Step Back in time as the Bradstocks take season's last major prize with new star

Mark and Sara Bradstock operate with only 20 horses but continue to stay in the game through game stayers and their latest, Step Back, delivered a pillar-to-post victory in the last major prize of the jumps campaign, 60 years after a famous family triumph.

Through the Oaksey Chase there is a permanent reminder of the achievements of Lord Oaksey, late father of Sara Bradstock, who as amateur Mr John Lawrence rode Taxidermist to victory in the second running of the Whitbread Gold Cup in 1958.

Together the Bradstocks have won a Cheltenham Gold Cup with Coneygree and the Hennessy Gold Cup with Carruthers, and now they have the Grand National in their sights after Step Back routed a 20-runner field to beat Rock The Kasbah and Present Man by 13 lengths and 27 lengths.

"We knew he was in really good nick, but I was really worried about the ground," said Sara Bradstock. "He's the most lovely horse and he just jumps and gallops forever.

"His owner [Jamie McCloud] is very much a man who wants to be at the Grade 1 meetings. He's another horse we bought reasonably who's done that job. He's taxed us and the vets, farriers, everybody, but he's a star."

Step Back was a fifth winner of a campaign in which the stable has been without Coneygree, the 2015 Gold Cup hero who has run only five times since his festival triumph.

"We've got no bloody horses, that's the trouble," said Bradstock. "We've proved again and again we can do it if you give us the horses. We've got 20 horses and five or six are young, so we have very little to run.

"Coneygree is going to have one more go. His engine is probably a little bit big for his chassis but he's as good as ever. He can win another Gold Cup.

"Step Back will be aimed at the National next year. The handicapper might murder us for that but we hope he's not too mean.

"It's lovely to win this because Sandown have been so kind and put a race on in Dad's name, when Cheltenham didn't, which I'm very grateful to them for, and Dad loved this race. He wouldn't quite have liked winning that way, he liked them coming flying up from the back."

Jamie Moore in the winner's circle with the victorious Step BackCredit: Mark Cranham

Jockey Jamie Moore described the victory as "a piece of cake" but success was tinged by sadness at the earlier loss of Ar Mad, trained by father Gary, after a fall in the Celebration Chase in which brother Josh was injured.

"Step Back jumped very well, he was very fit and the unexposed horse in the race, and a joy to ride," he said.

"The Bradstocks won a Gold Cup with a novice chaser and when they're happy they know exactly what they've got. I just had to steer him.

"It was brilliant to win but I was pretty down in the dumps because of what happened to Ar Mad, and Josh busted his shoulder again. He's had so many shoulder injuries and it was killing me, because we're very close.

"As soon as he hit the floor it looked as though Ar Mad was in trouble and Josh was in trouble. He loved Ar Mad to pieces and his girlfriend Phoebe looked after him, so it's not nice.

"It's nice for me to win the race but today has been a bit of a downer really."

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