Ginge splashes home to give connections plenty to celebrate

Splash Of Ginge was helped by more than a splash of rain in landing the £160,000 BetVictor Gold Cup, the feature of day two of Cheltenham's November meeting, and his popular success was greeted with a wave of cheers in the winner's enclosure.

Running in the colours of his enthusiastic Liverpudlian owner John Neild, Splash Of Ginge, seventh in this race two years ago, relished the testing conditions to give trainer Nigel Twiston-Davies his fourth success in the 2m4½f highlight and perhaps more importantly provide young rider Tom Bellamy with a landmark success in front of a 30,634-strong crowd and one showcased on ITV's main channel.

It is not the first major handicap the nine-year-old has landed – he won the Betfair Hurdle as a 33-1 shot in 2014 – and connections have half an eye on the greatest of them all as Neild, who runs a bio-fuel business, took odds of 1,000-1 before his pride and joy even ran that one day he would win the Grand National.

"As soon as this rain kept on and on, it's key to him, he probably wants it heavy now," said Twiston-Davies, not in the slightest bit bothered he was getting soggier and soggier.

"He won the Betfair Hurdle on heavy and it's come right. I talked to John, who has a lot of opinions as you can imagine, about running him and I said, 'We better take him out [when it didn't look like the rain would come], but it will probably be all right'."

Grand National ambitions

Twiston-Davies, second only behind Martin Pipe as the most successful trainer in the race that has had a number of former guises, is based a stone's throw from the home of jump racing and it is likely the football crowd-style chants from Splash Of Ginge's devoted supporters could also be heard back at Grange Hill Farm.

"The whole of Liverpool has turned up," he added. "It's really brilliant, especially with a horse like that who had lost his way a bit and it's great to give Tom, who's not having a great time, a chance – John likes to give the young jockeys a chance."

The trainer, who also had the fancied 9-1 shot Foxtail Hill finish eighth, credits a spell over hurdles last term for rejuvenating his 25-1 winner.

"I was thinking Foxtail Hill was going to do the job, but he couldn't on the ground," he said. "Ginge got his confidence back running over hurdles and he'll certainly be back for the handicap chase in December.

"We'll keep thinking about the National and being a Liverpudlian, it's John's ambition."

If the son of Oscar ever does end up striking at Aintree, the pubs and bars of Liverpool are assured of a profitable evening.

"When he won the Betfair Hurdle I think he took over the Hollow Bottom for four days and think his bar bill was something like £17,000!" Twiston-Davies explained.

Read exclusive previews from 6pm daily on racingpost.com