Christmas reading for racing folk

‘Hang on a minute—he’s a bit wobbly,’ trainer Oliver Sherwood told photographers imploring him to stand with his winner when Many Clouds won this year’s Hennessy Gold Cup at Newbury. Truth be told, Many Clouds’s popular trainer was wobbly too, understandably emotional after a victory which reminded many that a trainer whose string of Cheltenham Festival victories were a year or two back can still produce big race winners when he has the horse.

The after-race moments were a reminder, too, of the warmth and generosity of the jumping scene. As I was shaking the tearful Oliver’s hand in congratulation, he was hugged vigorously by Sarah Hobbs, wife of Philip Hobbs who had expected, as I had, that they were going to win the race with Fingal Bay.

I love the Hennessy meeting. It is near enough to Christmas for all to be festive but not yet worn down by the social grind. The big race helps us to identify future stars among the second-season chasers and the rest of the card starts you thinking about Festival ante post wagers.

Straight into that category goes hurdler Silsol, who gave me the rare pleasure of backing a Paul Nicholls winner at 14–1. I was attracted by the 7lbs taken off Silsol’s back by conditional jockey Jack Sherwood, Oliver’s nephew, who had ridden an excellent race the day before on Wilton Milan. Luckily, I hadn’t heard Paul Nicholls’s race preview in which he gave Silsol no chance. Afterwards an embarrassed Paul told me, ‘I honestly thought he would need the race. He’s only done six weeks’ work because he’d been lame and we sent him to Newmarket for a month. To run as well as that he must be good.