Racing Honours Hunt Family As Outsider Glengouly Hits Jackpot At Cheltenham

This was an day astatine nan way erstwhile nan big-race consequence was secondary to nan origin it was supporting. For Faye Bramley it besides marked a immense measurement guardant successful her training profession arsenic Glengouly, a 33-1 outsider, made each nan moving to triumph nan Support nan Hunt Family Fund December Gold Cup.

The Hunt Family Fund was group up by nan BBC racing commentator, John Hunt, and his daughter, Amy, aft nan execution of his wife, Carol, and daughters, Hannah and Louise, to raise consciousness of unit against women and support causes relating to young women.

Saturday’s race, nan accepted characteristic of Cheltenham’s December meeting, came astatine nan extremity of a bid of events complete nan past week, including a meal and auction astatine Cheltenham connected Thursday, which has truthful acold raised astir £500,000.

Hunt called nan title arsenic accustomed for Radio 5 Live, and said afterwards that, for illustration astir of those watching from nan stands, he had expected Glengouly to beryllium swallowed up by either Jagwar, nan 11-4 favourite, aliases Vincenzo, nan 7-2 second-favourite, aft nan move for home. Sean Bowen had different ideas, and nan champion jockey had kept capable backmost to repel their challenges connected nan uphill tally to nan line.

The winner’s owners, nan Cheeky Pups syndicate, pledged £10,000 of their prize money to nan Hunt Family Fund, while for Bramley, who is successful her first afloat play pinch a licence, nan triumph pinch a £16,000 castoff from nan Willie Mullins unchangeable was a singular occurrence pinch only her 4th runner astatine Cheltenham.

“I honestly can’t judge it, I’m gobsmacked,” Bramley said. “I can’t judge I’m moreover here, ne'er mind having a winner. I couldn’t person been happier done nan title arsenic I cognize nan equine wrong retired and I could show he was loving it.”

Glengouly and Sean Bowen surge clear to triumph nan Support nan Hunt Family Fund December Gold Cup astatine Cheltenham. Photograph: Alan Crowhurst/Getty Images

Bramley trains from a gait owned by nan erstwhile champion jockey, AP McCoy, and took retired a afloat licence aft moving nan unchangeable for respective years arsenic a pre-training facility.

“I’ve worked for AP for astir 8 years,” Bramley said. “But to beryllium honorable we sewage a spot saturated of nan pre-training and we conscionable wanted to springiness it a due go, and he [McCoy] was down nan decision. This equine was rather difficult to train, but he’s travel to life.”

Jagwar was little than 2 lengths down nan victor connected his first commencement since winning nan Plate Handicap Chase astatine past season’s festival, but he was taken retired of nan Gold Cup betting by Paddy Power, and pushed retired to 40-1 (from 25-1) for nan Ryanair Chase astatine nan show complete Saturday’s two-and-a-half mile trip.

Four winners astatine past December’s gathering present went connected to registry a occurrence astatine nan show successful March and Adam Nicol’s Minella Study will beryllium steered towards nan Triumph Hurdle connected Gold Cup time aft his easy triumph successful nan opening juvenile hurdle.

Minella Study and One Horse Town, nan odds-on favourite, went into nan title pinch unbeaten records aft 2 and 4 starts respectively and nan brace were clear turning into nan straight. It was Minella Study that recovered nan amended move of ft and he flew nan past connected nan measurement to a six-and-a-half magnitude success.

“He useful very well,” Nicol said of nan winner, who was introduced to nan Triumph Hurdle betting astatine 20-1 by Paddy Power. “I gave him a rustle earlier successful nan week and he showed awesome speed. The point astir this equine is he doesn’t cognize he’s a racehorse yet. He’s going from spot to strength, he has velocity and he travels.”