'There wasn't a lot of cash left that day!' - tributes paid to Silver Streak

Evan Williams is determined to "kick on for the future" after the death of Grade 1-winning hurdler Silver Streak, the second hammer blow for his Vale of Glamorgan yard in a fortnight.

His stable is in mourning for the grey, who was bought for just £25,000 by North Yorkshire beef farmer Les Fell in 2016 and earned more than £400,000 through a hugely successful five years.

Silver Streak suffered a fatal injury during a routine canter on Friday and his trainer said: "It was a very tough one to take. Nobody takes it well, but everybody is well aware of the game and we just think of the brilliant days we had with him and we remember them.

"We lost a devil of a good horse a couple of weeks ago in Star Gate and that was a hard pill to swallow, then there's this one on top. The most difficult part is seeing how upset the boys and girls in the yard get when something like this happens.

"But that was yesterday. We've got fond memories and we're very very proud with what we've done with him. He was a great friend to us all, but whenever you lose a great friend the best way to deal with it is to get up the next day and kick on for the future."

Silver Streak with his owner Les FellCredit: Les Fell/ROA

Silver Streak gained the biggest of eight wins for Williams in the Grade 1 Christmas Hurdle at Kempton last December.

He won the Swinton Hurdle at Haydock and Welsh Champion Hurdle at Ffos Las in a meteoric rise during which he went up 67lb in the BHA ratings at his height.

Silver Streak started on a mark of 96 in a 0-100 handicap hurdle at Taunton, at a time when Grade 1 races were the last thing on anyone's mind.

"We just wanted to win a little race," Williams said of expectations at the time he was bought. "We were trying to find a horse to have a bit of fun with. And he exceeded all expectations; we've been very lucky.

"That first time we ran him, it's fair to say there's never been a bigger certainty in a 0-100 round Taunton. There wasn't a lot of cash left there that day, I can tell you!"

From the archives

Silver Streak: the grey warrior who had an unconventional route to the top

Silver Streak first made his mark in top company when finishing third behind Espoir D'Allen at 80-1 in the Champion Hurdle in 2019.

"That was tremendous because I really didn't expect it," Williams recalled. "I thought he was a handicapper. It wasn't until then that we started to train him like a Graded horse.

"And I was so pleased to get his Grade 1 in the Christmas Hurdle last year. He'd run so many good races in defeat and I was delighted from a professional angle. He deserved a Grade 1 and I'm so proud that we managed to do the best for him.

"He was a wonderful character. He was a grumpy old so and so at times but when he was in his work routine he thrived on it."

'When you see all the messages you realise how many people he's touched'

Williams has been taken aback by the reaction to Silver Streak's death, with numerous tributes posted on social media, and he said: "You don't realise how much of an effect he had on other people; that's one thing we've found out."

Adam Wedge, who partnered Silver Streak 14 times, paid tribute on social media. "Thank you for some fantastic memories that I will never forget," he wrote.

Speaking at Ascot on Saturday, Wedge said: "It's an honour to have been able to ride a horse like Silver Streak. You build a bond with these horses when you're going out there and riding in such good races. He was very special to me, everyone who was involved with him at home, his owners and Evan. He was just a very special horse.

"He was a fantastic character. He'd do anything you asked of him and he'd do it with real enthusiasm. He'd take everything in and do it with a spring in his step. He was an icon and when you see all the messages you realise how many people he's touched."

Read more:

Silver Streak gains deserved Grade 1 win in Christmas Hurdle as Epatante falters

Silver Streak: the grey warrior who had an unconventional route to the top

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