FEATURE BRADLEY GIBBS
just see how he goes. I decided to ride him on the outside, and thankfully, everything came together perfectly.” With his fate sealed early on in the 2022 renewal of the race, in which Gibbs would eventually pull Premier Magic up after the 11th fence, the 29-year-old felt he knew what his destiny was going to be less than a mile into this year’s race. He says: “Once I jumped the first four fences, I knew if he was good enough he was going to win. He just jumped and travelled, and he never normally travels in his races. He had cheekpieces on for the first time and they just helped him along a little bit. I was praying after the last that nothing came and nabbed me on the line. There was a real sense of relief after we crossed the line. The walk back in was unbelievable and there is no other place like Cheltenham. Willie Mullins and Paul Nicholls had runners in the race and to beat those boys is something else. I think a result like this definitely gives hope to others like me.” Winning one race at any Cheltenham in a calendar year is always a special moment. However, there was more to come for Gibbs less than two months later, with Premier Magic showing his class once again in the Ineos Grenadier Mixed Open Hunters’ Chase back at the track on Hunter Chase Evening in May. Gibbs adds: “I’ve been quite lucky at Cheltenham as I’ve had a few winners there. Premier Magic was very good
“Once I jumped the first four fences, I knew he was going to win”
when he went back to Cheltenham in May on the Hunter Chase Evening. “I had sent him out to Ireland and he was meant to run at Punchestown, but unfortunately, he didn’t get the chance to run. He had been out in Ireland and he only came back to me a week before, so fair play to him doing all that travelling and coming back to win like that.” Horses have formed a big part of Gibbs’ life. However, although enjoying considerable success back in his native Wales, he points to making the move to his current base in Hertfordshire three years ago as helping to take his career to the next level. Gibbs says: “I always had ponies at home and then I started showjumping and pony racing, and from that I went on to point-to-pointing, as dad always trained a few point-to-pointers. We had good results in Wales, but a lot of the recent results are due to the horses we have now at our new place. “Claire’s plan was always to move back home and it was three years ago that we moved to her dad’s farm. It
was a big decision, but we are lucky up here as we have 360 acres of land. “With the yard in Wales we wouldn’t be able to get any more stables built, but here we have more room to expand. We had 31 in last year, which is a bit of jump on five or six. We would like to have a, say, 40 or 50 under our belt and we are just getting planning permission in for another barn, which will hopefully help us move to the next level.” While all routes will lead back to Cheltenham in March for Premier Magic, sooner rather than later, Gibbs will turn his attention solely to training. He adds: “Premier Magic is likely to have two runs and then it will be all systems go to Cheltenham again. I will keep training, but I’m not sure how many years I will keep riding for. “I’ve been with Claire for nine years and we have a little boy called Hadley, who is one. Hopefully, he will follow in the family business when he is older, but I think he is a bit big at the moment to be a rider, so hopefully, he won’t grow too much more!”
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