'I think we'll be able to hold on to them' - Tom Cooper excited for the future after stunning Cheltenham bumper double

One of the standout stories from Cheltenham's November meeting played out in the gathering gloom of the weekend cards.

While many were heading for the exits and the ITV cameras were getting packed away, small-scale trainer Tom Cooper celebrated two bumper winners from his only runners at the three-day fixture.

The victory of Celestial Tune in Saturday’s final race, the mares' bumper, brought Cooper back to the Cheltenham winner's enclosure for the first time since getting his second festival success in the 2009 Arkle Chase with Forpadydeplasterer. 

Confidence had been strong behind the four-year-old, who justified market support as the ready 9-4 favourite under Sean Bowen. 

But it was the success of Saint Clovis, in the meeting’s closing race on Sunday, that truly stunned the trainer as he won going away at 12-1 for Harry Cobden.

Saint Clovis: the second of two bumper wins at the November meeting for Tom CooperCredit: John Grossick Racing

“It was an unbelievable experience,” said Cooper, the father of former Gigginstown number one jockey Bryan. "The November meeting at Cheltenham is as good as you’ll get. I fancied the mare, but the second one was a real bonus. 

“We thought he would run well, but didn’t think he would win. He rode out on Saturday morning, and going down the chute, he was bucking and kicking. So he was probably a bit too fresh and ran free, so to keep going and win the way he did was unbelievable. 

“Celestial Tune is so laid-back and makes life so easy for herself. She has a beautiful attitude. We’ll have a think about next steps. We won’t commit to anything and take a little break now.”

The November meeting is a high-profile shop window for progressive bumper winners, yet the Tralee man believes his owners will not be swayed by any of the big-money offers certain to arrive.

“I don’t think so with the owners we have,” he said. “I think we’ll be able to hold onto them."

One might assume that winning a Grade 1 at the Cheltenham Festival with Forpadydeplasterer would have set Cooper on an upward trajectory – but the reality was very different.

“After that, it went very quiet,” he said. “The numbers were very small and I didn’t have the calibre of horse. It was very, very tough, but I stuck at it and kept tipping away."

Questioned whether the rise of the super stable has been the cause of the increased difficulty in getting numbers, Cooper left no lingering doubts.

“That’s it”, he said. “You can see the way it’s gone, but it’s a nice situation to be in now. We have nice horses to look forward to again, and fortunately I have a few others there that are nice quality.”

Read more:

'He's a two-miler who attacks - the engine is definitely there' - Supreme scorer Kopek Des Bordes electric on chasing debut 

'We made the big decision and we're going to stick to it now' - Lulamba cut to 3-1 for Arkle after winning debut over fences 

'He has edged round one of the proxy bout' - Keith Melrose weighs up the two big chasing debuts on Monday 

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