Simon Hunt owns The Giant Bolster, runner-up in the Cheltenham Gold Cup.
Here, he describes how he became fascinated with racing and formed a bond with Stow-on-the-Wold trainer David Bridgwater.
I was first introduced to racing by two heroes of mine, my grandad Jack Hunt and his brother, my great uncle Albert Hunt.
Every day without fail their racing paper of choice, the Daily Mirror, would be spread out on their dark oak dining tables.
Ball-point pen marked the racing pages, selections carefully made by two keen followers of, as they told me, 'the sport of kings.'
On retirement they both took pleasure from a sociable walk to the local William Hill, where very small wagers were made.
These bets were pure fun and a hobby, with great pride taken in selecting a winner from a lifetime of knowledge of the turf and pinching a shilling back from Mr Hill.
The routine and ritual fascinated me and it wasn't long before I could work out a bet.
On clocking up his 40th working year for British Rail, my grandpa was given a choice of a long-service gifts.
He opted for the Hilkinson binoculars for 'bird watching and horseracing', he said, and these binoculars are never far from my side when we watch our horses run.
How proud he would have been that they were viewing The Giant Bolster when he give his all in the Cheltenham Gold Cup. How lucky we have been!
At around 15 years old, I used to sneak into the local Joe Corals with a good friend of mine, Gary Lambton, and 33 years on I am pleased to have him and his wife Tracey at my side when we are roaring The Giant Bolster home.
We all still pinch ourselves that we have been privileged to take our place in the Cheltenham winner's enclosure.
We couldn't have even dreamed it up when following the turf from our betting shop stools.
It's fair to say that through hard work and opportunity, business has treated me well, although nothing can be taken for granted in the construction industry.
Through an introduction to trainer David Bridgwater by an owner at his yard, Terry Amos, in 2007, and inspired by the lasting thrill of seeing Best Mate win his third Gold Cup in 2004, I made my first purchase, a mare named Lady Romanov.
Aside from all the official paperwork, I enjoyed choosing my own colours, which would not only carry my hopes and dreams but would be a tribute to those family legends who had gone before me.
It was soon off with the family, wife Liz and boys Jack and Joe to Market Rasen for a novice hurdle. With the trusty binoculars, I can't describe the emotion of seeing my colours carried for the first time.
This was something achieved for my grandpa and great uncle. My dad knows that.
Finishing ninth out of 13, under Ollie McPhail, it was all over very quickly, then an in-depth discussion with the enthusiastic Bridgie.
Lady Romanov showed signs of improvement and after a couple of races snatched fourth at Ludlow, before pulling up at Towcester.
After a short break, a run on the all-weather at Southwell was suggested.
On a freezing cold day finishing sixth out of six, with no trainer on hand, that was a bleak dark drive home, thinking, 'I'm not in it for this!' Lessons learnt all round.
To be fair to Bridgie, I saw the next 18 months as a turning point for his yard.
He's a great lad, enthusiastic, ambitious, knows horses inside out, and just needed a bit of luck and some better horses.
Towards the end of 2007, I bought a yearling with a small syndicate, the Deauville Daze Partnership.
Trained by Sylvester Kirk, he was named Talking Hands, in connection with my eldest son Jack who is deaf and uses British Sign Language. He loves his racing.
With a great name, what a star two-year-old he proved to be, winning at Wolverhampton, then Ascot.
Two weeks later he returned to win a Listed race on King George Day, followed by fourth place in the Solario and fifth of 33 in the valuable Weatherbys Stakes at the Leger meeting.
That was some introduction to top-flight racing but my burning passion remained for National Hunt and a Cheltenham dream!
Lady Romanov progressed erratically, but my son Jack loved her.
In 2008 in a selling hurdle at Huntingdon, she hit the front close to home only to be beaten on the line by a head.
Celebrating a great run we returned to the bar, when Bridgie took an unexpected call to say she had been 'claimed' for £6,000. How were we going to explain this to an excited Jack?
On receiving the news with a flurry of signing hands, he walked outside, sat against the fence and cried his heart out.
He couldn't even get to see her as she was already in the box and gone.
We all left feeling gutted that day, Bridgie included. Jack didn't deserve that.
It was the first big emotional experience I had shared with Bridgie, not knowing we had many more to come.
It's these experiences for which we will always have a lifelong bond no matter whether I have horses with him or not. He's a top bloke.
So the search was on for a new horse with Bridgie.
This time I wanted a pure National Hunt horse, unraced, and I was prepared to be patient for a horse that could be a project.
Bridgie went to Germany with bloodstock agent Niall McLoughlin and reported back he'd seen a 'good 'un'.
The breeding looked good to me, the horse looked sound and after good advice from Bridgie, I bought him off Niall.
All along Bridgie said he felt like a 'good 'un', he just had something about him.
St Agnes in Cornwall is a special place for me and my family, and the legend of the Giant Bolster, the giant who used to terrorise the villagers, is part of St Agnes folklore.
We named our new horse The Giant Bolster and hoped he could show the same passion and enthusiasm as the great village of St Agnes.
