The Cheltenham winners’ enclosure was a sea of red and white after The Real Whacker won a thrilling finish to the Brown Advisory Novices’ Chase for larger than life owner David Mann
On New Year’s Day, Mann left his bar in Rathkeale, Limerick, at 3am, caught a 6.15am flight to Bristol where he hired a car to drive the rest of the way to Cheltenham, drinking a beer to keep himself awake, to see the horse win.
And he was dressed in the same bright red suit and jacket to witness the horse strike again and deliver a Cheltenham Festival success.
“This (suit) hasn’t been worn since New Year’s Day. In case you think I wear this every day I don’t,” said Mann. “I got this in Chicago for a wedding a year ago and I kept it for the first time we were here at Cheltenham.
“Paddy said after we were here on New Year’s Day, keep that suit for March. I went home and said to one of my girls take it to the cleaners with the plastic on it and leave it for March.”
The Real Whacker, from the little known Yorkshire stable of Patrick Neville and ridden by Sam Twiston-Davies, made nearly all the running and held on by a short head to beat the fast closing favourite Gerri Colombe.
Mann added: “It is a dream come true. To come here in November and have a winner was so unreal, to come here New Year’s Day and do it was great. Everybody knows the king of the crop is the big festival meeting which is today.
“I’ve been coming over here for 20 years and I never thought we were going to have a day like this. It is unreal. He jumped from fence to fence. Even though everyone says he is a brilliant jumper my heart was in my mouth at every fence.”
