Gallant loser Buywise who the public have taken to their hearts

In the second of a week-long feature focused on the old favourites in the frame for Saturday's veterans' chase final at Sandown, trainer Evan Williams tell us about the 11-year-old Buywise...

What sort of character is he?

He’s just a very nice horse to have around. He’s calm and cool – you wouldn’t know he’s there most of the time. He doesn’t have a nickname but is very much a favourite with everyone in the yard.

Why is he such a favourite with jumps fans?

British people have always loved a gallant loser. You see it in all sports. Buywise always tries his hardest but usually doesn’t prove good enough as the handicapper always seems to have his measure. Many of his best performances have come in the big-race spotlight at Cheltenham and Aintree, so plenty of people follow him. He did win a Grade 2 at Cheltenham when he was seven and began life in handicaps off 102. I don’t think he has under-achieved in his career, despite him not having won a race since February 2015. In fact, he has over-achieved by getting to where he has.

How do you rate his chances on Saturday?

His last two runs at Bangor and Chepstow have been moderate, and I don’t think he is anywhere near as good as he once was. I couldn’t be confident about his chances. I am just hoping the ground will be sticky and horrible at Sandown, and they will stop in front up the hill. He can go hunting for most of the race, and then try to pick them up. Let’s hope this drop into veterans’ company does the trick. He may have lost his pace at the age of 11, but we still love him.

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