Legendary trainer expects tears on her comeback after 12-year hiatus and heartbreaking deaths

11 months ago 65

LEGENDARY trainer Henrietta Knight admits there could be tears on a ‘highly emotional’ return to the track.

The 77-year-old, famous for sending out Best Mate to win THREE Cheltenham Gold Cups on the trot in 2002, 2003 and 2004, has taken out a training licence again.

The brilliant Knight, here with her late husband, returns to the training ranks on Friday[/caption]

Knight walks behind jockey Jim Culloty and the legendary Best Mate after winning a third-straight Gold Cup[/caption]

And the much-loved ‘half-mad’ handler will be the star turn at Wincanton on Friday when she has her first runners since she handed in her licence 12 years ago to care for her late husband Terry Biddlecombe.

She said: “It will highly emotional all round, especially as one of the horses Ballywalter will run in the colours of my late sister Celia.

“I’ve always worn my heart on my sleeve — and have got even more emotional as I’ve got older!

“It will be wonderful to be back, of course — but there will be a lot of things going through my mind on the day.

As well as the high emotions, there will also be some nerves.

She said: “I’m more nervous thinking about my first runners back than when I sent out Best Mate for his third Gold Cup!”

Knight, who is based at West Lockinge Farm near Wantage, Oxfordshire, had a winner with her first runner when she first took out a licence in 1989.

She said: “There is an expectation we could have a winner — just as we did with our first runner at Bangor way back in 1989.

“We have two entries at Wincanton — Zettabyte in the handicap hurdle and Ballywalter in the maiden.

“Zettabyte would prefer better ground. Ballywalter is not a particularly fast horse but he will love the ground. He is a very honest and game horse that jumps and stays well. 

“He is owned by my niece Mary, who will be at Wincanton with me.

“It would be wonderful if he could win, especially in Celia’s old colours but I think that would be asking too much!”

Knight has endured not only the loss of her husband and sister but also good friend and top owner Michael Grech, who passed away last year aged 63.

She will be helped on her return by family friend and ex-Grand National-winning jockey-turned-trainer Brendan Powell.

Knight said: “I’ve known Brendan and he knows racing inside out. He knows, all the form, the jockeys, distances and the horses and lots of things that go over my head! 

“He knows I’m half mad but is very patient and tolerates my strange ways!

“Dawn Graham has also been invaluable as well. She was my secretary when I trained before, and she has been a big help.

“I’m fortunate to be healthy. I have a lot of enthusiasm for racing.

“People have been tremendously supportive and even though I left the jump racing game for a while I have a lot of good friends in it.”

She could find a load more of them at March’s Cheltenham Festival, where Knight and Best Mate became front-page news.

She has seven Festival winners in all, beginning with Karshi in the 1997 Stayers’ Hurdle.

Knight, who announced her return last November, added: “It would be my aim to have another winner at Cheltenham as you can’t describe that feeling.

“However for all that those previous days there were wonderful I never look back. 

“I don’t really have the time to sit back and watch those races. Racing is about planning ahead and keeping on going forwards. You can’t keep winding the clock back. 

“We are already halfway through this season and next season we will start to have targets.

“At the moment, it is just going to be one step at a time, but it will be nice when we get the first winner on the board.”