Cheltenham Festival: Paddy Brennan recalls famous victories on Imperial Commander, Inglis Drever and more | Racing Newsnews24

One of the highlights for me this Jumps season has been chatting about the campaign with former top rider Paddy Brennan every Wednesday on Unbridled, At The Races’s digital show.

Paddy quit the saddle last April, having ridden more than 1500 winners in a near 20-year career. His big-race successes included the King George VI Chase at Kempton on Cue Card and six Cheltenham Festival winners.

Now that we are once again on the verge of the Gloucestershire four-day party, I thought it was the perfect opportunity to go down memory lane with Paddy and look back at his famous Cheltenham victories which include the biggest prize of them all, the Gold Cup.

As for most jockeys, Prestbury Park was a unique place for Paddy.

“Getting a ride at Cheltenham was massive, but winning there was everything,” he told me.

“It’s special. There is no feeling like it in the world. To win there is relief. There are so many jockeys that never got that opportunity, to name a couple like Leighton Aspell and Paul Moloney never got that. They were top jockeys, but it’s so hard to win there.”

It was in 2006 that Paddy first hit the Cheltenham jackpot, thanks to Shamayoun in the Fred Winter Juvenile Novices’ Handicap Hurdle.

Not many horses warm up for Cheltenham success at Southwell having been pulled up previously at Hereford, but that is what Shamayoun did for Charlie Egerton.

Shamayoun, ridden by Sam Thomas, won a little novices’ hurdle at Southwell when with blinkers on first time when still a colt as an offspring of the great Kahyasi.

He went to Cheltenham as a 40-1 poke under Brennan, but the headgear worked again, and he came clear by nearly three lengths.

“When I rode Shamayoun and won on him – my first Cheltenham winner – I just thought I was the best jockey in the world,” says Brennan.

“I had recently got the job with Charlie, and he had about 20 horses to ride. Shamayoun had the blinkers on and going to the start I remember thinking this horse wins nothing!

“So, I rousted him up at the start and was screaming in his ear for the first two hurdles. We went on to win and I owe him a lot.

“I made a bit of a clown out of myself at the line as I was really into celebrations!”

The following year Brennan was at it again, this time on Inglis Drever in the Grade 1 World Hurdle.

Inglis Drever defeated Mighty Man, with the favourite Black Jack Ketchum falling early on.

But talking to Paddy, you soon find out this was no day of joy.

“What a horse Inglis Drever was. I remember when I got the job riding for Howard Johnson. His horses used to gallop through a field with a gateway, and we were out one day and this horse flew past. I asked the staff what that was, and they said Inglis Drever.

“Graham Lee had won on him in the past, and I have to say I didn’t get much enjoyment out of winning on him. I was on the edge with him – my job was on the edge and if the truth be known Howard Johnson didn’t really want me to ride him.

“He was a hard ride. That day he was never going and he nearly fell at the first down the back. But he would hear the crowd at the top of the hill and take off. He was a freak.

“I’d love to have that day again. The pressures of the job ruined the enjoyment for me.”

In 2008, Paddy banged in the Pertemps Final aboard Ballyfitz. The horse retired four years later at the age of 12 following a terrific fourth in the Scottish National.

Ballyfitz went into Cheltenham in great form, having previously scored well in a handicap at Haydock. He stayed on powerfully up the run in for trainer Nigel Twiston-Davies.

“In those days you could win the Pertemps with not much in hand,” Paddy remembers. “He was a straightforward horse, but he stayed very well. The rain that day slowed everything down even though the going was officially only good to soft.”

It was in 2009 that Brennan’s Gold Cup hero Imperial Commander started to really show what he can do, landing the Grade 1 Ryanair Chase. He’d already shown a liking for Cheltenham and had been far from disgraced in a Ballymore over hurdles.

“Voy Por Ustedes was a warm favourite (4-5) and it was goodish ground that day so it was sharp enough for Imperial Commander,” says Brennan. “I was always in top gear, and we couldn’t miss a beat. He stayed on gamely and I knew he wanted a step up in trip.”

Imperial Commander got that in the Cheltenham Gold Cup the following year.

“Imperial Commander winning the Gold Cup was the greatest day in my riding career, but closely matched by Cue Card landing the King George,” admits Paddy.

“It was a weird day. One I will never forget. I remember hitting the line in total relief. I hadn’t had a winner all week and then I’d won the Gold Cup.

“I think if I had ever done it again, I’d have appreciated it even more. But it was so special.

“There was no pressure for me. Going into the race, everywhere you went there were posters of Kauto Star and Denman. But I knew I had a chance, and everything went well on the day.

“Imperial Commander was powerful. A monster of a horse. He was very hard to train – Nigel Twiston-Davies did a great job with him – you couldn’t run him every other week as he put so much into a race, but he had everything.

“Recently they were saying you press ‘x’ to make Galopin Des Champs jump and that was what Imperial Commander was like over a fence. You couldn’t put him on the ground.

“As I passed the post I put my finger up to my mouth as a sign of silence. I had that planned. It was all about two horses. I won it.”

That same day, Brennan doubled up with an old favourite in Pigeon Island, who took the Grand Annual.

“Pigeon Island was like a human,” says Paddy with a smile. “He was a people’s horse at the lower end – he never got to the very top as a horse, but he was special.

He was grey, a bit different and very small. He had a will to win, but he was a little ungenuine, almost ‘piggy’. He would save a bit. I thought he was nearly human. I don’t think he would have won at Cheltenham if Imperial Commander hadn’t won on the same day.

“I went out there and gave him pretty much zero, no ride, but they all went too fast, and we flew home and won.”

Six Festival winners Paddy will never forget. “I wish there were 15 more to chat about,” he adds. “I could speak all day about them.”

So could we Paddy, so could we.