Cheltenham Festival: Sam Spinner success would be perfect tale of redemption and recovery

When Tom George - a trainer with over 200 winners - raced to see his horse Summerville Boy return from winning the Supreme Novices' on the Festival's opening day, he was stopped by eager stewards.

Who was this man? Where was Nicky Henderson, Gordon Elliott or Willie Mullins?

Racing's big three took all the spoils on Wednesday's Festival card, indeed they've won 11 of the 14 races this week.

You can only imagine what Cheltenham's eager stewards will think if Joe Colliver and Jedd O'Keeffe are the toast of the parade ring after Thursday's Stayers' Hurdle showpiece.

Trainer O'Keeffe has recovered from cancer and a financial crisis which almost forced him to quit the sport. This is his first-ever runner at the Festival.

And Colliver thought his career was over after he was jailed for lying about his involvement in a car crash.

Sam Spinner faces some big rivals in the Stayers' Hurdle including Supasundae, Yanworth and The New One But their charge Sam Spinner has been one of the season's standout staying hurdlers, with an attention-grabbing victory in the Long Walk Hurdle at Ascot over Christmas.

"Everything is good and the ground is fine for us. We have no worries on that score," said O'Keefe, with the Festival going now soft with heavy in places after nine millimetres of overnight rain.

"You've got Yanworth and Supasundae in there, they are probably the two you'd be worried about but we couldn't be happier with our horse and we'll see what happens.

"Though it frightens me to look at the quality of most of the other runners but he deserves his place.

"This means a huge amount and I can't believe I'm here to be honest. It's a bit like a dream, not just to have a horse able to go the festival but one with a leading chance.

Colliver admitted he was praying to the weather Gods for rain, with the going now a great leveller in a high-quality race that looks hard to call.

"On good ground we'd be at the mercy of the speed horses, they'll have to prove their stamina now and we know that won't be a problem for us," he said.

And it's not just trainer and jockey invested in this improbable fairytale, Sam Spinner's owners, Paul and Caron Chapman, were the first to convince O'Keeffe not to hand in his licence, even after he was diagnosed with his stage-three tumour.

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However, a Sam Spinner success would not be the only story worth telling, with old stager The New One looking to crown his popular career with the championship race at Cheltenham that has long alluded him.

Trainer Nigel Twiston-Davies has given him four cracks at the Champion Hurdle but has finally decided to step the ten-year old - who has won over £1.4 million in prize money during a stellar career - up in distance.

There are few more popular horses in training - and, Might Bite aside in Friday's Gold Cup - they'd be no more popular winner this week.

"Sam (Twiston-Davies) has been keen to try three miles for a long time, let's see," said the Naunton handler. "He's won over two and a half quite a few times, but has he been staying on at the end? I don't really know."

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