10 months ago
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SIR Alex Ferguson’s world-record £633,000 jumps horse could miss Cheltenham Festival.
The legendary former Manchester United boss was part of a syndicate that splashed the eye-watering sum of cash on Caldwell Potter on Monday.
PAA Grade 1-winning novice hurdler for former owners Caldwell Construction, the six-year-old is now on his way to Paul Nicholls.
The Ditcheat trainer has been rocked by the death of 25-year-old yard worker and amateur jockey Keagan Kirkby at a Kent racecourse last Sunday.
But the arrival of the former Gordon Elliott-trained superstar will be a welcome tonic.
He told Sun Racing, however, that Caldwell Potter is not certain to run at next month’s Cheltenham Festival.
The horse is currently 12-1 for the Baring Bingham and 20-1 for the Supreme Novices’ Hurdle.
Nicholls, who said the biggest week of racing all year is ‘not high on the priority list’ for this horse, revealed: “I’m delighted we have Caldwell Potter.
“I knew it was possibly going to happen and when the lads lost Hermes Allen on Saturday it was either going to go one way or another.
“They are good owners that love their sport and I knew they would have a good go at trying to get him.
“He has been purchased as a chaser for next season. He has got to acclimatise and get used to our system one way or another.
“The aim for him is to go novice chasing in October, but whether we run him once before then we will see.
“However, we have not had those discussions yet and Cheltenham is not high on the priority list.”
Caldwell Potter was sold as part of a dispersal for runners formerly owned by Andy and Gemma Brown.
Some 29 horses were sold in all for more than £4.5million.
The Stoke-based couple who run a successful construction business decided to abruptly quit the sport following the death of D B Cooper.
They had also sadly lost multiple Grade 1 winner Mighty Potter.
Sir Alex and friends were themselves mourning the loss of one of their big horses last weekend.
Hermes Allen, who was also trained by Nicholls, sadly lost his life in a fall at Sandown.
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