The Cheltenham winners enclosure© Photo Healy Racing
A long-term plan came to fruition for Givemefive as the promising youngster provided Harry Derham with his first Cheltenham winner as a trainer in the Masterson Holdings Hurdle.
The four-year-old won his first two starts over obstacles after being bought out of Johnny Murtagh’s yard last year and went on to finish second in the Adonis Hurdle at Kempton and fourth in a Grade Two at Fairyhouse for his owners Smash Racing, a syndicate that includes major-winning golfers Graeme McDowell and Brooks Koepka.
Following a readying run when second on the Flat at Haydock last month, Givemefive returned to the jumping game against his own age group at Prestbury Park and went to post a 7-2 second-favourite behind Gavin Cromwell’s Irish raider Bottler’secret (evens).
After being settled in the middle of the pack for much of the way by Paul O’Brien, Givemefive was produced with his challenge early in the home straight and after getting into a minor barging match with Bottler’secret going round the dolled-off final flight, he finished off strongly to beat a staying-on Dodger Long by a length and a quarter.
Graeme McDowell (left) and Brooks Koepka on the golf course (Kieran Cleeves/Mike Egerton/PA)[/caption
Derham enjoyed success as a rider at Cheltenham, landing the Greatwood Hurdle on Brampour in 2011 and the Martin Pipe on Salubrious two years later, while he later spent several seasons as assistant to his uncle Paul Nicholls.
“It means an awful lot – Cheltenham is a very special place. I suppose I’m doing what I’m doing because I was 11, chasing Ruby (Walsh) and Kauto Star up that hill and watching Uncle Paul win all those races, so to have one in my own name makes it a very cool day,” he said.
“He’s been a fabulous little horse, well found by my cousin Megan (Nicholls). From the first day we jumped him we thought we were going to have some fun as he just loved it.
“I will also say well done to Graham my head lad, Amy my sister and Charlie my assistant because in the middle of the week I was bottling it a bit about running him, as I thought the race was going to be a bit lively and Bottler’secret was going to be hard to beat. They said ‘come on, you’ve trained him for the race, get on and do it’, so well done them.
“I’m really proud of the horse, since we’ve had him he’s never let us down and this is a plan we’ve had for a long time, so I’m thrilled it’s come off.”
Unibet make Givemefive a 16-1 shot for next month’s Greatwood Hurdle, but he appears unlikely to be thrown in at the deep end just yet.
Derham added: “I’m not going to do big handicaps until after Christmas. I had Mr (Ruby) Walsh on the phone last night and he said big handicaps for four-year-olds are too tough.
“There’s a race at Fairyhouse for four-year-olds in a month’s time, so we might do that or we might just leave him alone. He’s only young and he’s got some good days ahead of him – I’d love to run him in a Betfair Hurdle or something like that.
“I was bit worried about the ground, I thought he’d like it a bit softer, but as usual the trainer is wrong and he was really good on it.”
McDowell and Koepka did not make the trip to the Cotswolds, but the trainer said: “They’re in Florida, but I just had a FaceTime with Graeme there and he’s made up.
“For any owners that support you in a young business, it’s very cool to train winners for them and they’re great supporters of mine. It’s a shame they couldn’t be here, but the horse has done them proud.”
