THE Storyteller and Saldier are among a number of Grade 1 jumpers who have been confirmed as retired during 2023, according to listings published by Horse Racing Ireland.

As part of the HRI Ras system, trainers in recent months have been given the facility to mark a horse as permanently retired when registering them as being out of training.

Any horse flagged as retired from racing will not be permitted to be returned in training or entered for any race, nor can they hold an active hunter certificate for point-to-pointing. HRI subsequently publishes the names of these horses whose careers have officially come to an end through this process.

Joe and Pat Sloan’s The Storyteller racked up close to €500,000 in prize money during his career and scored twice at the highest level, as well as winning the 2018 Plate Handicap Chase at the Cheltenham Festival for Gordon Elliott and Davy Russell. The tremendous servant pulled up on his final start in the Festival Hunters’ Chase at Cheltenham last March.

Saldier also struck twice at Grade 1 level for Willie Mullins and Susannah Ricci, including the 2019 Morgiana Hurdle. He memorably defied top-weight to win the 2021 Galway Hurdle under Patrick Mullins and finished second on his final appearance in a Wexford novice chase in June.

Ronald Pump, who was placed in five Grade 1s - including the 2020 Stayers’ Hurdle and two Hatton’s Grace Hurdles behind Honeysuckle - is another talented performer on the 2023 retirement listings.

Originally trained by Matthew Smith before switching to Ciaran Murphy later in his career, he finished third to The Bosses Oscar in a point-to-point in October but was retired after failing to catch fire back over hurdles at Clonmel in November.

Whiskey Sour, who captured one of the most dramatic runnings of the Paddy Power Future Champions Novice Hurdle in history in 2017, has seen time called on his racing career too.

Luke McMahon’s veteran, who won back-to-back premier handicaps at the 2017 Galway Festival for Willie Mullins, earned close to €300,000 in prize money and was retired after finishing down the field in the November Handicap.

Galmoy Hurdle winner of 2021 Sams Profile is another quality performer on the list for 2023. Owned by Michael and John O’Flynn, the Mouse Morris-trained stayer was narrowly touched off in a pair of Grade 1 novice hurdles back in 2019.