'Days like Saturday are what we do it for' - small family stable dreaming of ITV winner with their best horse yet

Astronomic View  is already considered out of this world by the members of Sue Gardner’s training set-up and the family operation will make the long trip from Devon to Haydock on Saturday as they bid for an ITV winner.   

All members of the family have their part to play with the progressive seven-year-old, who is owned by the trainer's husband Des and ridden by daughter Lucy. He was also bred at the 22-box Woodhayes Stud by the family's friends for over three decades, Claire and Dominic Alers-Hankey.

The consistent Astronomic View gained compensation for five consecutive top-three finishes with an emphatic 21-length victory at Warwick last time and has been installed 7-2 favourite for the Challenger Stayers Hurdle Series Final Handicap Hurdle (2.40) – one of seven races on terrestrial TV this weekend.

Lucy Gardner, who has ridden 86 winners, said: "He's bred to stay and did so last time out. I think with him it's a case of the further he goes the better he does, so hopefully he can go well. He's a bit of a dude, a lovely horse to deal with and a pleasure to have around. He's one of the nicest horses we've ever had so it's exciting. I've not massively looked into the race but if he gets his conditions he'll have a chance."

The Gardners, who are based just outside Exeter, enjoyed a landmark day in December 2015 when Coeur Blimey scored in Ascot's Listed bumper, but the weekend's £50,000 prize would be one of their biggest victories since Sue Gardner took out a licence in 2000. 

The business workload is shared between the family, with Lucy Gardner in the peculiar position of sorting declarations and booking herself as jockey.

The rider added: "I'll ride him 100 per cent, without question, but I've not declared yet. If it keeps raining we'll definitely run. We do everything as a family and this would be big for us. We'll all be up there for it, days like Saturday are what we do it for, we love it.

"It'll be big for our close family friends, the Alers-Hankeys, who bred the horse. He's pretty much a homebred, he's never left the farm."

Challenger Stayers Hurdle Series Final Handicap Hurdle (2.40 Haydock, Saturday)
Paddy Power: 7-2 Astronomic View, 9-2 Shoeshine Boy, 6 Goshhowposh, 7 Doughmore Bay, Secret Trix, 8 Judicial Law, 10 Tanganyika, 12 Ilovethenightlife, Picanha, My Bobby Dazzler, 16 bar

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