SMITHS SAVOUR VICTORY
HARVEY SMITH, famous for his two-finger victory salute, was not on hand to repeat the gesture and embarrass his trainer wife Sue when she celebrated victory with Midnight Shadow in the Paddy Power Gold Cup at Cheltenham yesterday.
“He’s been trying to ring me since the horse crossed the winning line,” she said.
“He will be delighted as he bought this horse at Doncaster Sales.
“It’s out of this world.there aren’t many horses that could have done what he’s done at the last fence when he stumbled, and I just thought, ‘that’s it’.
“But he just picked himself up and kept going. It’s magic. I’m probably a bit more emotional because I’m that much older.
“He is a special horse – just like Auroras Encore was.
“He will now probably head to Kempton for the King Georgevi Chase on Boxing Day.”
Ryan Mania, in the saddle when Auroras Encore won the 2013 Grand National for the Smiths, again did the steering.
After winning the National, Mania retired the following year owing to weight problems only to return to race riding five years later.
“I’m sure it is emotional for most jockeys but it is especially emotional for me to have retired and come back and do all this,” said Mania, whose daughter is called Aurora.
“There are no plans to retire now as I’ve got a good 10 years in me yet.”
Protektorat finished like a rocket to take second with Lalor also arriving all too late in third place.
But the hard luck story has to be Coole Cody, last year’s winner.
He was tanking in the lead before falling at the second-last fence.
His trainer Evanwilliams said: “Fair play to the winner. But hopefully there will be another day for my horse.”
DAN SKELTON received the perfect cure for Friday’s inflicted pain, when My Drogo crashed out at the second-last fence with victory in the bag, after Third Time Lucki skipped over his fences to win the novices’ chase at Cheltenham.
“I was just jesting with the guys that it’s nice to get a clear round,” said Skelton. “A few things have gone against us recently, although at the same time Allmankind won.
“Water doesn’t always run in your ditch but there is no point stamping your feet and chucking your toys out about it and getting angry.”
And it may be that Third Time Lucki proves superior to his stablemate My Drogo.