Sixmilebridge sparks Festival dream for Megson

Owner Andrew Megson is struggling to contain his excitement for the Cheltenham Festival after Sixmilebridge stated his Turners Novices’ Hurdle case with a decisive victory on Trials day.

Megson, who saw his Global Citizen strike gold in the 2022 Grand Annual, was delighted by the way Fergal O’Brien’s six-year-old left a talented cast of rivals trailing in the Grade Two Ais Novices’ Hurdle at Prestbury Park.

With Nigel Twiston-Davies’ highly-regarded Grade One scorer Potters Charm over eight lengths adrift in second, it was a performance that has ignited dreams of further success at National Hunt’s showpiece meeting.

“We were absolutely thrilled and really pleased for Fergal as well. We know the whole team at Fergal’s have always loved him at home and on the gallops,” said Megson.

“He’s in the Supreme but he will definitely be going to the Turners. I never thought we’d have a day as good as Global Citizen winning the Grand Annual, but winning a Grade Two on Trials day is up there.

“It’s the excitement it brings of what could come next in a Grade One at the Festival, it gets the butterflies going now, so I’m not sure what I will be like come the day.”

He added: “We knew we hadn’t seen the best of him going into Trials Day and he had plenty up his sleeve, but you were taking on quite nice horses and it was a really deep race. He had them off the bridle and really strung them out, it was a brilliant ride from Kielan (Woods).

“You always hope to have a horse like that, but it was so impressive and now you start dreaming of the next run when it’s going to get harder.”

Sixmilebridge is as short as 10-1 for the opening race on day two of the Festival where he has the chance to not only provide his handler with an elusive first victory at the meeting, but a first Grade One success for his ever-positive owners.

Not afraid of pitching their horses into deep waters, the Megsons have so far come up short in their quest at cracking the best races around.

However, they now have a live contender for one of the key novice events of the whole meeting, with connections confident there could be more improvement to be seen from their charge in March.

Megson added: “The thing about owning racehorses is you have to be an optimist, we’ve had horses in Grade Ones and big races at the Festival and you always think you are going to run well. But the truth is we’ve not got anywhere near, we’ve had entries and runners but they’ve always been outsiders.

“When you are an optimist, you look at their odds and think ‘they can’t be that big a price’, but the bookies were clearly right as they were always well beaten.

“It will be a tough race but we still think there is a lot more to come from Sixmilebridge. He just cruises and Kielan said he didn’t jump as well as he can last time – he is normally super slick. He’s beaten some nice horses now and beaten them very well and we think he’s smart.

“The New Lion looks a phenomenal horse and there may well be some other really good ones in the field, but we go there with a real chance and real hope of running a super race. I know Fergal is very keen on him.”

There is also plenty to look forward to for the Megsons and O’Brien later in the spring after Blue Betty booked her ticket to Aintree’s Grade Two Goffs Nickel Coin Mares’ bumper at the Grand National meeting with a bloodless debut victory at Newcastle.

“She’s a big girl and they love her at the yard,” continued Megson.

“She will go straight to Aintree now for the Grade Two ,I think.”