Pitmans have Cheltenham hope

Twentyfourcarat is set to be the latest jewel in the Cheltenham Festival crown for Jenny and Mark Pitman when he takes part in the Weatherbys Champion Bumper.

The legendary Mrs Pitman enjoyed great success as a trainer, being the first woman to saddle a winner of the Gold Cup, while her son Mark both rode and trained winners at National Hunt's premier meeting.

Now under one of their racing syndicates, the Jenny & Mark Pitman Gold Club No 1, they have the prospect of further glory with the Ian Williams-trained Twentyfourcarat.

Mark Pitman saddled Monsignor to win the Cheltenham bumper in 1999 and acquired Twentyfourcarat from the same source.

"Over the years mother and myself have had a lot of success at the Festival, we won the Bumper with Monsignor and he went back and won the SunAlliance the next year. Great memories and it's nice to part of it," he said.

"I bought the horse from John Costello in Ireland, I've known him for an awful long time. Monsignor came from there and so did Run For Paddy and Knight Pass, who is favourite for the Bumper."

Twentyfourcarat goes to Cheltenham having won on his only start, at Ascot in November.

"Obviously we would have liked to have got another run into him before we went to Cheltenham, but we ran out of time," Pitman said.

"He was due to run over Christmas and got cast in his box. We got him back and he was ready to go to Newbury on the day the meeting was abandoned, so we didn't have the opportunity to get another run into him.

"We were delighted with him at Ascot when he beat Ericht. Timmy Murphy was brilliant that day in that he nicked about 10 lengths out of them at the gate, but we take heart from the fact that our lad wasn't stopping at the end.

"He galloped all the way to the line and Timmy said he couldn't pull him up that day. He nearly got as far as Swinley Bottom before he could pull him up.

"He's going to want two and a half miles, but I've always felt that for the Cheltenham Bumper you want a horse that stays that far.

"They will go an end-to-end gallop on a stiff track and if you have a horse that wants two and a half miles you will have one that's staying on up the hill when others have cried enough.

"Ian took him for a gallop to Peter Cundell's place a couple of days ago and was happy with him, so it's all systems go.

"We've got some nice contacts and feel we can buy some nice horses at reasonable prices. It's about the whole experience - and if it goes well people will come back and have another go."

Twentyfourcarat is a best-priced 33-1 chance for Cheltenham glory.