Belargus provided provided trainer Nick Gifford with an emotional win at Sandown on Saturday.
The JP McManus-owned six-year-old won the final race of the day, the bet365 Josh Gifford Novices’ Chase, named after the trainer's late dad.
Belargus had been campaigned with the two-and-a-half-mile contest in mind, and though it looked like being a competitive finish with five still in with a chance at the second-last, Niall Houlihan’s mount fairly sprinted away up the hill to score by four lengths from Falco Blitz.
A tearful Gifford shares the love of the Esher track that his father did, and recalled it was in the very same race that Josh Gifford saddled his final winner, Skycab.
He said: “This had been planned for a long time, and we had skipped a few engagements with him. Sandown brings back a lot of fond memories, including dad’s final winner, and I’ve been trying to win the race for a while. JP knows that as much as anyone, and I’m sure he’ll have a grin on his face.
“It does mean the world to us, we’ve got a lot of fond memories here.”
From his current mark of 130 Belgarus will go up, and Gifford added of the 16-5 winner: “I’m sure Frank (Berry) and the boss will have a few ideas as to where we go next season, but he has the makings of a nice horse.”
McManus was crowned champion owner in Britain on Saturday and heaped praise on Rachael Blackmore following her Grand National win on Minella Times.
He told ITV: "It was a very special day, especially with Rachael winning. It brought a lot of joy to the family and I'm sure to a lot of people throughout the country."
Blackmore, 31, has shot to stardom, with her National win coming hot on the heels of her riding six winners at the Cheltenham Festival.
The jockey's brilliant rise is no surprise to McManus, though.
The 70-year-old remembers telling his racing manager Frank Berry that they needed to get Blackmore on side when she was firing in winners as a conditional jockey.
McManus told: "I said to Frank Berry, 'She is taking a lot of the food off our table here, Frank. It's time we started to engage with her a little bit'.
"So, she rode a few for us and did very well. The remarkable thing about Rachael is when she takes a fall she is like a rubber ball, she just bounces back.
"Horses run for her. And we are all so pleased, and proud of her."
