AL RED DY FOR THE FESTIVAL Owner Definitly hopeful after superb win

NORTHERN LIGHT: Danny Cook heads for victory on Definitly Red DEFINITLY RED ploughed through the mud to win at Cheltenham yesterday and could give the north its first Gold Cup winner for 25 years.

The horse, trained in Malton by Brian Ellison, routed the hot favourite Bristol De Mai to plunder the £60,000 Cotswold Chase.

Jodami was the last northern-trained winner of the Cheltenham Gold Cup in 1993 and it is 35 years since Michael Dickinson trained the first five home in jump racing’s blue riband.

And after watching his pride and joy gallop up the famous hill yesterday, owner

Phil Martin said: “This is brilliant for the north.

“That was really fantastic. The only reason the north is behind is that they haven’t got the best horses.

“But if you give trainers up here the ammunition, they will do the job. Brian has proved it and Malcolm Jefferson has proved it.”

Phil bought Definitly Red at the Cheltenham sales after he had won a point-to-point and revealed how he has become the most misspelt horse in training.

He said: “Brian Marshall trained him and wanted to run him in a point-to-point and needed a name for him.

“He was in a pub and shouted out, ‘How do you spell definitely?’ That’s how it got spelt by these Irish lads.”

Winning rider Danny Cook said: “You only have to look at his runs-to-win ratio. He is 12 wins from 22 runs.

“He is a fantastic horse for me to ride. He is not pretty to look at.

“He does nothing flash on the gallops. In fact, he is slow at home.

“I’d like to dedicate that to my grandad, who is not very well – we don’t know how much longer he’s got.

“He said he’d love to see me ride a winner at Cheltenham and now he has.

“I’ll enjoy this and have a few drinks as I don’t often get the chance to ride a big winner round here.”

Paddy Power cut Definitly Red to 16-1 for the Gold Cup and he is

25-1 with Ladbrokes. Cheltenham held a minute’s silence yesterday for trainer Richard Woollacott (above), who died earlier this week aged just

40. His widow Kayley saddled their stable star Beer Goggles in the Cleeve Hurdle but he was no match for mud-loving winner Agrapart.

Lizzie Kelly produced a power-packed ride to edge out Wholestone and complete a great day for female jockeys following Bryony Frost’s victory on Frodon.

Lizzie said: “He is amazing. I owe this horse so much. The rain helped as he loves soft ground.”