HIS TOP BUY IS A LEGEND

“WHAT do you mean you bought a f***ing hairbrush,” Harry Findlay said, when told Paul Barber had purchased Denman for £120,000.

“Like anybody else from outside the game, I was nervous getting involved in bloodstock. But I knew I could trust Paul Barber the first time I shook his hand.”

Harry’s £60,000 half-share of the price was in his partner’s account the following morning. It proved a bargain sum. Harry had backed the untried Denman to win the 2007 Royal and Sun Alliance Chase at Cheltenham to get himself more than £250,000, all at 10/1 and 8/1.

By the time of the 2008 Gold Cup, Denman had only lost once in 14 outings. In 10 previous races since October 2006, race favourite Kauto Star was beaten once.

As both approached the last, Denman was a very tired horse, but Sam Thomas rode him out to land the cup (above). Celebrations were about to get into full swing.

Barber said: “He’d been shovelling money on Denman – and told everyone else to do the same.

“Harry took the Gold Cup to his box near the last fence – and there he was, brandishing the cup.”

If the racing establishment baulked at a gambler shouting the odds, that was their problem.

All he knew was that Denman, a horse loved by the working-class racing follower, had delivered – and he had played a small part.