Bargain buy Benson does the business to land £100,000 Morebattle Hurdle

When your pubs are struggling in times of Covid and cost-of-living misery, what do you do? Why not buy a horse and make a fortune?

That may sound more like something out of a fairytale than an investment strategy Lord Sugar would recommend but it paid off gloriously for Dundee-based Jimmy Fyffe and Scott Townshend.

The £7,000 they forked out for Benson in the Doncaster sales ring in May last year was repaid many times over after the eight-year-old landed the £100,000 Morebattle Hurdle.

They are now in line for a £100,000 bonus if the horse can follow up in either the Coral Cup or the Martin Pipe Conditional Jockeys' Handicap Hurdle at Cheltenham.

However, a businessman is only as good as his staff and the pair were quick to pay tribute to trainer Sandy Thomson, who has made his name by bringing cast-offs back to their best, while jockey Ryan Mania did just as well to overcome a slow start and secure a first win for Scotland in the race since 2007.

"We got a bad start, we got murdered everywhere and we just weren't quick enough to go early," Mania said. "I was pushing from a fair way out but luckily it turned into a stamina test and he's got plenty of that.

"Coming into the last I thought he was going to win. He had the wind in his sails and he was very good," added the jockey, who is set to miss the last day of the Cheltenham Festival after being handed an eight-day ban by the whip review committee on Friday.

"I thought Ryan had left it late," Thomson admitted. "He was off the bit most of the way but they all just stopped in front. It's brilliant.

"I'm delighted for Scott and Jimmy, they paid £7,000 for this horse and he's now won them £100,000. Scott bought him. I was standing beside him and thought 'what have you bought this for?' But he beat Bravemansgame in a bumper and had some good form. Fair dues to Scott, he found him."

Benson: will head to Cheltenham next in search of a £100,000 bonusCredit: John Grossick (racingpost.com/photos)

Explaining his purchase, Townshend said: "He had very good back form. He had a few wind issues but seems to have thrived since he came to Sandy. He looks amazing now and he didn't look like that when we paid £7,000 for him – Sandy is very good at bringing these horses back and reviving them.

"This is amazing. We're from Dundee and we have quite a few horses in training, including Hill Sixteen who's going for the National. We run pubs, so it's been a tough couple of years with Covid and this has made it all worthwhile."

Cheltenham is already on the mind for Thomson, whose biggest wins have mainly come with staying chasers.

"I think Ryan's given him such a great ride there I think it's hard not to run Benson in the Coral Cup and let him ride him again," he said. "He's not the easiest. This is absolutely brilliant, we're not used to two-mile hurdlers."

Colonel Mustard was beaten just two lengths by the winner under 12st, less Kieren Buckley's 3lb claim, and trainer Lorna Fowler said: "That's really frustrating! He's run a brilliant race under top weight and just didn't win."

Heavily backed 100-30 favourite Teddy Blue could manage only sixth place while ante-post market leader Mctigue, who drifted out to 13-2 at the off, was last of 13 finishers.

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