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As the excitement builds on the eve of another Cheltenham we all have our own favourite memories from Festivals gone by.
For a select few it is the memory of riding, training, breeding or owning a Festival winner, but for the majority of us these memories are more likely to be linked to winning bets we struck on the horses.
My Racing StorySponsored By Tote
Like everyone in racing, you kind of start off with ponies. I did a bit of pony club and hunting and that. Dad (Michael Hourigan) always had a busy yard, so we rode out before we went to school. It was a great grounding, and I was lucky in the sense that I didn't have to go away anywhere. We always had plenty of horses and ponies at home to mess around with. I had my first ride when I was 16 in a ladies' bumper in Killarney. Dad always had plenty of Kerry owners and enjoyed having runners in Kerry. I kind of got bitten by the bug, I suppose. I had the majority of my rides for dad, and I was always working at home. I wouldn't have had the number of winners I had only for dad. I did have winners for others as well, though. My best day in the saddle came on Moonmeister in the Ladies Derby at the Curragh (2019). He was a 50/1 shot, but Tony Martin always has his horses fit and he got up by a neck. I had 29 winners on the track, including a hurdle winner, and one point-to-point winner.
- YOUNG JACK is an obvious one after two second-placed finishes. Chris Grant's gelding looks well worth another chance, nudged up 1lb after his latest near-miss at Kelso. That was his first try in cheekpieces and this longer trip could draw further improvement. Finn Lough is a proven stayer to seriously consider off a competitive rating, while Johnson's Blue can probably take the measure of Caughtinyourtrance, who is respected but seems to reserve his best efforts for Cartmel in the summer.
