The annual racing festival in Cheltenham always figured very highly in my parents life and they went there most years.
Almost inevitably it coincided with my birthday so I have fond memories of, on the times when they had done well, doing even better than normal for presents when they returned.

Despite my parents love of the turf it has always left me a bit cold but it was the Cheltenham Gold Cup which gave me my best racing moment.

In 1996 , still very much a restaurateur, I was given a tip for The Gold Cup in Cheltenham.
The tip, for a horse called Imperial Call, came directly from the mouth of the horse itself.
For once I decided to throw caution to the winds and put £25 on it.

Now my milkman, who was known as Billy The Milk, until he took his wife to Paris for the weekend and since had been called Guillaume Le Lait, was, unlike me, a definite punter.

On the morning of the race Guillaume arrived with the milk and I told him of my tip.
His face fell.
Apparently he had been put on a betting ration by his wife and his entire budget for Cheltenham had already been blown.

Of course Imperial Call (with a not related jockey called O’ Dwyer on top) won the Gold Cup.
I think I made about £200 but I rather dreaded meeting Guillaume in the morning.

I needen’t have worried.

Guillaume arrived beaming at the day after and I was hugged.

“God Bless you Martin Dwyer !” he said.

Apparently he was so impressed with getting a tip from me, and it’s provinance that he had gone and put his wife’s housekeeping money on the nose of Imperial Call.
If the horse had lost he would certainly been divorced.
As it was he had made about a thousand pounds and covered all his other losses in Cheltenham.

Without a doubt my best racing moment.