'The horse is named well' - 85-year-old John Kiely trains A Dream To Share to fairytale Champion Bumper win

Even the might of Willie Mullins could not stop a fairytale story being penned in the Champion Bumper which went the way of A Dream To Share, who was partnered by teenage jockey John Gleeson, riding for octogenarian trainer John Kiely.

Mullins is usually the man to focus on in the race given his 12 victories, but he was out of luck despite fielding a whopping ten runners.

One of them was Fact To File, who had finished second to A Dream To Share at Leopardstown last month and could not reverse the form.

A Dream To Share wins the Champion Bumper from Fact To FileCredit: Edward Whitaker

Perhaps the easy ground meant the Flat-bred winner went off a 7-2 chance from his rival, who was the 16-5 favourite.

However, there was no doubting his superiority under 18-year-old Gleeson, whose parents Claire and Brian bred and owned A Dream To Share before his sale to JP McManus.

It was a 70th festival triumph for the well-known owner but a maiden one for the amateur jockey, who was having his first spin at the meeting.

Still at college, he was aboard the son of Muhaarar — the sire who was an electric sprinter for Charlie Hills — for veteran trainer Kiely, who — at the age of 85 — was getting off the festival mark.

A widely admired member of the Irish training ranks, Kiely — believed to be the oldest trainer to strike at the fixture — took over the licence from his father Matt in 1974.

Only in recent years has he stopped riding out and he said: "This is brilliant. As youngsters we'd never think we'd get to this hallowed spot. It's a real dream and the horse is named well. 

John Gleeson riding A Dream to Share celebrates winning the Champion BumperCredit: Michael Steele

"We treat every horse the same until they start to prove themselves and he seemed to do things easy, but I never asked him. I think there's more to come, so I hope he's a nice horse for JP."

Out of a Galileo mare, A Dream To Share is now unbeaten in four and the delighted Gleeson said: "I can't believe how smoothly it went. He did it so well and this is unreal. John has been so good to me and I'm very grateful Mr McManus let me keep the ride."

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