'What a feeling!' - joyous Gary Bardwell wins Leger Legends at tenth attempt

The man known throughout his riding career as the 'Angry Ant' will be angry no longer after Gary Bardwell ended his long losing run in the Mondialiste Leger Legends Classified Stakes with a popular victory.

Bardwell rode back to the winner's enclosure aboard Natural Colour with his left arm aloft in triumph having galvanised the Godolphin three-year-old to a short-head defeat of the Robert Winston-ridden Shining Aitch.

Leger Legends Stakes: full result

The 53-year-old former dual champion apprentice retired in 2003 and competed in the very first Leger Legends 11 years ago, finishing well down the field, an experience that became familiar in subsequent runnings.

This time, however, Bardwell refused to accept defeat and landed the St Leger festival's opening day feature, run in aid of the Injured Jockeys Fund's Jack Berry House in Malton and Doncaster's very own National Horseracing College.

Charlie Poste took third on Coverham, with Barry Geraghty and Richard Johnson back in sixth and seventh.

"I'm over the moon, lost for words," said Bardwell, who told Luke Harvey on Sky Sports Racing it had taken him eight years to win the race. It was actually a bit longer, for after taking a break in 2011 Bardwell subsequently added to his debut 11th by going past the post in, 12th, tenth, 13th, 14th, seventh, tenth, sixth and 13th.

Natural Colour and Gary Bardwell (blue) beats Shining Aitch to land the Leger Legends race by a short-headCredit: Alan Crowhurst

"As we hit the line I thought I was beat, so when they called my number, what a feeling!" he added.

"I've got all my family here today - my wife, my brothers, my kids and my grandkids - so it's a special day.

"This is probably the first year I've really got fit for it. I've been training hard for six weeks in the gym, running every night, no drink and no sex. Today I didn't have one drink at lunch and nothing to eat, just a bit of toast this morning, because I knew she would give me everything and I had to be ready for her."

Summing up his elation, Bardwell - who when slightly younger won two Chester Cups, a Royal Hunt Cup and Ayr Gold Cup - said: "I would love to come back. This is up with all my big winners."

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