'It's a bit of a fairytale' - retired postman delivered dream win at Cheltenham

Wednesday: Cheltenham

When retirement beckoned for postman Roy Green he decided to realise a lifelong ambition to venture into racehorse ownership for the first time and, thanks to a marvellous season for Pull Again Green, it was far better than he imagined.

Green had owned a handful of pointers but was eager for the next step and purchased the Irish bumper winner for £35,000 with the belief he could win a few races.

Pull Again Green starting doing so within months and would far surpass the expectations of Green and wife Sally, along with co-owners Tony and Karen Exall, with particularly impressive novice hurdle victories at Newbury.

This day, however, would top the lot. He displayed plenty of class to strike convincingly in the 2m4½f novice hurdle, despite obvious greenness, and his owners now can not help but dream big.

Sally Green said: "My husband and I have always had pointers trained in East Anglia but when my husband retired as a postman he decided he wanted proper jumps horses so he could come racing again.

"He bought him from Newmarket when I wasn't there so it was all his fault if the horse didn't turn out to be very good, now I have to say he's been really great. I have to give Roy some credit.

Pull Again Green: decisive winner at CheltenhamCredit: John Grossick (racingpost.com/photos)

"He's been a surprise, we didn't expect to be going and winning at tracks like Newbury and Cheltenham. He's improved every time we've run him. It's always difficult to dream big but we may have to now. We're over the moon, it's a bit of a fairytale."

The Fergal O'Brien-trained Pull Again Green is likely to remain over hurdles next season and Paddy Brennan hailed a midseason break as the secret to his improvement since finishing a long way behind Hillcrest on New Year's Day.

"He’s very straightforward and I think the step up to three miles would bring about more improvement," the jockey said. "He’s benefited from brilliant placing. He had a January break for a month when he came to mine, which I think has been a big help.

"It just gets them out of that training regime, even if they’re not riding out there’s everything going on around them. When they go to a smaller yard everything just cools down. He’s a fresh horse and I think that’s what won him the race."

A woman's touch

Evan Williams revealed a change of rider was the main factor behind the change of fortune for Bold Plan, who completed a hat-trick in the 2m4f handicap hurdle.

His daughter Isabel, riding her first Cheltenham winner, took it up before the last to strike by two and a half lengths.

The trainer said: "A first winner at Cheltenham is always special. She just gets on with the horse, sometimes that can happen. That's all I can think of, he's always been talented but he'd definitely lost his way with the boys [riding him] and this was one last roll of the dice to try Isabel on him and luckily it clicked."

Feature winner

Stolen Silver stepped forward from his Cheltenham Festival fourth to win the feature Matt Hampson Foundation Silver Trophy for Sam Thomas. The Paddy Power Gold Cup could be an early target next season.

Results, replays and analysis

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