SAINT SEEN NOTHING YET!

Southampton legend has sights set on bigger goals for his BetVictor fancy Mister Whitaker

MICK CHANNON etched his name on the Cheltenham Festival roll of honour last March — and now he’s hungry for more.

Mister Whitaker’s head margin over Rather Be in the Close Brothers Novices’ Handicap Chase at the Festival was just the latest landmark in a remarkable sporting life.

It is 52 years since Channon – then a 17-year-old – made his debut up front for Southampton, making 510 appearances for the south coast club, as well as starring for Manchester City, Norwich City and England. Four years after hanging up his boots, Channon began training horses, making his name as a Classic winner on the Flat with Samitar’s triumph in the Irish 1,000 Guineas in 2012.

A week after the final act of the Flat campaign – as the handlers head for a break in the sun – Channon travels to the Cotswolds to take on Nicky Henderson and Paul Nicholls.

“We only mess around at it,” laughs Channon, before focusing, “but when you get a good one, it does concentrate your mind a little bit.

“It’s quite stimulating – it has certainly put an edge to this week!”

Channon, hopeful of making it to Cheltenham despite being laid up with a bad back, has got a good one in Mister Whitaker, who jostles with the Henderson-saddled Rather Be at the head of the betting for this afternoon’s BetVictor

Gold Cup.

Back in the spring, Mister Whitaker made use of a

6lb concession from Rather Be.

This time it is Channon’s horse who has to give the weight – 3lb – away, but the Berkshirebased man is convinced his six-year-old, competing over fences for just the seventh time in his life, has more to give.

“The Henderson horse has got a turnaround in the weights and now it’s gone round the other way,” he observes.

“But our horse hasn’t reached his ceiling and I feel we go there with a good chance.”

Standing proudly in the winner’s enclosure at Cheltenham at the end of the Champion Hurdle card, Channon spoke without hesitation of a life beyond handicaps for his victor.

His prediction that Mister Whitaker would one day be a Cheltenham Gold Cup horse seemed a long way off fruition when, with a rating of 137, he scored off bottom weight over a distance six furlongs shy of the blue ribbon test’s trip.

But, eight months on, Channon’s confidence in his gelding – who carries the colours of Gold Cup sponsor Tim Radford – has not waned.

“The great thing is that he’s always shown a bit of speed – that bit of class – which is massively important,” adds the 69-yearold, who prepared Mister Whitaker for a winning return at Carlisle 13 days ago, triggering a 7lb rise in the weights to a new rating of 152.

“And I don’t think staying’s a problem. I thought staying was what he wanted.

“We always knew he was a 150-odd horse and, if he’s going to be good, we’ve got to be good enough to go there and shake them up.

“The perfect world would be to win the BetVictor and then go for the King George.”

Gold Cups and King Georges are virgin ground for Channon, but anything but for his training partner Henrietta Knight, who retired in 2012.

Best Mate remains the only horse since the legendary Arkle to capture three Gold Cups (2002-2004), also pocketing the 2002 King George for good measure, 12 months before his stand-in stablemate Edredon Bleu triumphed at Kempton.

Channon’s jumpers – “we’ve got five or six” – work out on his West Ilsley gallops before making the sevenmile journey to Knight’s Wantage base for tuition jumping obstacles.

“We specialise in what we’re good at,” he explains. “I put the horses on the box and they go over there and do the schooling. She’s very special. She’s perfect.”

Channon’s past and present sports are now dominated at the top by money – more of it than ever before.

For every Manchester City and Chelsea, there’s a Southampton. For every Aidan O’Brien or Willie Mullins, there’s a Mick Channon.

“Years ago, I had a lot of well-bred horses and a lot of Group 1 horses, but it’s changed,” says Channon.

“I only get three or fourgrand horses, but we just try to make the best of them.

“Every time Southampton get a good player, they’ve got to sell. It’s a bit like me – every time you get a good horse, you’ve got to sell it to survive,

“It’s frustrating, but you’ve just got to get on with it.”