14 March 2024 , 15:04
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Sir Alex Ferguson celebrated his first triumph at racing’s premier jumps meeting when he had a 25-1 winner at the Cheltenham Festival - and secured a second success immediately after.
The legendary former Manchester United manager is enjoying a hot streak with the racing string which has become his retirement hobby.
Last month he was in Saudi Arabia where he landed a £1.5 million race with Spirit Dancer to add to success in a £500,000 race in Bahrain in November.
Despite numerous attempts he had not enjoyed any luck at Cheltenham until the Paul Nicholls-trained Monmiral changed the narrative on St Patrick’s Thursday.
Then Protektorat won the Ryanair Chase to make it a double triumph.
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An unfancied 25-1 chance, Monmiral nevertheless came through to catch long-time leader Kyntara and the Pertemps Network Final by a length and a quarter.
Winning jockey Harry Cobden said: “I can’t believe this horse has won. He was a 25-1 chance but I thought he should be 125-1.”
Ferguson owns Monmiral with Ged Mason and John and Lisa Hales. In February the same owners paid a record €740,000 for Caldwell Potter.
“I’ve waited a long time for this, but it is fantastic," he said. "The jockey was absolutely brilliant on him. What I was thinking at the tapes was, ‘What the hell is he doing at the back’, but he crept forward and judged it perfectly.
"I couldn’t understand why before he came to the last why John [Hales] was saying he had won, but that is experience for you. I was just saying, ‘Just jump the bloody last!’
“It has been probably 20 years that I’ve wanted to have a winner here as when I first started [in racing] I just had Flat horses and no National Hunt ones. I got interested in the jumps with Ged [Mason] and John [Hales]. John is the master. He chooses the horses and we back him all the way.”
"It 100 per cent makes it more enjoyable having a winner with friends. Everyone looks forward to Cheltenham, while on the Flat you have the Derby. These two events are unsurpassed.”“
Monmiral gallops to victory in the Pertemps Final (Getty Images)Mason, who was with Ferguson in the Middle East, enjoyed success at the meeting 20 years earlier.
“It’s been a while, 20 years of waiting to have another Festival winner and there is no better day than to have it with these two gentlemen.”
Ferguson was asked on ITV Racing if the victory gave him the same buzz as winning the Champions League.
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“Now, that’s different,” he said, adding when urged, “Yes.”