There could be another blockbuster chapter in the Hollywood tale of the €850 horse Hewick if John ‘Shark’ Hanlon could finally achieve his Cheltenham Festival dream with his son Paddy aboard his horse of a lifetime.
There has already been enough dramatic twists and turns in the storied career of the pint-sized bargain buy and his likeable connections to pen a short novel, but a father-and-son triumph on the hallowed ground of Prestbury Park would surely be enough to take Hewick’s tale to the big-screen.
And there promises to be unbridled scenes of joy in the Cotswolds if the 11-year-old’s teenage jockey can conjure up a moment of magic in unison with a horse he shares an unbreakable bond and one that has always been central to his family’s fortunes.
Boylesports ambassador Hanlon said: “I’d love to have a winner at Cheltenham, it’s my dream, and the Gold Cup is looking really tough at the moment and the Stayers’ Hurdle is the ideal route for him.
“It’s the right trip and Paddy can ride him which is a bonus, the two of them get on great and we’re not going to change that bond.
“It’s going to be another special chapter in the story of this horse and to have your son on him will be unreal. My heart will be in my mouth but it’s going to be something great. Paddy is 18 and the horse is 11 so there’s not much between them.
“Paddy has known him near enough all his life and has always looked after him and riding him out and no one knows him better.
“We have Sean who will be leading him up, Paddy riding, it will be the whole family doing their part and Paddy is the biggest part of all this as it will be in his hands once he leaves us in the paddock.
“If we were to pull it off and he was to win in Cheltenham then you could definitely write a book on him, he will have done virtually everything. He ran a cracker in the English Grand National and did nothing wrong but this would be something else.”
The stratospheric rise of the sales-ring steal turned people’s champion is already etched in racing folklore and from Durham National success at Sedgefield he was soon conquering all before him, with big-race triumphs at Far Hills, Galway and Sandown ultimately leading to King George glory at Kempton on Boxing Day 2023.
Since that memorable festive occasion, Hewick has mixed and matched disciplines, with a second in the French Champion Hurdle the following spring sparking thoughts of Stayers’ Hurdle glory and the path connections find themselves on to date.
Kept fresh for his Festival tilt since a trip to Newbury in late November, all that remains now is for some help from the weather Gods to help tee-up what would be a welcome return to the big-time for a horse that is a 20-1 chance with the stable sponsor.
Hanlon added: “I’m very happy with him and he’s not been since November but the ground has been so bad. I gave him a break after Newbury and he’s come back stronger and I’m very happy with him.
“He ran better than the result suggested at Newbury and the big prayer we’re saying is that the rain stops and the ground dries up for Cheltenham, that would be magnificent.
“We always thought he was good over his hurdles it was just that when he went chasing he turned out so good at it.
“He ran a really good race in the French Champion Hurdle and we had it in the back of our minds then that we should go back for the Stayers’ Hurdle. When he won the American Grand National, that is another race that is basically a hurdle race really.
“He was fast enough for two-and-a-half mile out there in America but the good thing is we know he stays three miles no problem and that is what I think is a big key to him is that he will stay.
“There will probably be plenty of pace in the race and you can either drop him in or have him handy, wherever Paddy feels most comfortable. He will always come off the bridle after two-and-a-half, we saw that in the King George, but we know he will soon be back on it coming home strong.”
