'He was absolutely brilliant' - joyous scenes as Jody Sole captures fourth Grand Military Gold Cup

For amateur military riders the Gold Cup is not at next week's Cheltenham Festival, it is on a bitter Tuesday at Sandown, and you would scarcely have known the difference when Lance Bombardier Jody Sole returned to the winner's enclosure.

The jockey was bathed in smiles and received a joyous reception after he won the Grand Military for a fourth time, with Broken Halo carrying him to a second poignant success following last month's Royal Artillery.

Sole lost his irons in surviving a mistake at the last in that race, but he enjoyed a more serene journey this time, with his mount jumping soundly before drawing clear of Almazhar Garde in the climb to the line.

"He was absolutely brilliant," he said, two-year-old son Myles perched on his hip and equally keen to be interviewed. "I had plenty in hand the whole time, I was forever taking a pull and going 'steady, wait, steady', he seemed to love the ground and galloped away from the last like he was going to win the Gold Cup!"

The rider, a former member of the King's Troop, is now level with Jamie Snowden for the most wins in the race and remains proud of his involvement in the army.

No issues this time as Broken Halo flies the last fence in the Royal Artillery Gold Cup Credit: Mark Cranham

"It's such a lovely race to ride in as we all have involvement in the services," he said. "It was a privilege to have ridden for the King's Troop and to be still associated with them."

Paul Nicholls is an ardent supporter of the military races and was capturing the race for a seventh time, and he is musing a return to the track for Broken Halo later this spring.

He said: "It's a great race and perfect for a horse like him who has lost his way a bit because he can gain confidence and enjoy himself. He would be worth an entry in the bet365 Gold Cup if there was cut in the ground, and he likes Sandown, so who knows."

Talking Cheltenham

A fairly quick turnaround could be on the cards for Douglas Talking, who teed up a possible Grand Annual tilt with a bold jumping display in the 1m7½f handicap chase.

The seven-year-old took his record to two from two at the track under in-form jockey Patrick Wadge, who was the envy of the recently retired Tom Scudamore.

Douglas Talking: jumped his rivals into the ground Credit: Mark Cranham

"That was great to watch," said Scudamore, representing Lucinda Russell. "He's in the Grand Annual, he'll need his 5lb penalty there, but he'll certainly be going up more than that. If he gets in he'll do everyone very proud."

The Red Rum will also be a possibility for Douglas Talking, while another horse with Aintree options is Authorised Speed, who bounced back from a disappointing effort in the Tolworth to win the opening 2m novice hurdle.

"Liverpool is on the agenda but it's 50-50," said his trainer Gary Moore. "He's very unfurnished – Jamie [Moore] said he never really felt like he was going well until he turned into the straight, but jumping the third-last he came back on to the bridle hard."

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The Racing Post Cheltenham Festival Guide 2023 is available for £16.99 at racingpost.com/shop. Its 208 pages has profiles of more than 100 main contenders, plus the lowdown on the top trainers, key trends, build-up races to note, Racing Post Ratings and a Q&A with leading bookmakers.