'He was a pocket rocket and an absolute joy to be associated with' - Ryan Hatch reflects on a hero he'll never forget

We all have our favourites on the track, but it's not always easy to follow what they get up to once their racing days are over. In a new Racing Post series, we catch up with former jockey Ryan Hatch . . .

Seven years have passed since Ryan Hatch was forced to retire from the saddle, but the memories of Blaklion will stay with him forever.

Hatch, who recently started a new training venture with former weighing-room colleague Dominic Elsworth, struck up a great rapport with Blaklion, winning the Towton Novices' Chase in 2016 en route to the Cheltenham Festival.

No winner of the Towton has been more deserving than the Nigel Twiston-Davies-trained chaser, who won by eight lengths on heavy ground from multiple big-race winner Definitly Red, with subsequent Cheltenham Gold Cup hero Native River in third.

"I remember it being atrocious weather and it was a proper slog and a war of attrition," said Hatch. "He kept sticking his neck out and it put him right up there for Cheltenham."

Blaklion and Ryan Hatch after winning the RSA ChaseCredit: Patrick McCann

The Wetherby race, then run over three miles in early February, would have left a mark on most horses, but not Blaklion. Just a matter of weeks later, he turned up at Cheltenham an unheralded 8-1 shot, but powered his way to victory in the RSA Chase.

"He was written off as a mudlark at Cheltenham, but he showed how tough he was on very different ground," Hatch said. "He wasn't the biggest horse, but he had a tremendous will to win. He was a pocket rocket and an absolute joy to be associated with."

Hatch's riding career was cut short on medical grounds after a fall, in which he broke three vertebrae and his sternum, left him at risk of paralysis if suffering another serious accident. He was only 24 and unsure what to do next.

"At the time it was really devastating as I hadn't thought about doing anything else," he said. "It took a bit of time but I knew I wanted to do something around racehorses."

The 31-year-old has forged a path to training by working as a training instructor on an equine management course in the West Midlands alongside Elsworth, who also won the Towton (on Royal Emperor in 2004) in his riding days.

Ryan Hatch (left) and Dominic Elsworth are training at a new yard near WarwickCredit: John Grossick

As an expansion of the course, labour firm RMF Group has set up Clontyseer Racing near Warwick with Elsworth at the helm and plans for Hatch to join him on a joint-licence in the future.

"We've got the opportunity to train horses and it's great to be back in the thick of it," Hatch said. "We've got nine young horses and we're gearing up to have a bumper runner this month, weather-permitting. We've got a great team, it's very exciting and I'm really enjoying it."

Read more from the Where Are They Now series:

'We took him to Kelso last year and he broke into a complete sweat - he still gets excited by the idea of a racecourse' 

'Beefy' leads the pack of legends at Irish National Stud as 29th birthday approaches 

'He's doing dressage, eventing and showjumping now and he's doing great - he was a fantastic horse for us' 

'He babysits the yearlings and is made for it' - Cheltenham king Coole Cody still bossing the field in retirement 

'He has the run of our place and is the king of the property' - Altior still a fan favourite in Lambourn after retirement 

Sign up to receive On The Nose, our essential daily newsletter, from the Racing Post. Your unmissable morning feed, direct to your email inbox every morning.