novice hurdling winning in his first three attempts by a total of 21 lengths. He was second by only a neck to Massini's Maguire in the Ballymore Properties Novices' Hurdle at the Cheltenham Festival in March 2007. On that day he had future Cheltenham Gold Cup winner Imperial Commander well behind him. Tidal Bay then went on to improve on that in Mersey Novices' Hurdle at Aintree in April 2007, where he beat Wins Now by 8 lengths under Paddy Brennan.

In the 2007-2008 season, Tidal Bay was to embark on a hugely successful Novice Chasing campaign. He was sent off at odds on for his first three Novice Chases,the first at Aintree where he beat the brilliant Albertas Run by a staggering 22 lengths. He comfortably won his next two starts and was made Antepost favourite for the Arkle Challenge Trophy at Cheltenham. His prep run for that race came in a Novices Chase at Doncaster in February, where he was sent off a 1/4 shot, but after making a mistake at the second last he was beaten a neck by Leslingtaylor. He was sent off the 6/1 second favourite for the 2008 Arkle Challenge Trophy behind market leader Noland (7/4) and it was in this race that Tidal Bay gained the biggest success of his career to date, where he was a comfortable 13 length winner over Kruguyrova. He went on to add to this success at Aintree in April 2008, where he won the Grade 1 Maghull Novices' Chase by 6 lengths from Takeroc.