THERE is something bothering Shark Hanlon.
It’s not the wellbeing of his rags-to-riches Cheltenham Gold Cup contender Hewick.
Nor is it the pressure of having a runner with a live chance in the biggest race of the season.
No, larger-than-life Hanlon recently discovered, to his horror, that his favourite nightclub in Cheltenham, The 21 Club, had closed down.
“I can’t believe it, I went there every single year. It’s a disaster. If I win the Gold Cup, I’ll go down there, buy it and reopen it and we’ll have the party there.”
Hanlon, 55, is such good company that he’ll not be short of offers from potential after-party hosts.
And he might even take Hewick along with him.
HOW TO GET FREE BETS ON THE CHELTENHAM FESTIVAL
In October, Hanlon caused a stir when taking ‘the most incredible horse in the world’ into his local, The Pint Depot, and letting him have a slurp of his Guinness.
Hanlon said: “That was a good bit of fun and we had a great night that night. Hewick is like me, he is fond of the Guinness.
“In fact, after a few pints we ended up buying a greyhound that night to have a bit of fun with.
“We named him Tommy’s Hewick, after the horse and the bloke who was selling him, and so far he has won all four of his races.
“He’s a right good dog and one for the Derby next year.”
- Cheltenham Festival LIVE: Latest tips, betting offers, sign-ups and news
- Cheltenham Festival FREE BETS and sign-up deals 2023: Best new customer and betting offers on the market
But don’t let the fact that Hanlon loves the craic fool you – he is a serious and underrated trainer.
I mean, he won an Eclipse Award a few months ago, the highest racing honour that they dish out in the USA.
It would have been hard for the voting panel not to give Hewick the gong for American jumps horse of the year, given his heroics in New York in October.
Most read in Horse Racing
Latest Cheltenham Festival build-up with Templegate's tips and betting offers
I won £250,000 from a fiver -Cheltenham bookies are terrified of me again
Cheltenham punters can wear what they want after dress code ditched
Cheltenham Festival free bets and sign up deals: Best new customer offers
Just a few weeks after lumping around a huge weight in the Kerry National, when he would have won but for unseating Jordan Gainford at the last, he bagged the American version.
Onlookers described the celebrations afterwards as like nothing they’d ever seen before.
Hanlon grinned: “We made a bit of a commotion and we stayed at the track for quite a while celebrating – they probably won’t invite the Irish again!
“It was an amazing experience and to win that race was very special, and to win the Eclipse Award was mighty.
“We had no inkling we’d won it beforehand. All the great and good were being photographed on their way in, but we just stood at the bar having a drink and were never approached.
“Next thing I knew our name was being called out. It was very emotional and when I was on stage I started thinking about my two boys, who were very close with Jack De Bromhead who was a great kid.
“The next day my mother and father heard some noise coming from the yard and looked out the window and there were a load of satellite trucks and TV crews.
“The horse has really captured people's imagination.”
OFFERS OF THE DAY
Bet UK: Bet £20 and get £60 in free bets – CLAIM HERE
Sky Bet: 40/1 Constitution Hill to win the Champion Hurdle –CLAIM HERE
Tote: Bet £10 get £40 – CLAIM HERE
William Hill: 60/1 Facile Vega to win the Supreme Novices Hurdle – CLAIM HERE
Betfair: Bet £10 Get £30 – CLAIM HERE
Paddy Power: Bet £20 and get it back as Cash if it Loses – CLAIM HERE
Coral: Bet £5 Get £20 – CLAIM HERE
Bet UK: New customers opt in and stake £20+ on any sporting event at odds of 1.8 or greater before 17:30 17/03/23. Free bets non-withdrawable and 7 day expiry. Qualifying bet restrictions, exclusions and full T&Cs apply. 18+ begambleaware.org.
