13 March 2024 , 19:00
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"I was a full-time farrier, part-time trainer."
Now the shoe is on the other foot for Cheltenham expert Gavin Cromwell. The Irishman is in red-hot form over this side of the water, steaming to success at all but one of Prestbury Park's winter meets. Cromwell's crafts are physically demanding and require absolute precision – miss the target and it can be very costly indeed.
But the County Meath native is not a man for throwing darts at British races, a fear of failure means he must regularly hit the bullseye. "I have to have winners now," he said, speaking from a 150-box yard in the process of being upgraded. It's very different to when training was my hobby. We started at the bottom and we're trying to get towards the top."
Until four years ago, Cromwell would shoe horses for other trainers, including one of Ireland's 'big two', Gordon Elliott. It enabled the 49-year-old to soak up information like a sponge, before putting his own stamp on premises at Danestown.
Gold Cup hero Don Cossack was in residence at Cullentra when Cromwell had the key to the stable door. And just weeks after the chaser's defining win in 2016, Ireland's newbie made giant strides with a "cast-off" called Jer's Girl. Her close Grade Two second to Apple's Jade – a future Elliott great – caught the eye of racing superpower JP McManus.
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He invested in Cromwell's new-found talent and within months there was a double Grade One reward at Fairyhouse and Punchestown. "I had about 12 horses at the time and she was fantastic," he said. "It was always an ambition of mine to train for JP, he's a wonderful supporter of horse racing who has helped so many people.
Flooring Porter is running in the Paddy Power Stayers Hurdle once again (©INPHO/Laszlo Geczo)"The following summer he sent me Espoir D'Allen and we went on to win the 2019 Champion Hurdle with him." Cromwell was lost for words after witnessing the inexperienced jumper win by the widest ever margin in its history. A certain Apple's Jade, the 7-4 favourite, was left trailing by his brilliant five-year-old – an age group with just one prior win in 33 years.
Yes almost as soon as the fairytale began, came tragedy. Espoir D'Allen was involved in a freak accident and had to be put down. Cromwell has placed a picture of the record-breaker at his home, so it meets his eyeline before he begins a day's work. "Who knows what more he could have achieved," he said wistfully.
Cromwell's runners have excelled at Cheltenham this season (Getty Images)And who really knows what Cromwell can do, with an 11-winner personal best in Britain this season. At the conclusion of Ireland's 2016-17 jumps campaign, he had ten victories. A decade on and Cromwell has hit a high of 62, with a burning desire to bank one million euros of prize money.
A portion of profit has been reinvested into a new woodchip gallop up an incline, as he chases a frenetic pace set by imminent Festival centurion Willie Mullins. His army of horses dwarfs Cromwell's, but up to now, the pair have almost identical strike rates on these shores in 2023-24.
"We'll have to try and do even better," he reasons. "I've always been an ambitious trainer. If you are not growing, you are dying." The plan of action starts with another exciting trip to Prestbury Park. Cheltenham and Cromwell are the perfect fit.
Gavin Cromwell on his key runners at the 2024 Cheltenham Festival
Transformed from a handicapper into a Grade One-winning machine, Flooring Porter is the star of Cromwell's assembled cast. Expertly steered by Danny Mullins, the nine-year-old led from pillar to post for back-to-back Stayers' Hurdles in 2021 and 2022. Not too long before the first edition, he took five runs to shed the maiden tag and pulled his way to the front in a lesser contest at Navan.
He taught Cromwell how he preferred to race, which is now a proven winning formula against top opposition. "We want to give him the best chance of winning at Cheltenham again," he said, after belatedly confirming his hurdling championship treble bid. "It was tempting that the National Hunt Chase cut up. The form lines are similar in the Stayers and I think we should be mixing it with them. Teahupoo is the one to beat."
Cromwell is double-handed in the Mares' Chase, with recent hat-trick heroine Brides Hill and Limerick Lace, who plundered a Doncaster Listed prize on her travels. "They want different types of ground," he said. "Both are pretty exciting."
As for the handicaps, trickiest to solve for punters, Inothewayurthinkin has attracted plenty of support in the Kim Muir market. "Going up in trip will suit, he's in fine form and hopefully can put up a career best," added Cromwell.
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