Big-money buy Papa Tango Charly the first of many for miraculous owner Tedham

Martin Tedham, whose pharmaceutical packaging company the Wasdell Group was revealed as the new sponsor of Jonjo O'Neill Racing on Sunday, is looking forward to building a quality team of horses to run in his yellow and blue silks.

Tedham has owned horses for the past 15 years but reduced his string significantly after a serious health scare five years ago, when his C5 vertebra collapsed, leaving him paralysed from the neck down.

Miraculously, the affable Scotsman has defied doctors who said he would never walk again and, with his health and business both booming, has set out plans to strengthen his squad at Jackdaws Castle over the next few seasons.

"It happened at Andy Turnell's house," he recalled of his injury at O'Neill's owners' day. "I got up from having dinner and it just snapped and compressed my spinal cord. I had to go to Oxford to have it operated and have a titanium neck now.

"The doctors said that was it and I'd never walk. I was paralysed from the neck down for seven weeks but then started to get movement back in my arms and legs. I've got everything back now apart from my left leg, which won't lift."

He added: "This is why I love the horses so much. I had to give them up five years ago due to what happened and the idea is we look for another big horse at the end of this season and then we buy another one next season."

At his peak, Tedham had ten horses with Turnell, including smart jumpers Micheal Flips and Bible Lord and he saw off Jackdaws Castle landlord JP McManus to secure winning pointer Papa Tango Charly in April.

Papa Tango Charly: an impressive point-to-point winner in MarchCredit: Healy Racing

"We went to Ireland to buy him long before he had actually run but the owner would not sell him," said the 59-year-old, who is based in Swindon.

"So Jonjo convinced me to buy another horse and then told us we needed to have this horse as well! He went to Aintree and cost us £440,000, but with the commission and everything that was £560,000.

"I remember Richard Fahey telling me if you want to win £1 million in racing you need to start with three! It's not about the money, it's about the enjoyment and the fun."

Tedham has transformed Wasdell Packaging from a failing company ten years ago into a thriving business that employs almost 1,000 people at facilities in Dundalk, Newcastle, Northampton and Swindon.

Martin Tedham: CEO of Wasdell Packaging, sponsors of Jonjo O'Neill racingCredit: Lewis Porteous

Of his company's new partnership with the yard, he added: "Pharmaceutical companies have been getting more and more into racing for the sponsorship and it's a good fit to get the company name everywhere.

"It's a young team here and everyone is very happy, and what I like about Jonjo is he actually tells you what he thinks."

Delighted to have Tedham on board, O'Neill said: "Martin loves the game and it's great to have a sponsor like that. He's interested in the racing and a really enthusiastic owner. He wants to buy good horses and wants to have good horses and that's the man I'm looking for."

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