Champion Bumper outsider to fulfil son's promise to his late father to have a Cheltenham Festival runner

A son will fulfil a promise made to his late father at this year’s Cheltenham Festival when Captain Cody contests the Grade 1 Weatherbys Champion Bumper on Wednesday.

Despite being a successful owner, publican and hotelier Charles Caldwell was never able to fulfil his ambition of having a runner in his colours at the Cheltenham Festival, a meeting that had been close to his heart through his association with the legendary Cheltenham Gold Cup-winning trainer Mick O’Toole.

However, Caldwell’s colours have returned to racing in recent years having passed to his son Vincent, a betting industry entrepreneur, with Captain Cody set to carry the silks in the closing race on day two of this year’s festival. 

“In the last two years of his life, I said to him that we would do whatever we could to make sure his colours were carried at Cheltenham one day and it’s going to be special for us all to see that happen,” Caldwell said on Monday. “Dad had Alzheimer's and everybody said it was the only time he would smile at the end was when we would talk about Cheltenham and his colours being there.”

Willie Mullins: trainer of Captain CodyCredit: Patrick McCann

While Charles Caldwell never had a Cheltenham runner, he was successful as an owner at the 1977 Grand National meeting when Samuel Pepys landed what would later become the Mersey Novices’ Hurdle.

Vincent Caldwell believes Captain Cody will be seen at his best in years to come – a view also held by his trainer Willie Mullins – albeit the horse is not the outsider his odds would imply.

“I don’t think he’s the worst of Willie's runners,” Caldwell said. “He certainly shouldn’t be 80-1 and he looks as good a horse as Chapeau De Soleil and he’s only 12-1. 

“It will be fulfilling a promise made to our dad to have his colours there and I know it’s going to be a wonderful day. I said to Willie it would be wonderful if he was able to come back for a few years and Willie said he was pretty sure that would be the case.

“We could have gone for another small bumper and put him away, but we just wanted to do this for dad.”

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