'He could be a Gold Cup horse' - Shark Hanlon eyes Cheltenham bid with Hewick

Shark Hanlon believes Hewick could develop into a Cheltenham Gold Cup contender after winning Wednesday's Galway Plate.

Hanlon hailed the seven-year-old's success in Galway's feature chase as "by far the best" winner of his career and is potentially eyeing a tilt at one of jump racing's biggest prizes this season.

Hewick, who won the Plate off a mark of 155 and bagged the bet365 Gold Cup at Sandown in April, will likely head to the Kerry National next before Hanlon looks towards a possible trip to Cheltenham in March.

"He could be a Gold Cup horse, it might just suit him," said Hanlon. "When you have a good horse you need to try and mind them. He's not overly big, so the National fences might not suit him just yet, but he's only seven so he could still go for a National in time perhaps.

"We got Wednesday out of the way and we'll take anything that goes after that."

Hanlon has a Grade 1 win, a bet365 Gold Cup and a Kerry National on his CV, but says Hewick's Plate triumph was special and by far the best winner of his career.

"It was a special day and I don't think I'll ever have a better one. It was just a dream come true," he said.

Trainer Shark Hanlon and jockey Jordan Gainford celebrate Hewick's Galway Plate winCredit: Patrick McCann (racingpost.com/photos)

"It's by far the best winner I've had. I've been going to Galway since I was 14 and it's the race of the week. It's now one of the biggest races of the year in Ireland and there are not too many of these special races around.

"For everyone, the yard, to have my mother and father there, the owner who has been very good to me since I started, everything just came together."

Galway was not the end of Hanlon's duties for the week. After a night of celebration on Wednesday, the trainer embarked on a trip with his son Paddy to Scotland for the pony racing fixture in Langholm.

He rode two winners and a second before the pair came home at 6am on Saturday morning to head back up the M6 to Galway.

On the week at Galway, topped up by Hallowed Star's win in the €110,000 BoyleSports Handicap Hurdle on Saturday, Hanlon added: "It's been a great week for small trainers and it's what racing is all about.

"It's a special festival. I don't usually get emotional but I got fairly emotional on Wednesday. That's what Galway does to you I suppose."

Picked up for just €850, Hewick is destined for Listowel next on his amazing journey and it is not just Hanlon who is getting excited.

He added: "My father is 86 and my mother is 80, and he turned to her in Galway on Wednesday night and said 'you may get booking Listowel, we're going for the Kerry National'. It's great that they're getting such a kick out of it too.

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