Ferguson and Redknapp revel in Cheltenham glory

Sir Alex Ferguson hailed his "greatest day in racing" as his long wait to own a winner at the Cheltenham Festival ended with a quickfire double that summoned memories of his Manchester United side's Champions League final win in 1999.

- Greg Wood

It turned out to be a day for footballing legends at the Festival, as one of Ferguson's former rivals in the dugout, Harry Redknapp, also saw his colours carried to victory later on the card as Shakem Up'Arry took the £64,000 first prize in the Plate Handicap Chase.

Ferguson, who has been an owner for a quarter of a century both on the Flat and over jumps, famously enjoyed a treble on the opening day of the Grand National meeting at Aintree three years ago, and also has a part-share in Spirit Dancer, the recent winner of a Flat race in Saudi Arabia worth nearly £1m. Those successes could not compete with Ferguson's afternoon yesterday, however, as Monmiral initiated his 246-1 double with a 25-1 success in the Pertemps Final Handicap Hurdle, before Protektorat (17-2) held off the challenge of Envoi Allen, the favourite, to win the Grade One Ryanair Chase, one of the feature events on the card.

"It's a special occasion," Ferguson said after Protektorat's success. "You've got the FA Cup final, you've got the Derby, you've got Cheltenham, the three most important venues in the sporting world, so to do it here is unbelievable."