Caldwell Potter was a poignant winner of the Jack Richards Novices’ Limited Handicap Chase, as Paul Nicholls brought up his 50th winner at the Cheltenham Festival.
Running in the colours of the late John Hales, he was subject of a mammoth €740,000 transfer fee in February 2024 with former Manchester United manager Sir Alex Ferguson also amongst the seven-year-old’s group of owners.
A Grade One winner in Ireland for Gordon Elliott, Caldwell Potter had won one of his three starts since switching to Ditcheat and was given an enterprising front-running ride by Harry Cobden.
Cobden and the exuberant grey never missed a beat as they led the field a merry dance from and when the champion jockey asked his mount to lengthen entering the home straight, the result was soon a formality as Caldwell Potter silenced the doubters with real interest.
Ken Budds’ 125-1 Anyway picked up the silver medal, with with another outsider, Willie Mullins’ O’Moore Park back in third.