'I can't believe he isn't here to see it' - Trish lands £54,000 Tote Ten to Follow with a team picked with her late husband

The £54,000 first prize in the Tote Ten to Follow jumps competition has been won by the Trish Knows Best 7 stable selected by 80-year-old Trish and her husband Ken last November, a month before his death and after many years of trying to land the season-long competition, jumps and Flat. 

“I can’t believe after all these years of entering the Ten to Follow we’ve finally won it, and he isn’t here to see it," Trish said on Monday as the realisation of the long yearned for success started to sink in.

"I was so excited going into the last day because I'd had a look at the other entries near the top and realised if Corach Rambler didn’t win the Grand National and Found A Fifty won the novices' chase it would put me on top spot, so I had a little bet on Lucinda Russell’s horse just in case. 

"I didn’t have to worry too long in the big race, but the next hour was a bit stressful. I took the dog for a walk to calm myself down and watched Found A Fifty's race on the Tote website.  I thought the dream was over when he got the last fence a little wrong, but I cheered him home so loudly on the run-in I scared the dog.”

Found A Fifty, who was passed by Master Chewy after the last, rallied to win by a head under Jack Kennedy and fulfil the ambitions of a couple who got into racing having lived and worked for 40 years in Newmarket, where they were annual members.

On retiring to Dorset they remained keen racing followers, transferring their membership to Wincanton and always buying the Horses in Training annual to help with their Ten to Follow selections. However, after her husband's untimely death and the Ten to Follow success there is likely to be another move for Trish.

“Now I’m on my own I was thinking about moving a bit closer to some of the family" she said. "And this is a massive help to make that possible.”

As her husband might well have said had he been able to share their moment of triumph, Trish really does know best.

Tote Ten to Follow 2023-24 - Final standings

TOP HORSES
1 Galopin Des Champs 71.2% of teams 158.11 points
2 State Man 63.1% 156.30
3 Jonbon 66.1% 127.55
4 I Am Maximus 1.7% 107.70
5 Gaelic Warrior 28% 94.20
6 Fact To File 23.4% 93.72
7 Stellar Story 0.1% 88.60
8 Captain Guinness 1.5% 85.30
9 Teahupoo 23% 82.55
10 Gerri Colombe 39.1% 82.07

TOP TEAMS
1 Trish Knows Best 7 957.88 points
2 The Plant 18 934.20
3 155 and Counting 2 932.71
4 Mr Henry Potter 537 932.33
5 Arkle Himself 4 930.10
6 Robert Winchcole 7 8 929.80
7 Split three ways stroke two ten 916.03
8 Brenny from the knock 914.53
9 Nakis 5 912.63
10 Mr Henry Potter 532 912.21

WINNER'S STABLE - Trish Knows Best  7
Galopin Des Champs 158.11 points
State Man 156.30
Jonbon 127.55
Fact To File 93.72
Gerri Colombe 82.07
Found A Fifty 76.28
Ballyburn 69.20
Sir Gino 64.50
Teahupoo 53.45
El Fabiolo 49.50

Read these next:

Jack Kennedy and Gordon Elliott land Grade 1 double as Found A Fifty edges Maghull thriller 

The Front Page: a comprehensive debrief of the 2024 Grand National 

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