Sky Bet: New customers only. First single & e/w bet only. £10 minimum stake. Odds of 1/1 or greater. 4 x £10 horse racing bet token. Free bet stakes not included in returns. Free bets for horse racing only. Free bets are non withdrawable. No free bet expiry. Eligibility restrictions and further t&cs apply. 18+. Begambleaware.Org. 18+ begambleaware.Org
Tote: New customers, online only. Place your first bet on racing pools, minimum £/€10, to receive £/€40 Tote Credit. £/€20 redeemable against win/place racing bets only and £/€20 redeemable against exotics bets only. Tote Credit cannot be withdrawn, exchanged, or substituted and expires after 7 days. Qualifying bet is the first racing pool bet added to the bet slip. Full T&Cs and exclusions apply. 18+. BeGambleaware.org.
William Hill: 18+. Play Safe. When you sign-up via Mobile using promo code P40 and place a bet of £10/€10 or more we will give you 4x £10/€10 free bets credited after settlement of first qualifying bet, free bets will expire 30 days after the qualifying bet is placed, payment method/player/country restrictions apply. Virtual markets excluded. #ad begambleaware.org
Betfair – Place a min £10 bet on the Sportsbook on odds of min 1/2 (1.5), get £30 in Free Bets. Rewards valid for 30 days. SMS verification required. Only deposits via cards will qualify. T&Cs apply. Please Gamble Responsibly 18+ begambleaware.org
Paddy Power: New customers only. Place your FIRST bet on any market at odds of min 2.0 (EVS) and if it loses we will refund your stake in CASH. Max refund for this offer is £20. Only deposits made using cards will qualify for this promotion. T&Cs apply. 18+ Begambleaware.org
Coral: Eligible UK+IRE players. Paypal & some deposit & bet types excl. Min first £5 bet within 14 days of account reg at min odds 1/2 = 4x £5 free bets. Free bets valid for 7 days, stake not returned. No cash-out, restrictions & T&Cs apply. 18+ T&Cs Apply. Begambleaware.org
It’s easy to see why. He only cost £800, and in the early days it looked like even that was an overspend.
It took the best part of two years for the penny to drop, but the switch to chasing and a big slice of patience from his trainer has paid off in no uncertain terms.
In a little over six months, he pulled off the stunning treble bet365 Gold Cup, Galway Plate American Grand National treble.
In the process, he scooped Hanlon and his owner a tick under £350,000. I’m no business whizz but that is a pretty tasty return on investment.
By no means is he a social Cheltenham runner – he has enough talent to play a big part in the Gold Cup.
He stays longer than the mother-in-law and is rated just 8lb inferior to the favourite Galopin Des Champs – who didn’t impress Hanlon when winning the Irish Gold Cup last month.
He said: “Galopin is way too short in the betting. He beat four-mile chasers at Leopardstown and if the ground is Good in the Gold Cup there will be plenty who fancy their chances.
“He bends his knee and would probably prefer it soft. Fury Road wouldn’t be seen in a Gold Cup and he led Galop over the last and halfway up the run-in.
“If we get usual spring ground at Cheltenham, Hewick will absolutely love it and he stays further than the Gold Cup trip.
“It sounds obvious but he stays and he jumps, and he has more than enough toe to lay up with the good horses.
“Cheltenham is a tough track which will really suit him and I know he will be finishing his race off as strong as any horse in the field.
Read More on The Sun
I did weekly shop at M&S and found 14 items cheaper or same price as Aldi & Lidl
I transformed my council house kitchen with cheap buys from Wilko & B&M…it’s so posh
“I'd say he is the best value horse in jumps history. We bought him for nothing just down the road from here and he’s brought us a long way.
"Please God the journey doesn’t stop here.”
FREE BETS GET OVER £2,000 IN SIGN UP OFFERS HERE
Commercial content notice: Taking one of the bookmaker offers featured in this article may result in a payment to The Sun. 18+. T&Cs apply. Begambleaware.org
Remember to gamble responsibly
A responsible gambler is someone who:
- Establishes time and monetary limits before playing
- Only gambles with money they can afford to lose
- Never chases their losses
- Doesn’t gamble if they’re upset, angry or depressed
- Gamcare – www.gamcare.org.uk
- Gamble Aware – www.begambleaware.org
Source: Read Full Article
