interview I lee westwood
“I thought to myself, ‘that’s not going to be a great hurdler, is it!’” Fortunately, Grande Jete accepted the wintry British weather enough to win a small race at Wincanton and did manage to finish fourth in the 2005 Vincent O’Brien County Hurdle. The results at The Festival were to rise far higher in time. Ballyalton, carrying the colours of the golfer’s father, John, has been nursed through several long-term injuries by his Midlands-based trainer Ian Williams. Despite this, he has reached three of the past five meetings, chasing home Faugheen in the 2014 renewal of what is now the Ballymore Novices’ Hurdle, returning two years later to win the Close Brothers Novices’ Handicap Chase, and again as an 11-year-old for a fine fourth in the latest running of the Brown Advisory & Merriebelle Stable Plate. “I bought him as a Christmas present for my dad one year and he’s been a brilliant horse,” Westwood explains. “The Close Brothers was incredible, just seeing him go up that hill with us all being there. And I actually happened to have had a few quid on him (at 12-1) as well!” While many of his horses were owned in partnerships with his former manager Andrew ‘Chubby’ Chandler, one of his more recent investments has been with a rather more star- studded collection. The Masters Syndicate was conceived when Graham Wylie, the software tycoon and owner of such National Hunt superstars as the three-time Stayers’ Hurdle hero Inglis Drever and the quirky but hugely popular Tidal Bay, was out watching the golf in America with fellow north-east luminaries Ant & Dec and footballer Alan Shearer. They decided to have a horse together and Newcastle- based Westwood, whose partner Helen Storey is the sister of Wylie’s wife Andrea, was roped in too. The appropriately-named Augusta Kate, bred by Wylie himself out of the outstanding hurdler Feathard Lady, was sent to Willie Mullins and ended up being sent off favourite for the Weatherbys Champion Bumper in 2016, the first of three consecutive visits she made to The Festival. “We had a fantastic run with her, running at Cheltenham and she also won at Punchestown. She’s actually retired now and has been put in foal. I think we’ll probably end up selling her but there are a few others in the pipeline. There should be one coming out soon that we’ve called Amen Corner, probably for the same syndicate.
“I’ve got rid of most of the Flat horses now but I’ve still got a few Jump ones. Andrew Harding and Ross Marshall who founded Your Golf Travel (a holiday business for which Westwood is an ambassador) started a syndicate called The Albatross Club and I got involved in that. We’ve got some good ones through them. “Western Ryder (a winner of a novice hurdle at The International last December for Warren Greatrex) ran at The Festival last season and hopefully we’ll have some more fun with him. He’s probably my best chance to get there again, and hopefully there’s another good one to come.” Despite his golfing commitments around the world, there are a certain four days in the middle of March which are now always blocked off in Westwood’s diary. “I’ve been to every day of The Festival for the last three years, and I’ve been to Cheltenham in October and November-time as well,” he says. “It’s the home of National Hunt racing, during Festival week the atmosphere is so incredible and you get so many interesting people there. For anybody that loves horse racing it’s great to see such quality races, the best horses are there and it’s kind of like a Formula One race, you’ve got all the elite running. The races that week seem to be so much quicker, they just seem to go so fast over those hurdles and fences, it’s incredible.” Westwood is a huge all-round sport fanatic, judged by enthusiastic social media postings at manifold events. He not only finds time when he can to watch Nottingham Forest F.C. but has been spotted at Wimbledon’s Centre Court, as well as motor racing, rugby and even showjumping events. However, he puts Cheltenham right at the summit.
“As far as occasion and atmosphere are concerned, that first race on the Tuesday
afternoon… when the cheer goes up as they start, it’s as good an atmosphere as you’d find anywhere.”
Right: Lee and father John (left) celebrate with the trophy during the presentation ceremony for the Close Brothers Novices’ Handicap Chase after Ballyalton’s win
Made with FlippingBook Online document