How I won the Gold Cup - only to end the day being rushed to hospital
Lewis Porteous speaks to the man who rode Garrison Savannah to Gold Cup glory
Mark Pitman tends not to dwell on the past but as the 30th anniversary of the day he won the Cheltenham Gold Cup approaches, it is amazing how vividly he can recall a fraught build-up, dream ride and unthinkable aftermath when he puts his mind to it.
For the son of training legend Jenny Pitman, the Gold Cup has always been the zenith.
"I'd have given my left arm to win a National but if I had to pick one of the two, it would be the Gold Cup," says Pitman from his home on the outskirts of Lambourn, where he still looks after racehorses for loyal supporters like Malcolm Denmark and Stewart Andrew when they are out of training. "It was the race I always wanted to win."
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