‘Ifs and Buts’ for East Anglia’s Ferguson

On Friday afternoon the curtain came down on the Cheltenham Festival and with it went John Ferguson’s chances of a first Grade One winner.

It could have been very different for the Suffolk based trainer and, with a bit more luck, he may have enjoyed the perfect end to his debut season as a jumps trainer.

In Wednesday’s Neptune Investment Novices’ Hurdle, Ferguson’s Cotton Mill went off as a well-fancied 8-1 outside shot and the race started well for the five-year-old as he spent a lot of the early stages alongside the front-runners.

As the race entered its final phase, Cotton Mill was battling with the 2-1 favourite, Simonsig. However, as he approached the second-to-last hurdle, Cotton Mill made an error of grave proportions.

The gelding, chasing his fourth successive win over hurdles, got himself into an awkward position and smashed his jockey, Denis O’Regan, into the wooden slats supporting the hurdle. One error obliterated Ferguson’s hopes of causing a massive upset. Fortunately, both O’Regan and Cotton Mill emerged from the nasty fall unscathed.

It wasn’t just Ferguson that was left disappointed by Cotton Mill’s late error, many punters were left cursing as Cotton Mill fluffed his jump, including UEA second year, Dominic Smith.

He said, ‘I was gutted. He looked good and I thought he was going to hold out’, he added, ‘If he had, it would have been a nice little payout for me’.

Having already witnessed one of his horses master its own downfall, Ferguson was hoping for better luck in the 5:15 Weatherbys Champion Bumper. Again, however, Ferguson was left feeling disappointed and wondering what might have been.

New Year’s Eve represented Ferguson’s best chance of victory for the week and he went into the Grade One clash as the 9-2 favourite.

Like his stable mate, Cotton Mill, the four-year-old was previously unbeaten before his run at Cheltenham and he mixed it with the front-runners for much of the race. In the final furlong New Year’s Eve was neck and neck with the outsider, Champagne Fever.

However, in the end, Ferguson’s gelding lacked the final yard needed to secure the victory and he battled home to second place.

Finally, in the opening race of the Festival’s final day, Ferguson’s Asaid finished unplaced after being sent off at a hefty 50-1.

Although Ferguson and those that backed his horses were left disappointed, the trainer can be very proud of his stable and their achievements this year. The fact he even had runners at the Cheltenham Festival, the jewel in the crown of National Hunt racing, is testament to how far he has come this season.

Ferguson will now return to his stable in Suffolk and continue his work with Sheik Mohammed in preparation for the Flat racing season.

For UEA based racing fans, the start of the Flats season means that they can look forward to local meetings at Great Yarmouth and, slightly further afield, Newmarket.