Meet the trainer having his first ever runner - at the Cheltenham Festival!

The Cheltenham Festival is some place for a trainer to saddle their first runner, and that is what Ollie Pimlott will do on Friday when he jumps straight in at the deep end with miracle horse Duhallow Tornado in the St James's Place Foxhunter Chase.

A son of former jump jockey Chris Pimlott, the 30-year-old has taken over the licence from his father at the family's base in Scrayingham near York, just in time for the biggest week of the jumps season.

"I'm excited about having my first runner under rules at the Cheltenham Festival," he said. "I've been training the pointers for the last few years but they've been running in my dad's name. I'm looking to get my own licence proper in the next couple of months, so I've got to prove I can train winners."

Duhallow Tornado, who is part-owned by Qatar Racing supremo Sheikh Fahad Al Thani, suffered a bad tendon injury at Cheltenham in May 2018 before making a remarkable comeback last month to win on his first start in 652 days in a point-to-point at Brocklesby Park.

Duhallow Tornado (number eight) winning a point-to-point at Lisronagh in 2017Credit: Healy Racing

"The vets said we should euthanise him after the intermediate final at Cheltenham, but fortunately the owners said they'd give him time and see how he went," said Pimlott.

"It was like winning the Gold Cup at Brocklesy Park after how long he had been off. He's a very good horse and to win after all that time was fantastic. Apart from when he picked up the injury at Cheltenham, he's won his other five races for us."

Regarding the prospects of a fairytale start, Pimlott added: "We'd have liked to have seen a bit more rain. I thought he'd have a great each-way chance if the ground was soft or heavy."

Pimlott is assistant to trainer Tim Fitzgerald and should the unthinkable happen there will not be much time to celebrate as he is heading on to Southwell's all-weather fixture in the evening with the yard's Love Your Work bidding for a hat-trick in the mile handicap.

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