Bradley Gibbs: Welsh jockey stays grounded after Cheltenham win

A win at the Cheltenham Festival would normally be cause for celebration, but not so for Welsh-born driver Bradley Gibbs.

On Friday afternoon, Gibbs was the pin sticker players’ toast and shocked racegoers as he drove Premier Magic to a 66-1 win in the Hunters’ Chase

The next morning he was back in business.

“We had to get back to work,” said Gibbs, who also serves as a trainer-jockey and is usually found at the point-to-point circuit.

“We had a runner on Sunday so we celebrated Friday night but everything was back to normal on Saturday.

“Unfortunately, with horses, they can’t feed and clean themselves.”

Getting his hands dirty so soon after the surprise win didn’t take away from what Gibbs calls the greatest moment of his career, starting pony riding at the age of 16.

However, Gibbs admitted he wished some of his nearest and dearest could have come along in the winner’s enclosure with his fiancé – and fellow coach Claire Sherriff – who couldn’t travel, while his father David couldn’t even watch.

“He actually had heart surgery,” Gibbs told BBC Radio Wales Sport. “I told him it’s a good job, he didn’t see it, it would have tipped him over the edge.

“He found out when he came out, but it would have been special to have him there.”

Meanwhile, without a babysitter, the family decided against Claire taking their young son to the festival as it was likely “manic.”

Instead, they cheered from their Hertfordshire home, where Gibbs has moved from the South Wales Dales to use Claire’s father Julian’s stables, where they keep about a dozen pointers.

Gibbs has known this all his life, his father is also an owner and trainer and infected his son, first with jumping ponies before he had his first point to point ride at the age of 16.

The now 28-year-old has seen plenty of winners over the years but nothing like the Cheltenham stage and nothing like Premier Magic, which surprised bookmakers and delighted those who love an underdog.

But Gibbs admitted he balked at telling friends to support the 10-year-old, who is owned by Claire and her father Julian, and that it wasn’t even meant to do the festival.

“We went to Cheltenham last year and I thought he had a huge chance,” said Gibbs. “Honestly I couldn’t see that he was in the top four and I tried to ride him inside and it all got very close and he just backed away – he just got stage fright.

“I’ve told my partner we won’t be using him at Cheltenham but he’s run a couple of times this season and has been very impressive.

“We were supposed to go there with another mare anyway, but we had a little mishap with her and she didn’t make it in the end.

“Registrations were closing so I spoke to a good friend of mine from Ireland who said, ‘Just come in!

With his fiancee’s father having even better odds of 100-1, many are glad they did.

“I think most of Ynysybwl bet on him! I didn’t really say anything to anyone because I was optimistic about him last year and my face was on the floor at the end.

“But anyone can see the shape in the book of what he did in the point-to-point and I think everyone from the village bet him.”

Despite all the celebrations, these horses – not even the winners of Cheltenham – don’t feed themselves.

“That’s what we do every day,” Gibbs said. “We get up in the morning and unfortunately we just don’t have enough staff to muck out horses, so I just have to do it.”

“To be honest, I enjoy it.

“I enjoy the physical side of it and I’m stuck every day, it’s just what we do, we don’t know any other way.”