Jodami's triumph gives Beaumont licence to revel in his memories

"If I had, I would carry on," reflected the 75-year-old as he finalised plans for his last entries who are likely to feature at low-key

meetings at Sedgefield and Southwell next week. "But I haven't so I won't renew my training licence at the end of the month."

Though both tracks have modest appeal, they are a far cry from

Cheltenham and the brilliant jumper Jodami's finest hour in 1993 when he galloped into the history books despite losing a shoe on the turn for home.

Or the likes of Haydock and Ayr where Beaumont enjoyed so much success with great staying horses like Young Kenny, JJ Henry, Bobby Grant and Hussard Collonges, who won the Royal & SunAlliance Chase at Cheltenham as recently as 2002.

Top chasers, they were all fortunate to have had such an astute trainer who always abided by the timeless maxim 'quality before quantity'.

For, while the likes of Paul Nicholls, David Pipe and Nicky Henderson train more than 100 horses, Beaumont never had more than 30 animals at any one time at his idyllic Foulrice Farm at Brandsby.

It has been his home for 41 years. Born in Harrogate, Beaumont grew up in Ripley – his father farmed and trained point-to-point horses.

He clearly inherited his father's love of the countryside. Beaumont, too, milked cows for a living before enjoying considerable success in point-to-point racing.

He only began training under National Hunt rules in 1986. He always had a good eye for a horse and thought he could make a living from the sport. So it proved with his discovery of Jodami – the future champion who was to be the last of the great generation of Yorkshire-trained Gold Cup heroes that comprised Alverton, Little Owl, Silver Buck, Bregawn and Forgive 'N' Forget.

"I'd gone to Ireland to look at a couple of other horses. I had an hour to spare so Frank Berry, JP McManus's racing manager, suggested I saw this other horse," recalled Beaumont.

"This horse was stood in the Army barracks on The Curragh. He belonged to a commandant in the Irish Army. He was just a nice horse so I bought him for John Yeadon, an owner of mine.

"It was only when we got him back, he did a gallop for the first time and then won his first race – a Bumper at Kelso in March 1990 – that we realised we had something special."

The horse was registered as Jodami because its owner wanted a name that incorporated his Christian name John and also those of David and

Michael, his two sons.

One of the biggest challenges was getting the horse fit each

season. "He summered too well on Mr Yeadon's lush grass at his farm at Kirby Overblow," revealed Beaumont.

Yet the trainer worked his magic. Jodami's 18 wins also included three Hennessy Cognac Gold Cups in Ireland. His final victory – the Peter Marsh Chase at Haydock in January 1997, the highlight of today's racing programme – saw him break the course record as a 12-year-old.

But it is the Gold Cup victory which remains etched in the memory. Unlike many of today's high-profile trainers, Beamount drove the horse box from north of York to Cheltenham on the eve of the 1993 Gold Cup.

"I always used to drive the wagon," he said. "Mind, we had to delay the return to the morning after the Gold Cup. I remember the race like yesterday. A bit of apprehension, a lot of excitement, and then when he slipped on the last bend and lost a shoe.

"To think how close he came the following year to winning two in a row. One good stride at the last and he might have done so. Still not many have done so – Arkle, Best Mate. We did well to get so close."

It is why the Yeadon family were always inundated with offers to buy Jodami. They always refused – the horse stayed with his devoted trainer until he died at the age of 23.

Many have described Jodami as the 'Denman of his time', a big strapping chaser with stamina to match.

Beaumont is reluctant to make comparisons between equine

generations. "All the fuss now about Kauto Star and Arkle. Why can't people accept that they were both brilliant horses at different times?" he said.

Likewise, Beaumont – described, without exception, by all those who paid tribute to his career as 'a true racing gentleman' – does not just single out Jodami for sole praise.

He recalls Young Kenny, his brilliant Scottish National winner who was favourite for the Grand National when he shattered a joint at Haydock and had to be put down; he had the misfortune to lose Bobby Grant at the same course. Both suffered their fatal injuries running on the flat between fences.

There was Niki Dee, too, third to Papillon in the 2000 National.

And he was filled with pride as he watched his daughter Anthea Morshead become the first female jockey to beat male professionals over

Aintree's fearsome fences when JJ Henry won the 1991 John Hughes

Memorial Chase.

She is now clerk of the course at Perth, Musselburgh, Kelso and

Cartmel. "We didn't do badly, did we?" said Beaumount. "If she had wanted to train horses, I would have given up years ago – but she's too sensible.

"My son Stuart will continue to take care of the farming side of things here – we do sheep and hay – and my assistant Patrick Holmes is taking out a lease on the stables.

"I'll still be involved. I'm going to the Peter Marsh Chase today. Watching Jodami win at the age of 12 was special, and if he hadn't

broken down he would have won a fourth Irish Hennessy."

In many respects, Beaumont is the last of a generation of farmers who scaled racing's greatest heights (remember Sirrel Griffiths, the Welsh dairy farmer whose 100-1 outsider Norton's Coin beat Desert Orchid in 1990 at Cheltenham)?

As he said, the sport is monopolized by the big stables. Would he like their pressure to succeed and get results? "Good luck to them, but no."

And then the realisation dawns on him. "Mind you, not many have won a Gold Cup."

Owen gives helping hand to mccain

MICHAEL Owen may be struggling to make his mark on the football pitch but the Manchester United and England striker is becoming increasingly influential in his 'second' sport.

If Cloudy Lane wins today's feature Peter Marsh Chase at Haydock, connections will have Team Owen to thank for its role in the horse's preparations.

Trained by Donald McCain whose father Ginger guided Red Rum's career, his Cheshire stables were hit by temperatures of -14C.

However, Owen and his trainer Tom Dascombe came to the rescue and allowed McCain to use their gallops.

McCain is hoping for a big run from Cloudy Lane, a former Doncaster winner who was the unsuccessful favourite in the 2008 Grand National.

"We have been going to Michael Owen's and Tom Dascombe has been very helpful so we have kept galloping," said McCain. "It was unfortunate Cloudy Lane didn't get a run in Ireland. He will go to Haydock, although 12st in heavy ground isn't ideal, but it is difficult to swerve a race on a track where he has won so many."

The 12-runner field is headed by last year's Grand National winner Mon Mome.

Intriguing entries from Yorkshire yards include Keith Reveley's Jass, Sue Smith's

Mr Strachan and According To Peter from the Malton yard of Malcolm Jefferson.

It is a big day for Jefferson – he will determine star hurdler Cape Tribulation's Cheltenham target after Haydock's Champion Hurdle trial on the same cards.

And although the line-up is headed by Nicky Henderson's Punjabi, the current champion, Jefferson is keen to use hold-up tactics before deciding whether the horse contests the Champion Hurdle or three-mile Ladbrokes World Hurdle at the Cheltenham Festival in March.

TODAY'S BEST

DUKE'S DOUBLE

Palypso De Creek (3.30 Haydock), nap and Malko De Beaumont (1.4

Haydock).

DUKE'S TREBLE

Palypso De Creek, Malko De Beaumont and Petit Robin (2.40 Ascot).

JULIUS'S DOUBLE

Miss Mitch (3.45 Ascot), nap and Sakile (2.15 Lingfield).

FORMNAP

Twist Magic (2.40 Ascot).