Cheltenham Gold Cup contender Hewick and jockey hit by wave during seaside trip

01 March 2023 , 16:04

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Paddy Hanlon is thrown into the sea from Cheltenham Gold Cup candidate Hewick (Image: Twitter@https://twitter.com/touchlinemedia/status/1630649303063470099?s=51&t=dlxnzmtev1qB_9Zvffm2MA)

Horse of a lifetime Hewick lost his rider while taking a dip in the sea as part of his build-up for the Cheltenham Festival.

The fan favourite, who is being trained for the Boodles Cheltenham Gold Cup, was among a group of trainer Shark Hanlon’s string taken to the beach to exercise recently.

He briefly got loose when his rider, trainer’s son Paddy Hanlon, got washed off his back after horse and jockey were hit by the waves.

The incident was recorded by Touchline Media as they filmed the work out at Curracloe Beach, one of Ireland’s most popular beaches, in Co Wexford.

The sands, which stretch for seven miles, were used as the location for the D-Day scene in the 1998 Hollywood blockbuster Saving Private Ryan, which starred Tom Hanks.

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Hanlon said: “We take the horses to the beach to give them a change of scenery. In fact we have just done our last bit of work with Hewick at Tipperary today.

Hewick runs up the beach after losing his rider among the waves (Twitter@https://twitter.com/touchlinemedia/status/1630649303063470099?s=51&t=dlxnzmtev1qB_9Zvffm2MA)

“That day on the beach a wave came in and Hewick went to jump it, that was all. Paddy got fired off him into the water but both of them were 100 per cent, thank God, because I am the only Shark who can’t swim!

“Hewick only ran up the beach, then came back straight away. He only went ten yards up and ten yards back.”

Hewick has put Co Carlow trainer Hanlon on the map with his exploits since he was picked up at auction for just €850.

He has earned nearly £400,000 from wins in the Durham National in 2021 and the Bet365 Gold Cup, Galway Plate and the American Grand National last year, for which he won an Eclipse Award as 2022’s outstanding chaser in the US.

Hanlon is relishing the limelight, saying of the social media clip, “It’s that sort of thing that people enjoy.”

Jon Lees