'He was a personal friend' - Sherwood relishing chance to finally toast vet

Grand National-winning trainer Oliver Sherwood will take a short break from the day job when he goes to Sandown on Friday to celebrate the life of longtime friend and vet Paul Ferguson, who has had a race named in his honour.

Ferguson, who died at the age of 62 after a heart attack in May last year, was a director of the Valley Equine Hospital and a well-known figure in the sport.

He also worked at Kempton and Sandown, which hosts the Paul Ferguson Memorial EBF Maiden Stakes on Friday.

Sandown entries

The contest, a five-furlong event for juveniles, is not one Sherwood, who famously won the Grand National with Many Clouds in 2015, has anything for, but he is relishing the opportunity to toast his close pal.

"Paul had been my vet virtually since I started training in 1984," he said. "Sandown have jumped in with this race because when he died there was nothing because of Covid, so the track has very kindly given a box for friends and family of Paul's to celebrate his life.

"I'll be there, and he wasn't just a vet – he was a personal friend. A lot of people in and around Lambourn knew him and it will be nice to see his family and commemorate him."

Sherwood, who switched yards from Rhonehurst to Neardown Stables over the summer, added: "We had many great times and he was obviously around in the Many Clouds era, and prior to that as well. He also worked in Newmarket and Australia, so plenty of people knew him."

The entries for the race include Deodar, an unraced Ralph Beckett-trained gelding from a typically good Juddmonte family, and True Icon, who cost 130,000gns as a yearling last year and was eighth on her debut at York on Sunday.

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