Aye Right to fly the flag for northern racing in Cheltenham Gold Cup

Yet her regard for Aye Right – and her tight-knit team – is such that the Scottish Borders trainer, who is also clerk of the course at Hamilton, believes that her stable star deserves a place in the blue riband race alongside Lucinda Russell’s exciting novice Ahoy Senor.

Placed in four major races last season, including an impressive third behind Vintage Clouds in the Ultima Chase at Cheltenham, the Geoff and Elspeth Adam-owned Aye Right landed Newcastle’s Rehearsal Chase on his last start under Callum Bewley.

Now nine, the horse will either line up in Doncaster’s Sky Bet Chase on January 29 – he was second in last year’s renewal – or the Cotswold Chase at Cheltenham on the same day.

“It will be either of those two. And then we’ve got entries coming up for the Spring,” said Graham. “We’ve entered him in the Gold Cup and he’ll be entered in the Ultima as well. You need to have an entry, otherwise you don’t want to be supplementing them at a later date.”

The form of the Newcastle win was given a boost when the runner-up, Good Boy Bobby, won the Rowland Meyrick Chase at Wetherby on Boxing Day, but there is a slight sting in the tail.

“He’s gone up 1lb for standing in his stable because Good Boy Bobby won at Wetherby,” said Jedburgh-based Graham before ruling out a crack at the Randox Grand National this year.

“The owners are not keen on the National. Possibly next year, they said. You just have to go on what the owners want. He’s not a big horse, but then again neither was Tiger Roll! It’s just nice to have a horse that people are talking about for those races.”

Michael Dickinson has paid tribute to Da Hoss, who he saddled to Breeders’ Cup Mile glory in 1996 – and then again two years later.

The former Yorkshire National Hunt trainer describes the horse’s latter win as the most significant of his Flat career because of the injuries that the horse overcame before prevailing in 1998 after just one run in two years.

His inspiring finish in the 1998 renewal prompted race-caller Tom Durkin to exclaim: “The greatest comeback since Lazarus!

“He was our horse of a lifetime,” said Dickinson. “We all loved him. He brought us so many highs, even with his problems, we knew he would never let us down.”

There is strong Yorkshire representation on the shortlist for the 2022 Godolphin Stud & Stable Staff Awards.

Timothy Hogg, who works for Leyburn trainer Jedd O’Keeffe, is in the ‘leadership’ category while Simon Olley, assistant to Catterick trainer Phil Kirby, is in the running for the ‘dedication’ award.

Paddy Trainor and John Nicholson, colleagues at Mark Johnston Racing, are in the ‘rider/groom’ category while Kevin and Pam Atkinson, of New Beginnings, are in the running for the ‘community’ award.

They look after retired racehorses, including 2008 Cheltenham Festival hero Mister McGoldrick.