Here, he describes how he became fascinated with racing and formed a bond with Stow-on-the-Wold trainer David Bridgwater.
I was first introduced to racing by two heroes of mine, my grandad Jack Hunt and his brother, my great uncle Albert Hunt.
Every day without fail their racing paper of choice, the Daily Mirror, would be spread out on their dark oak dining tables.
Ball-point pen marked the racing pages, selections carefully made by two keen followers of, as they told me, 'the sport of kings.'
On retirement they both took pleasure from a sociable walk to the local William Hill, where very small wagers were made.
These bets were pure fun and a hobby, with great pride taken in selecting a winner from a lifetime of knowledge of the turf and pinching a shilling back from Mr Hill.
The routine and ritual fascinated me and it wasn't long before I could work out a bet.
On clocking up his 40th working year for British Rail, my grandpa was given a choice of a long-service gifts.
He opted for the Hilkinson binoculars for 'bird watching and horseracing', he said, and these binoculars are never far from my side when we watch our horses run.
How proud he would have been that they were viewing The Giant Bolster when he give his all in the Cheltenham Gold Cup. How lucky we have been!
At around 15 years old, I used to sneak into the local Joe Corals with a good friend of mine, Gary Lambton, and 33 years on I am pleased to have him and his wife Tracey at my side when we are roaring The Giant Bolster home.
We all still pinch ourselves that we have been privileged to take our place in the Cheltenham winner's enclosure.
We couldn't have even dreamed it up when following the turf from our betting shop stools.
It's fair to say that through hard work and opportunity, business has treated me well, although nothing can be taken for granted in the construction industry.
Through an introduction to trainer David Bridgwater by an owner at his yard, Terry Amos, in 2007, and inspired by the lasting thrill of seeing Best Mate win his third Gold Cup in 2004, I made my first purchase, a mare named Lady Romanov.
Aside from all the official paperwork, I enjoyed choosing my own colours, which would not only carry my hopes and dreams but would be a tribute to those family legends who had gone before me.
It was soon off with the family, wife Liz and boys Jack and Joe to Market Rasen for a novice hurdle. With the trusty binoculars, I can't describe the emotion of seeing my colours carried for the first time.
This was something achieved for my grandpa and great uncle. My dad knows that.
Finishing ninth out of 13, under Ollie McPhail, it was all over very quickly, then an in-depth discussion with the enthusiastic Bridgie.
Lady Romanov showed signs of improvement and after a couple of races snatched fourth at Ludlow, before pulling up at Towcester.
After a short break, a run on the all-weather at Southwell was suggested.
On a freezing cold day finishing sixth out of six, with no trainer on hand, that was a bleak dark drive home, thinking, 'I'm not in it for this!' Lessons learnt all round.
To be fair to Bridgie, I saw the next 18 months as a turning point for his yard.
He's a great lad, enthusiastic, ambitious, knows horses inside out, and just needed a bit of luck and some better horses.
Towards the end of 2007, I bought a yearling with a small syndicate, the Deauville Daze Partnership.
Trained by Sylvester Kirk, he was named Talking Hands, in connection with my eldest son Jack who is deaf and uses British Sign Language. He loves his racing.
With a great name, what a star two-year-old he proved to be, winning at Wolverhampton, then Ascot.
Two weeks later he returned to win a Listed race on King George Day, followed by fourth place in the Solario and fifth of 33 in the valuable Weatherbys Stakes at the Leger meeting.
That was some introduction to top-flight racing but my burning passion remained for National Hunt and a Cheltenham dream!
Lady Romanov progressed erratically, but my son Jack loved her.
In 2008 in a selling hurdle at Huntingdon, she hit the front close to home only to be beaten on the line by a head.
Celebrating a great run we returned to the bar, when Bridgie took an unexpected call to say she had been 'claimed' for £6,000. How were we going to explain this to an excited Jack?
On receiving the news with a flurry of signing hands, he walked outside, sat against the fence and cried his heart out.
He couldn't even get to see her as she was already in the box and gone.
We all left feeling gutted that day, Bridgie included. Jack didn't deserve that.
It was the first big emotional experience I had shared with Bridgie, not knowing we had many more to come.
It's these experiences for which we will always have a lifelong bond no matter whether I have horses with him or not. He's a top bloke.
So the search was on for a new horse with Bridgie.
This time I wanted a pure National Hunt horse, unraced, and I was prepared to be patient for a horse that could be a project.
Bridgie went to Germany with bloodstock agent Niall McLoughlin and reported back he'd seen a 'good 'un'.
The breeding looked good to me, the horse looked sound and after good advice from Bridgie, I bought him off Niall.
All along Bridgie said he felt like a 'good 'un', he just had something about him.
St Agnes in Cornwall is a special place for me and my family, and the legend of the Giant Bolster, the giant who used to terrorise the villagers, is part of St Agnes folklore.
We named our new horse The Giant Bolster and hoped he could show the same passion and enthusiasm as the great village of St Agnes.
