Page 66 - The KRH Year of 2023 (CREST Sharing)

66 The Regimental Journal of The King’s Royal Hussars
The Grand Military Gold Cup 2024 T“Doub”
he record book will show that the 2024 winner of the Grand
Military Gold Cup was Farceur du Large trained by Jamie Snowden, ridden by Major Will Kellard, owned by Jordan Wylie for The Racing Club and The King’s Royal Hussars, but behind those headlines is a great story and one which the Regiment will remember for years to come.
The race held at Sandown, one of the most testing courses in the country has been run since 1841 and to win has always been the goal of every past and present serving jockey, trainer or owner in a sport where there are so many factors, imponder- ables and where “Lady Luck” can play a huge part. So many have tried for years to win the coveted cup and never get to the winner’s enclosure. The Regiment and its forbears have been more fortunate than most, hearing the welcome cheers of their supporters on no less than 16 times in the last 60 years.
This story starts a good many years back when troop leader and by then successful jockey Jamie Snowden was discussing the future and his dreams when he left the Regiment with his Troop Cpl, Jordan Wylie. “I’m going to train jumpers,” said Jamie. “I’m going to make money” replied Jordan and added “And when I do, I will send you a horse”.
Bloodstock agent Tom Malone who had found many horses for Jamie was tasked with finding one suitable for The Grand Military. Tom went to Ireland and came back with Farceur du Large. Now many would question this purchase: Farceur (Joker in English) was owned by Michael O’Leary of Ryanair, his form looked pretty dismal, he hadn’t won for 6 months and since then had either been unplaced or pulled up includ- ing his run in the Irish National: He would seem to have been over-raced and had lost his enthusiasm. However, Tom felt that the love of racing could be rekindled and the man to do it was Jamie and his team at Folly House. The deal done, Farceur would, unlike the other Racing Club horses run in the Regimental silks and the old syndicate members re-invested their money: we were on again!
Farceur arrived in August and was sent out to “Doctor Green Grass” and complete his R & R with the leg- endary Sir A P McCoy: he needed to be rested for as long as possible with the prospect of starting work in December. Well, in this sport not eve- rything goes to plan, in September we were informed that the Jockey Club at Sandown had decided to move the date of the Race from its usual time in early March to late January. A quandary for Jamie: did he now bring Farceur back into train- ing early so that he could have “a pipe opener” before the big race or leave him and run him without that benefit.
He decided on the latter course.
Major Will Kellard (RL) had been engaged to ride for us following Harry Wallace’s retirement and he now arrived to try out his new mount and school him over fences. Farceur had obviously enjoyed his leave and had turned up at the yard looking distinctly scruffy: Jamie soon had him sorted and he quickly settled into his routine and with TLC from the Team, he became a yard favourite, more importantly he was showing the signs of rejuvenation and enjoying the work. His final gallops and we were growing in confidence, he
After, the deluges of rain, the storms and then the frost that caused havoc to the racing programme for several weeks, Friday 27th January broke fair and the going on the course was reported as good to soft.
Our excitement was palpable but Farceur was not fancied “finished his time in Ireland on a downer – unlikely to bounce back” a 40/1 outsider who was going to give between half a
Time passed and Jamie set up his own yard in 2008 after spells with top trainers Paul Nicholls and Nicky Henderson and then some 10 years ago he had a call out of the blue: “Jordan here, I’m putting together a Regimental syndi- cate of old mates and am sending you a horse to win The Grand Military: owned, trained and ridden”. Well,
it was not to be that year and at the end of the season Jordan sought further assistance and the “Cherrypicker syndicate was formed under Col. Peter Flach. He was joined
by Robert Cooper (10H) David Wiggin, Peter Farquhar and Rollo Duckworth (all RH) and the two last 11H jockeys left standing Simon Riggall and myself, Robert Wilkinson.
In the intervening years the syndicate
came close with various horses but the
win always eluded us. Then three years
ago our last remaining KRH jockey Harry
Wallace decided to “hang up his boots”:
with no replacement we had lost one of our
objectives. Then we went through a period when
our prospective horses were not going to make the
grade and what seemed a final straw was that the Grand Military Committee decided to open up the race to non-service owners.
Despite these setbacks, in the Spring of last year, we decided to find another horse, only to have the devastating news that he had developed cancer and had to be put down. We were at an all time low and felt it was time to call it a day.
As luck will have it, fortune changed overnight: Jordan and Jamie had met up with sporting entrepreneur Gary Gillies and the concept of The Racing Club was born. This was to be a com- munity of owners who could join a syndicate depending on their purse for very little outlay and enjoy the camaraderie and friendship of racing: a spirit not so different from a Regiment.
was going to be our best opportunity in years.