Cheltenham Festival: Trainer Fiona Needham plotting Cheltenham double with mare Sine Nomine

It is 22 years since Needham won the three-mile two-and-a-half-furlong contest, then known as the Foxhunters’ Chase, on 20-1 shot Last Option – a horse bred, owned and trained by her father, Robin Tate.

Now she hopes to repeat the feat as a member of the training ranks, in a race sometimes referred to as the “amateur Gold Cup” with a mare which is also owned by her father,

“Touch wood everything is fine and we are still on course but I am getting a bit jittery,” she told The Yorkshire Post.

“She has been very consistent and been a star, really. She took a little while to gain her confidence when jumping, but every time we seem to chuck her in at the deep end, she continues to come up trumps for us.

“She always gives 110 percent and whatever she does on the day, she has been a star.”

The eight-year-old’s name means without name in Latin and those looking for a bit of divine inspiration in the race which follows the Boodles Cheltenham Gold Cup – featuring Leyburn’s Cheltenham hero The Real Whacker – could do worse than have the grey in their notebooks.

Needham explained: “She is out of a dam called Hymn to Love and a sire, Saint Des Saints, and there is a hymn called For All the Saints (written by the former Bishop of Wakefield, William Walsham How) and the tune for that is called Sine Nomine – hence the name.”

Currently rated around 18-1 by the bookmakers in a field of 14, led almost inevitably by a Mullins-trained horse – this time Willie’s nephew Emmet’s It’s On The Line, who is seeking to complete the four-timer, Needham’s charge has a strong record under rules and between the flags.

She warmed up for her Prestbury Park engagement with victory in the Vickers Customer Racing Club Open Hunters' Chase at Wetherby on February 3 over three miles on soft ground, under regular rider John Dawson.

That took her record under rules to three wins, a second and third place, from five runs.

In point-to-points, she has five wins, five seconds and a third to her name, to easily meet the criteria for eligibility.

“Someone else is doing the steering this time – he is probably a lot more proficient than I am!” said Needham.

“John has ridden her every single time – both pointing and under rules and when she was learning as a youngster and he certainly knows her.

“The main thing is the horse comes back safe and sound. I think she deserves her place in the line-up.”

Sine Nomine is trained in Boltby, a few miles outside of Thirsk, an area which is very hilly and a great place for training jumpers, according to Needham, who is a familiar face on the Yorkshire racing scene who also works as Catterick Bridge’s clerk of the course, as well as doing raceday clerking at Redcar, Thirsk and Wetherby.

“It’s very much a family concern. I ride her out every day and will be travelling down on the morning of the race.

“The weather seems to be helping us by keeping raining. She has won on good ground but it wasn’t her best run.

"Anything good to softer is ideal, because it also takes the edge off some of the other horses and the Irish contingent look rather hot.”

With no Yorkshire runners lining up today or tomorrow at Cheltenham, Friday looks to be the county’s best hope of success at Britain’s premier National Hunt meeting.

With Patrick Neville’s The Real Whacker is due to go to post in the Gold Cup, Needham is hoping that Friday could turn out to be “Yorkshire Day” at the track.

She said: “I won’t see Paddy, unfortunately, as I will be leading up and busy with mine.

"But I have met him at Catterick in the past and I hope he does well.

"The Real Whacker loves it round Cheltenham doesn’t he.”

As for Sine Nomine, she may be the horse without name, but many could be singing it out loud come Friday afternoon.

Cheltenham officials are expecting soft going for today’s opening day of the Festival.

After the wettest February on record, the water table remains exceptionally high which meant a relatively dry weekend at the track came in very useful.

“I think we’ll be soft ground for the first race, particularly if we get a few showers in the morning, said clerk of the course Jon Pullin.

“We’re dry tomorrow afternoon and Wednesday looks to be as well. Thursday could be showery and we could still be on soft ground and we will have to see how Friday plays out.

“At the moment, Friday looks like a combination of sunshine and showers, so we could end up on soft or maybe good to soft.”