Carruthers went into the Hennessy under a bit of a cloud because a new jockey had said he thought he needed a wind operation when he ran at Cheltenham two weeks previously. Sara, who is Carruther’s best friend and ally, was confident that a tongue strap would help any wind impediment. Carruthers is not keen on anything new and was not at all sure about the application of the tongue strap at the races, although he had been perfectly happy with it at home, and made such a fuss about it, that he bit his tongue. However, he seemed keen to race and Sara escorted him to the start where he started off well but soon found the pace demanding.
The first four fences down the back straight are always taken at a sprint in the Hennessy and finding himself out of his comfort zone, Carruthers was unable to jump with his usual grace. Not only that, he was surrounded by menacingly big horses. Our little Carruthers looked beaten until, suddenly, the pace slackened going to the cross fence. Jockey Matty Bachelor took the initiative and pushed him back up to the front. From that moment, Carruthers had space; he switched up a gear and jumped and galloped all the way to the finishing line.
Our heroic little Carruthers had overcome his demons and showed the world just how capable he is. A day that dreams are made of.