Owner Mike Newbould reflects on weekend to savour at Cheltenham

Though no stranger to seeing their silks carried to glory, success at Cheltenham had previously eluded the husband and wife team up until Third Time Lucki’s debut victory over fences on the opening day of last month’s Showcase meeting.

While that victory for the Dan Skelton-trained six-year-old was undoubtedly a moment to savour, what was to follow last weekend at the November Meeting was arguably the stuff of dreams for the North Yorkshire-based couple.

Having watched Third Time Lucki maintain his unbeaten record over fences on Saturday in the Grade Two From The Horse's Mouth Podcast Novices' Chase, stablemate West Cork then defied a 631 day absence to land the Grade Three Unibet Greatwood Handicap Hurdle 24 hours later.

Although the racing world has moved on since both victories, Mike admits that he and Eileen are still very much on cloud nine following what he described as a “pretty special” weekend at the home of jumps racing.

Newbould said: “We’ve owned racehorses for 33 or 34 years but we’ve mainly pottered around the Northern circuit and we have been reasonably successful up there. We had taken a few down to Cheltenham without any luck and I ran a really nice filly called High Ransom in the Triumph Hurdle but I shouldn’t have run her as the ground went against her.

“As we made the effort to go down we ran her and she was doing the best at the finish, but didn’t get placed. That first victory at Cheltenham was just absolutely unbelievable but we did go down there quite bullish about Third Time Lucki as we knew he was a nice horse.

“It is like anything else, until they get past that winning post at Cheltenham you haven’t got a Cheltenham winner but he didn’t ever look like getting beat. I’ve loved Cheltenham all my racing life and it is where everyone wants to be in my opinion.

“We would be lucky to get close to a weekend like the one we have just had though as it doesn’t happen very often. To have two winners at Cheltenham in a weekend has got to be pretty special.”

While the grandfather of 11 may have spent the best part of his career working for the York Mailing Group he has possessed an affection for horses from a young age.

He added: “My grandfather had Shire horses back in the day and I think the horsey gene must have been passed down to me as my two brothers didn’t get it but I got it. My dad was always horseracing mad and he used to take me as a youngster to the likes of Ripon, Thirsk and York so I’ve always had an interest.

“I used to live in Middleham and right now I’m right on the edge of the North Yorkshire moors but I’ve got Malton just down the road. I’ve always lived amongst the racing fraternity and I just love the game.”

Big-race winners need expert handling and Mike believes that in Alcester handler Skelton they have their horses in the perfect place to reach their full potential.

He added: “We decided to have a crack with Dan about five years ago. I said to Eileen if we are going to do this now we are going to do it properly

“The first horse we had there was Captain Chaos, who is still around, he had a bad injury after a fall at Wetherby. Dan and the team nursed him back and he since has won the Grimthorpe and he won the Swinley at Ascot last season.

“I like to support young trainers having been with the likes of Rebecca Menzies and I looked at Dan and I looked at Harry Fry. They had both been assistants at Paul Nicholls but I thought Nick (Skelton) and Harry (Skeleton) were in the yard and I have to be honest - you can’t have a horse in a better place.

“I’ve been around a lot of good Flat yards but the Skelton yard is second to none and they make you feel part of the team. That is what they are good at doing.”

A second victory over fences for Third Time Lucki may have been expected, however the comeback success of West Cork was a pleasant surprise, and one that may not have materialised had he taken the route Mike anticipated.

He added: “We’ve always loved West Cork. They all come back home to me and we get to know them. Last season was going to be our big one with West Cork as we were going to go straight over fences but he got a nick on one of his legs coming off the horse box.

“He had to go the Newmarket Equine Hospital to have it washed out as while it was quite innocuous if it went the wrong way we would have been in trouble.

“When Dan rang me and said Harry wants to run him in the Greatwood I said ‘Have you gone mad as I thought we were going chasing?’

“They had done two pieces of work with him and they had run him upsides Nube Negra and Protektorat.

“Nick (Skelton) spoke me a couple of weeks before at Aintree when we ran Wilde About Oscar. He said before we talk about him, this West Cork is absolutely flying. They knew the horse was near on right but it is like Dan said until you get them on a racecourse you don’t know. He is a nice horse and he will come on for that. I don’t think that will be his last run at Cheltenham.”

Having taking The November Meeting by storm Mike hopes that it will be a case of more of the same at the track next month when Wilde About Oscar bids to secure Grade Two glory in the Unibet International Hurdle.

He added: “We’ve still got Wilde About Oscar who was my best horse last year. He ran well first time out at Aintree but didn’t get home. I think Dan is going to run him in the International back at Cheltenham.

“He ran over two and a half at Liverpool and we should have finished second but the last 100 yards he just stopped. The International is perfect is two miles one and it is up the hill at Cheltenham.

“What I could do with for him is a bit of rain as he won that Listed race on heavy ground. He beat The Glancing Queen of Alan King’s and we beat Oscar Elite who was placed at both Cheltenham and Aintree.

“He is a lovely horse but he is different to Third Time Lucki who is flashy and knows he is special. This lad is a tough little fellow.”

Before the Newboulds turn their attention to next year’s Cheltenham Festival the couple will have the small matter of celebrating their 52nd wedding anniversary in February.

Having raised two sons in that time along with making plenty of memories, Mike still remembers the first time they met at a jazz club in Newcastle in front of a singer who unbeknown to them would go on to achieve chart-topping success.

He added: “We met in the New Orleans Jazz Club in Newcastle which predominantly had jazz bands on but every week they used to have a guest band and they were often blues type bands.

“This night Mark Knopfler, who went on to form Dire Straits, played and he was booed off stage. He was terrible. His guitar playing was brilliant but the singing wasn’t great.

“From there it went slowly between us as at that stage I was living in Yorkshire and Eileen was up in Newcastle which was about an hour and a half drive but we soon built our relationship.”

Back on the racetrack all that is missing from the CV of the couple is a Grade One success, something Third Time Lucki has put himself in pole position to try and claim after announcing himself as a leading contender for the Sporting Life Arkle Novices’ Chase in March.

Mike added: “What we are after now is that Grade One. Dan has said we have set down the marker in the Arkle and they have now got to aim at our standard.

“Everyone has been saying wait until the Irish come over at The Festival as you will have no chance. I don’t subscribe to that thinking. I think as Third Time Lucki jumps so well he could pinch a couple of lengths out them at the jumps and you only have to look at his mid race speed is a lot quicker than Appreciate It (this year’s Supreme Novices’ Hurdle winner).

“I’ve had a couple of breeders ring me in Ireland and they have said we can’t see anything that has the mid-race speed Third Time Lucki has got. I think Appreciate It will give us a proper race and I’m sure there will be another one as the Irish always have one covered up.

“Dan said last year I will pick up a Grade One with all three of those so hopefully he can do just that.”

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