Clan Des Obeaux triumph would put Alex in Wonderland and seal an amazing sporting career

Nicholls, trainer of Clan Des Obeaux. “When Give Me A Copper won the Badger Beers, you would have thought Sir Alex had just won the FA Cup again.” The ‘Badger Beers’ is a handicap chase run at Wincanton and is worth £34,000 to the winner. Small beer compared to the prestige of THE Gold Cup. Give Me A Copper won that Wincanton race in Ferguson’s red and white colours but Clan Des Obeaux will line up in the silks of one of Nicholls’ principal supporters – and landlord – Paul Barber. Along with Manchesterbased businessman Ged Mason, Ferguson makes up the trio who own Clan Des Obeaux, a wellfancied 7-1 for the Gold Cup. “Ged and Paul are the main owners but Alex has a share and loves it,” says Nicholls. “If Clan wins the Gold Cup, it would be amazing. “It is great to have Alex on board. W e have been friends for a long while and when he was working, he said I could call him any time, day or night, if I ever needed any advice. When I was having a bit of hassle with jockeys, I spoke to him and it was helpful to have all his experience. “He loves this game and he loves winners.” Ferguson has kept out of the public eye recently, having been on the long road to recovery from a life-threatening brain haemorrhage. But he is sure to be at Cheltenham with Mason, Nicholls and Barber.

Sir Alex and Ged are long-time friends with Mason a lifelong Manchester United fanatic. “I’m a red through and through,” Mason once said. “I was weaned on George Best and Denis Law. How could you not be hooked on it after that?”

Mason has made his money through a successful recruitment business that annually turns over a billion pounds and has co-owned horses with Ferguson for many years. When Ferguson became embroiled in that argument over Rock Of Gibraltar, which won seven Group One Flat races on the spin, it seemed to be about principles and money.

But while the Gold Cup is a valuable race, with well over £600,000 in the prize fund, you get the impression Mason and Ferguson, who also work together for charitable causes, are in the National Hunt game purely for the fun. And if he can gets his hands on yet another famous sporting trophy on Friday, no-one will be having more fun than Sir Alex.