FEATURE LOCAL TRAINERS
Every winner at the Cheltenham Festival is greeted by raucous celebrations. However, those volume levels are always raised a decibel, or two when the triumphant horse happens to be locally trained. Hoping for more local success BY GRAHAM CLARK
I n recent seasons, the meeting has been a happy those training in Gloucestershire have started to fightback. While those steps might be small at this stage they are nonetheless important ones for both the participants supplying the winners and for the area which has a rich heritage within the sport of Jump racing. hunting ground for raiders from Ireland thanks to the likes of Willie Mullins, Gordon Elliott and Henry de Bromhead, but over the past two years results suggest Among those leading the local resurgence is Ben Pauling, who 12 months ago saddled Shakem Up’arry to glory in the TrustATrader Plate Handicap Chase, to register Festival winner number four. And the 41-year-old knows what having a winner at the meeting means, not just for personal gain, but in terms of attracting future investment in the sport into the region. Pauling said: “It is huge when we have a winner at Cheltenham. No matter which way you look at it is the heart of the jumps industry and we are proud it is our local track.
For the majority of people, it means more to have a winner there than most other places. The local area is very affluent and it attracts owners. Understandably a lot of their hopes and dreams revolve around having a Cheltenham horse, and when you get the horse to that point it means an awful lot to them. Not only do people want to be at a yard where they compete at the big tracks, they want to be able to see you do it at the highest level. I had some friends around for lunch recently who follow racing, but they have found since they have moved to the area how much it absorbs you. People buy into that and that is what makes The Festival what it is. Everyone wants success at the highest level, and undoubtedly there is a situation when you do have success at The Festival in that it takes things to the next level.” This year Pauling will be sending a smaller team to the meeting than in previous seasons gone, but it is a squad he
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