Brecon trainer Sheila Lewis was painting nails in a beauty salon a year ago, but the decision to switch to training full time never looked better as Straw Fan Jack shot into Arkle Trophy consideration at Cheltenham.
The seven-year-old, partnered by Sean Houlihan, defeated the well-supported Gordon Elliott -trained Ash Tree Meadow in the two-mile squareintheair.com Novices' Chase to earn a 33-1 quote from Paddy Power for the Arkle.
Lewis was naturally delighted, especially when fellow Welsh handler Christian Williams sportingly ran down to the winner's enclosure to offer his congratulations with a kiss.
"Have you ever seen anyone so excited?" said Lewis after the half-length success.
"How can you imagine what this means to a small trainer? I quit the salon to train full time and it is a big dream come true. It was an easy decision."
Straw Fan Jack will have connections dreaming of the Festival meeting, having backed up his Ffos Las novice chase win 12 days previously.
"He has done us proud," added Lewis. "He ran in some big handicap hurdles last year and we chose to keep him hurdling.
"He probably should have gone chasing, but racing in some of those big fields, like the Greatwood, taught him to be a racehorse and wake up a bit – it has made more of a man of him.
"He does want better ground and the Arkle could be a dream – it had crossed my mind, but I'm too modest to say it. It is a dream. I am small-time."
Found On jumped her four rivals into submission in taking the 888Sport Novices' Limited Handicap Chase under Sean Bowen.
The seven-year-old had six lengths to spare at the finish of the extended two-mile-three-furlong event and took her winning steak to five, having landed three successive handicaps earlier in the year and added to that at Worcester on her seasonal bow last month.
Local trainer Martin Keighley is hopeful she can step up in class over the coming months.
He said: "She always makes the running and Sean came and said they all want to make the running.
"He is such a good rider that he gave her plenty of room over the first couple and she winged the second, and then she dominated the race. She was fit because she had a prep race and he just made good use of her, and her jumping is class. There were some good horses in there.
"We hope there is a nice Listed race for her. We will try to go down the mares' route and get some black type."
Jimmy The Digger took advantage as Anightinlambourn drifted across the track in the closing stages of the Andrew Malam Lifetime In Racing Award Winner Amateur Jockeys' Handicap Chase.
Alice Stevens managed to get a real flourish from the Henry Daly-trained winner, who got up to win by half a length.
The victory was all the more special to Daly, as the nine-year-old is owned by Mrs Simon Clarke.
He explained: "Two years ago I managed to win a race for my mother here. Today, I've managed to win a race for my mother-in-law. I think that's quite cool.
"I was astonished this morning when I saw he was 20-1 and then some lunatics have backed him and he's won at 11-1. I find it amazing that people know a lot more about it than I do and they are much cleverer than me – well, good luck to them."
