He was sent to the 2004 Tattersalls Ireland Derby Sale as a four-year-old but this proved fruitless when one of the vets present said that the young "store" (a horse gelded early and intended for jump racing) could benefit from a hobday operation on his windpipe to improve his breathing.

Sent to the Duhallow point-to-point at Liscaroll and ridden by leading amateur Colman Sweeney, he was sent off 7/4 favourite to beat 16 rivals, which he did by 12 lengths.

He then scored a 21-length victory in the Grade 1 Challow Hurdle that was transferred from Newbury to Cheltenham, defeating useful horses such as Boychuk and Ungaro under stable jockey Ruby Walsh.

The Jonjo O'Neill-trained subsequent Grand National winner Don't Push It, ridden by Tony McCoy, was the only horse to seriously threaten Denman, getting to within 3/4l of him after a battle up the Cheltenham hill.

He was reunited with jockey Sam Thomas (they had won the Berkshire Novices Chase at Newbury a year earlier on their only other start together) after Ruby Walsh dislocated his shoulder in a fall at Cheltenham two weeks previously.

By this stage, Paul Nicholls' stable jockey Ruby Walsh had chosen to stay loyal to defending champion Kauto Star in the big race.

As the tapes rose, Denman tracked another stablemate, Neptune Collonges (Mick Fitzgerald), in 2nd, with Kauto Star sitting 5 lengths further back in 4th.

Although entered for a race over hurdles over the Christmas period (in which he did not run), he made his reappearance at Kempton Park Racecourse on 7 February.

Despite starting an odds-on favourite, he finished well beaten in second place behind Madison Du Berlais, and questions were asked as to whether he would regain his old form.

The significance of this failure was not lost on the racing public and press, as McCoy had been booked to ride Denman in the Gold Cup, with Ruby Walsh again staying loyal to Kauto Star.

[6] Neither won, with Kauto Star falling and Denman being beaten off up the run in by Nigel Twiston-Davies' Imperial Commander.

Only a handful of the field were in the handicap on official ratings, and the winner and second place runners carried bottom weight of 10 stone.

Sam Thomas, who took the ride, replacing the injured Ruby Walsh, always kept him handy and out of trouble, but in the home straight, Diamond Harry matched strides and eventually passed Denman to win, with Burton Port staying on well into second place.

On the day of the 2011 Totesport Cheltenham Gold Cup, Denman drifted in the betting to 9–1, with the good going expected not to suit.

Nicholls reassured Denman's fans that it was only a minor injury and if he was a youngster he would be back next year but because of his age, retirement was "the only course of action to take".

Nicholls paid tribute to the horse, saying "He was tough, hardy and willing, wasn’t the easiest to train and would bite your hand off in his box given half a chance.