13 March 2024 , 14:54
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One of the men behind two of the biggest transfers in football history was left breathless by the experience of winning at Cheltenham on Wednesday.
David Manasseh is co-founder of the sports agency CAA Stellar - alongside Jonathan Barnett - which has a string of VIP clients. The agency handled Gareth Bale’s record £85million move from Tottenham Hotspur to Real Madrid.
They also represent the likes of Manchester City star Jack Grealish, Luke Shaw, from Manchester United, England and Everton goalkeeper Jordan Pickford and Brentford striker Ivan Toney.
A regular Cheltenham Festival goer, where he has a box, Manasseh has owned a number of horses including MC Muldoon, who was second at Royal Ascot.
Yet none rose to the level of Ballyburn who he shares with Ronnie Bartlett, whose daughter is married to ex-Wales footballer Hal Robson-Kanu.
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Ballyburn, trained by Willie Mullins, had won two of this three starts over hurdles to arrive at Cheltenham as the 1-2 favourite for the Gallaghers’ Novices’ Hurdle.
Under Paul Townend the six-year-old landed the odds without turning a hair to score by 13 lengths. In the parade ring afterwards, Manasseh, 55, said: “I need to breathe. Jesus, it’s been a long journey from the last five weeks to get here.
“Just to be here today. The people that are here at Cheltenham are legends of racing. I am here and I have managed to win at Cheltenham. I can’t believe it.
Trainer Willie Mullins embraces David Manasseh after Ballyburn's win (Getty Images)“I’ve been coming for 20 years with the same friends. Just to have a runner, and then he was 1-2 and the pressure and the hype.”
Indeed, Ballyburn made impressively light work of the Gallagher Novices’ Hurdle on the second day of the Cheltenham Festival. The 1-2 favourite was one of five runners for the all-conquering Willie Mullins and travelled strongly behind the leaders under Paul Townend.
When the field rounded the final bend there was no question whatsoever as to the outcome, with the Ronnie Bartlett-owned six-year-old strolling away from stablemate Jimmy Du Seuil to win by a yawning 13 lengths.
Another Closutton runner, Ile Atlantique, was a further three and a half lengths back in third. Just for good measure Mullins was also responsible for Mercurey (fourth) and Predators Gold (fifth), but Nicky Henderson’s Jingko Blue was pulled up to continue a testing time for the Seven Barrows trainer.