Hoarse owner can hardly believe it as 36-year wait for a win comes to an end

He had waited 36 years for it to happen, but when it did it was every bit as wonderful as he had hoped. At long last – in fact, at very long last – Cliff Underwood has owned a winner under Rules.

Although Underwood had seen his colours carried to victory point-to-pointing, he had been waiting for what must have felt an eternity to break a bigger duck.

Thankfully, on Monday, he was at Market Rasen where The Blue Bomber, a horse he shares with trainer Caroline Fryer, bagged the track's 2m½f handicap hurdle.