Stan Sheppard has Champion mission after Betfair Hurdle win adds to dream season

Matching his best total of winners for a season has looked a formality for weeks but there was no disguising the pleasure Stan Sheppard gained from getting to the landmark aboard Glory And Fortune and snaring the richest prize of his career in Saturday's Betfair Hurdle.

And that is saying something given he landed the Welsh Grand National on Iwilldoit just six weeks ago.

Now Sheppard can look forward to a first ride in one of the Cheltenham Festival's marquee races as trainer Tom Lacey has Glory And Fortune aimed squarely at the Unibet Champion Hurdle.

"Since he’s had his wind done he has a bit more faith in himself and I was confident he'd keep galloping all the way to the line, he was very good," said Sheppard on Sunday, 24 hours on from the pair's Newbury triumph.

"After he had his wind done [last March] I think it probably took him a run or two to figure out it wasn't going to catch him out and he's done nothing but improve throughout the season."

Glory And Fortune and Sheppard have seen their stars rise in tandem this winter, having struck an initial blow when winning the Welsh Champion Hurdle at Ffos Las off an official mark of 134.

Having been asked to carry big weights at Cheltenham and Newbury, Glory And Fortune then outran his 28-1 starting price when chasing home Epatante in the Christmas Hurdle, finishing ahead of Soaring Glory, Tritonic and Not So Sleepy.

Glory And Fortune (noseband) and Stan Sheppard on their way to Betfair Hurdle successCredit: Edward Whitaker

"I'm very lucky I’ve been getting lots of opportunities and some good ones as well," said Sheppard. "I didn't know what to make of the race at Kempton.

"I thought perhaps it had come a bit quick for Epatante and Not So Sleepy after Newcastle. But judging by the reaction, everyone was really happy with Epatante, so in my mind I thought we had around 10lb in hand on Saturday.

"He was very good and I felt he only had to run like he did at Kempton to win."

Sheppard added: "I don't know what he’ll go up for Saturday but if he’d jumped the last I think he’d probably have won easier. He probably won't win [the Champion Hurdle] but he might and he's certainly entitled to be there."

Sheppard's link with Lacey has been a major factor in his improving fortunes and the 24-year-old also points to momentum carried over from a good summer campaign in helping him to reach his 2016-17 total of 29 winners with two and a half months left in the season.

He said: "By my standards I had quite a good summer. The earlier you get going the more you're able to relax as the season goes on.

"I was on ten or 12 going into October and that was my 29th winner on Saturday. We're only in the middle of February, so we'll keep on kicking, that’s for sure.

"To get the most winners I've ever ridden, including a Welsh National, a Betfair Hurdle, a Grade 2 and a Listed race, I can't really complain too much."

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