Sue Smith Provides Cheltenham Festival Winner For The North

The Cheltenham Festival is normally dominated by the biggest names in the sport, with Willie Mullins, Nicky Henderson and Paul Nicholls having the majority of the runners in the leading races across the week.

 

Yorkshire-based trainer Sue Smith was able to beat all of the sport’s leading trainers in the Ultima Handicap Chase this year as Vintage Clouds caused a surprise at odds of 28/1 on day one of the meeting.

The grey horse was having his fifth attempt at the 3m1f contest and he finally got into the winner’s enclosure at Cheltenham following an excellent run.

He will now head to the Scottish Grand National at Ayr where connections will be hoping he can continue his great form.

Vintage Clouds ran in the familiar Trevor Hemmings’ silks.

The leading owner has the opportunity to have success at the festival, including with Cloudy Glen, who is a brother to Vintage Clouds. He is 48.0 in the Cheltenham Festival betting for the Kim Muir Chase.

Veteran Trainer Has History Of Upsetting The Odds

Smith is no stranger to big-race wins. She was successful in the Grand National in 2013 when Auroras Encore prevailed in the world’s most famous steeplechase. Her victory at Cheltenham this year is his biggest since that day at Aintree.

Auroras Encore proved that the Grand National could still be won by some of the smaller operations in racing. He was not a very expensive purchase and his breeding history did not stand out as something which would produce a horse to win the 4m2½f contest.

Smith’s hero was the first Grand National winner to be trained in Yorkshire since 1960. Neville Crump won the race with Merryman II. That victory was expected more than Auroras Encore’s as he was the 13/2 favourite in the race.

Since her success at Aintree eight years ago, Mr Moonshine finished the Grand National course in 2015 to come home 15th. She was also represented by recent Cheltenham winner Vintage Clouds in 2019 but he fell at the first fence in the race won by Tiger Roll.

Smith Will Be Hoping To End The Season Strongly

At the time of writing, Smith has had 12 winners so far this season. She will be keen to add to that tally by the time the 2020/21 campaign comes to a conclusion at the end of April.

Smith has 50 horses in her stable in Bingley in West Yorkshire. Many of them can be seen at northern courses such as Newcastle, Catterick, Carlisle, Doncaster and Wetherby.

One of the leading horses in her yard at the moment is Midnight Shadow. The eight-year-old is rated at 149 over fences which means he can enter some quality races. He won a Grade Two contest at Cheltenham in 2020.

Midnight Shadow may be seen at the Grand National Meeting this year. He has appeared over hurdles and fences this season. The gelding has won just short of £200,000 in prize money already and there may be more big-race glory for him in the future.

Hopefully, Smith ends the season well and continues to get the better of some of the biggest names in her sport.

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