Gibbs Island runs a cracker in fiercely competitive County Hurdle at the Cheltenham Festival

Having a winner at the Cheltenham Festival is the dream, but simply having a runner is an incredible experience in its own right. Gibbs Island was our sole hope this season, as his trainer Tom Lacey took aim at the County Hurdle last Friday.

Historically, this is a very tough to win, needing a well-handicapped horse in what is always a fiercely competitive race over the 2m 1f trip - and Gibbs Island was sent off a big outsider at 50/1 against 22 rivals.

We were slightly concerned by the rain overnight, turning the ground softer than the first 2-3 days of the Festival. However, he took his chance and produced a cracking performance to finish seventh under Stan Sheppard. Unusually, the pace was not frenetic early on, resulting in something of a sprint in the final stages. Held up behind a wall of horses, Gibbs Island encountered traffic problems in the straight, and could easily have finished closer with a cleaner run However, the way he finished off his race once in the clear has given us a lot of encouragement for the rest of the season.

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