FEATURE DAVID MANN
most sought after prize, the former chef is now dreaming of what could be another rollercoaster ride over the next seven months. Mann said: “Last season was unreal. To think we had a runner in the Brown Advisory was great, but the fact we won it was something else. “You think of the horses that have won the Gold Cup over the past 15 to 20 years, and even beyond that, and they have become horses of folklore. They are horses people remember for the rest of their lives, and to think a horse like The Real Whacker could go into that bracket is great. If he comes back to what he did last year, he will put it up to anyone. “The plan is to challenge for the Gold Cup if we can but I’m assuming along the road Paddy will give him
two or three runs. Paddy will pick those races, but if you look at his record – Cheltenham is his racecourse.” Although Mann, who has been involved with racehorse ownership for around 20 years, is now proud to be associated with The Real Whacker, he admits he did have reservations before parting with his cash to secure a piece of him. He added: “I’ve been involved with owning racehorses for about 20 years. The first time I was involved in a horse was with Eric McNamara for one called Skullduggery and he was my first winner under Rules 28 years ago. “I’ve had winners on the track with Eric McNamara, Michael Hourigan and Charles Byrnes in syndicates. I had some with Paddy that had no luck, then all of
“The horses that have won the Gold Cup over the past 15 to 20 years have become horses of folklore”
36 Kalendar
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