JOHN ‘Shark’ Hanlon has admitted he would “travel the world” to find a superstar racehorse like his Boodles Cheltenham Gold Cup contender Hewick and still cannot believe he found him in a local sale “five minutes down the road”.
Hanlon describes the nine-yearold, who cost his owner TJ McDonald just 850 Euros (around £800) but has already won more than £600,000 in prize money, as “tough as nails”.
And as he and his team plot a second bid for Gold Cup success after his fall in last year’s race two fences from home, the trainer says his whole team get a buzz from having such a top-class chaser in their yard.
Co Carlow-based Hanlon only bought Hewick at a sale in nearby Goresbridge after the horse he had intended to buy was not there.
Since then he has won the American Grand National, the Grade 2 Bet365 Oaksey Chase at Sandown and the Grade1 King George VI Chase at Kempton.
Speaking at a Jockey Club media event, Hanlon said: “He has a great temperament – you can do what you like with him and travelling doesn’t bother him. We probably won’t go to Cheltenham until Wednesday.
Denne historien er fra March 2024-utgaven av Racing Ahead.
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Denne historien er fra March 2024-utgaven av Racing Ahead.
Start din 7-dagers gratis prøveperiode på Magzter GOLD for å få tilgang til tusenvis av utvalgte premiumhistorier og 9000+ magasiner og aviser.
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