'I've got to protect him' - Chris Gordon and son Freddie combine with Kayf Legend after colic scare

The father-and-son combination of Chris and Freddie Gordon have experienced the highs and lows of the sport of late, but Kayf Legend improved their excellent recent records with a gallant success in the 2m novice hurdle.  

The win took Gordon snr's record to eight winners from his last 19 runners, while for son Freddie it was a fourth winner from his last five rides, including an ITV success with Annual Invictus on Saturday.

The trainer went on to snare the feature Betfair Hurdle on the same day with the Nick Scholfield-ridden Aucunrisque, whom he revealed yesterday was among several of his string laid low by colic, while he is still mulling over a scary fall suffered by his son earlier this month.

"It was only a week or so ago there was that amazing picture of Sami Bear unseating Freddie at Wincanton, with the horse's hooves right next to his head and his body breaking the hurdle apart," he said.

"It's amazing, you nurture them along for 16 years, protecting them from everything, and then you send them out on course – pictures like that make you feel ill as a parent."

Thankfully the 7lb-claiming amateur enjoyed better luck aboard Kayf Legend, who responded willingly to all his urgings, prompting his father to compare him to one of his stable's more accomplished jockeys.

"Kayf Legend hung with him to the left, which is a learning curve for him. I thought he was beaten at the second-last but he got him going again," the trainer said.

"Tom Cannon rode his first winner at 18 and I think they'll probably be very similar riders."

He added: "It's going great at the moment, but I've got to protect him and I want him to keep his amateur status to the end of the season and then [he can] make some money as a conditional next season."

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