'He was at death's door' - Knight's buy recovers from twisted gut for debut win

Wednesday: Ludlow

Fortunedefortunata was at "death's door" with a twisted gut last autumn and underwent an operation few thought he would come through, but the five-year-old, hailed as a "fighter" by racing icon Henrietta Knight, completed his extraordinary recovery to deliver a heartwarming debut win.

The son of Soldier Of Fortune was bought by Knight for owner Mike Grech and he named the horse after his mother, who died a few years ago.

However, earlier in the season, Fortunedefortunata suffered a serious bout of colic and, when sent to nearby Donnington Vets, connections feared for his future. He was treated and beat the odds to come through an operation for a twisted gut before being nursed back to health and broken in by Knight and her team.

David Bridgwater's smaller operation was then chosen as the perfect place for him to be trained, and on Wednesday the 25-1 chance recorded an emotional debut win, quickening impressively after the last to defeat a field of more-experienced rivals in the 2m novice hurdle.

Knight said: "He had very bad colic last autumn and we thought we were going to lose him.

"Credit to Donnington Vets in Newbury, they were brilliant all the way through. They said that they didn't think he'd come through the operation. I said to people Galileo had two colic operations after he was racing and look what he did.

"He was at death's door, but this horse is a fighter. He's got a scar all down his tummy, but he came through the operation.

"This is very emotional for me and my staff who came to the races. They nursed him all the way through and sat up with him during the night when he came back from Donnington. They minded him and broke him in so it's been a great day."

This fixture is one that has served Knight well in the past. Impek won a 2m maiden hurdle on the card in 2001 and went on to win a Haldon Gold Cup and Peterborough Chase. And the legendary former trainer has high expectations for Fortunedefortunata.

"He could be anything," she said. "This was the first time he was on a racecourse, but he's gone and done that very professionally. He's always been a good jumper. I really think he could be anything, I rate him very highly.

"He's named after Grech's mother who was called Fortunata. She died six years ago and was absolutely the number-one person in his life, he adored her. He wanted to make sure she was never forgotten so he called the horse Fortunedefortunata."

The winner's success also stopped a whitewash on the card for favourites, with the other six races going to market leaders at odds of no bigger than 5-2.

Hot spell

Charlie Deutsch's flying form continued with his sole ride of the day, Galop De Chasse, successful in the 2m novice handicap chase.

That was the jockey's fifth winner from his last nine rides, a run that was kicked off by his Grade 1 breakthrough with L'Homme Presse in the Scilly Isles at Sandown on Saturday.

Results, replays and analysis

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