Cheltenham 2005: World Hurdle: World more than enough for top trio as their `little dude' Drever does them proud.

Byline: Lee Mottershead

FACES etched with smiles of happy disbelief. Sipping champagne - or in Graham Lee's case sipping nothing - mere minutes after Inglis Drever had toppled Baracouda, the new champ's connections had the air of people who could not quite believe their luck. When it sinks in, they will float on a high no alcohol could induce.

What happened to Lee, Howard Johnson and Graham Wylie yesterday was beyond their wildest dreams, as was what happened to them on Tuesday and Wednesday.

To have left the Festival with one winner would have been accepted gratefully and with enthusiasm. Yet on Ladbrokes World Hurdle day, their week got even better. By securing a famous victory in the Stayers' Hurdle-that-was, Inglis Drever took his team's tally for the week to three and proved conclusively that, whatever 007 might think, the World is more than enough.

Even his shadow beat Baracouda. On the day that the sun painted Cheltenham in glorious technicolour, Inglis Drever shone. A horse who would not even have been at the Festival had stablemate Royal Rosa stayed sound, Inglis Drever pulled a handsome three lengths clear of the French giant hailed the greatest staying hurdler that ever lived.

Arcalis and No Refuge might have already scored for jumping's newest superpower, but this was the one they fancied most. Campaigned all season over two miles, Inglis Drever had long been considered a Champion Hurdle horse. But racing over three miles for the first time, he excelled, confirming just why he is Lee's main man.

``He's tough, he's genuine, he's a little dude,'' said Lee, understandably Inglis Drever's most ardent fan. ``I'm chuffed for the horse. His heart's as big as that winner's enclosure and when he got going up that hill he wasn't going to get beat.''

Like the man who rides him and the man who trains him, Inglis Drever is a grafter. When he races, he makes Lee work, but never as hard as he works himself. Although on this occasion, he needed a little mid-race encouragement.

``I didn't travel well and I had to give him two round the backside coming past the stands,'' said Lee.

``I yelled at him, `hey you're at Cheltenham, pull your finger out', and, by Jaysus, he did.''

And, by Jaysus, he had to. As Westender led the World Hurdle field downhill to the penultimate hurdle, Inglis Drever was going nowhere, his backside all the time being warmed by Lee's whip. Soon after the hurdle, the backside became still warmer and, as heads were turned for home, sixth was the best Inglis Drever could manage. Then, though, he took off. Scything through the field, he had gone past all those in front of him - including Baracouda - by the time he flew the final flight. From that point on, there would be only one winner.

For the normally ebullient Johnson, a man in control of 600 cattle, not far off 200 horses and now past pounds 1 million for the season, it all seemed a bit much. ``It's not bad for a sheep farmer,'' he mused. ``This has all been a dream since we arrived at Cheltenham on Tuesday. I never expected it. I knew the horses were in good form but you don't come to Cheltenham expecting this.''

He had, though, expected plenty from Inglis Drever. ``He's the one I fancied,'' he admitted. And why? ``He goes up our grass hill like a tank. I knew he was in good shape. We call him Popeye at home and today his eyes were popping. He's like my little terrier - he's tough and genuine.''

As for Wylie, the owner of 89 horses in Johnson's yard, his normal calm exterior was broken for the very best of reasons. ``I was very calm until the last hurdle and then I was jumping up and down like a yo-yo,'' he said. ``You go into this game just hoping for a few winners but I could never have dreamed of a week like this. I'm surprised, but Howard puts in such a lot of work. I just stand in the stands, jumping up and down screaming.''

If Wylie is to scream again for Inglis Drever this season, it will be in the Aintree Hurdle. Indeed, but for Royal Rosa injuring a tendon last month, Inglis Drever would have missed Cheltenham and gone straight to Aintree instead. That's because, up against his injured stable companion, he has had to play second fiddle. Now, at least in the eyes of Johnson, Wylie and Lee, Inglis Drever, the little dude who did them proud, will never play second fiddle again.

2006 World HurdleWilliam Hill: 5-2 Inglis Drever, 5 Rule Supreme, 6 Baracouda.

Alastair Down, pages 16-17