Oscar nomination: Farmers hoping to claim Cheltenham Festival prize with Tommy’s Oscar

Sheep and cattle farmers by trade, they train just a handful of horses and their unlikely success with the likes of Tommy’s Oscar – and the ever durable Nuts Well – has earned a groundswell of support.

And just nine horses – including 2021 heroine Honeysuckle – stand between the Hamiltons and one of the unlikeliest winners in the rich history of the Champion Hurdle following final declarations for tomorrow’s showpiece race on day one of the National Hunt Festival.

Tommy’s Oscar, the mount of champion conditional Danny McMenamin, will be driven today by the Hamiltons on the six-hour trip to Cheltenham following four successive victories this season.

The emphatic nature of his win in the Grade Two Unibet Champion Hurdle Trial at Haydock in January convinced the owner-trainers that they have nothing to lose. Their biggest challenge, however, has been finding people to look after their farm and horses.

“We’re going to set off on Monday lunchtime. We wanted to go on Tuesday morning as he hasn’t stayed overnight anywhere before but it’s too much of a risk with traffic and things,” reported Ian Hamilton yesterday,

“Ann has met with a girl who’s going to look after things for us while we’re away. She’s going to look after the horses and a neighbour’s son is going to look after the cattle for us while we’re away, so I think we’re covered.”

Just as encouragingly, Hamilton reports a trouble-free build-up. “He worked on Tuesday last week and it did the job. Then Laura schooled him on Wednesday, and he was brilliant,” he said.

“Brian Hughes (2019-20 champion jockey) and everyone else has been telling us that it’s not very often that you have a horse good enough to go to Cheltenham, so we’ve got to go for it.

“He was impressed with him the other night when he worked with him and he said he felt good – so for him to say that he must be alright, because he’s quite modest.

“I can’t quite grasp it all yet and to me it’s just another horse race, but it’s just the best when you think about it. I’m not expecting too much because he hasn’t done that much yet, but he deserves to take his chance.

“He’s improving all the time and when he won the Champion Hurdle Trial at Haydock I saw a comparison with the novices’ race that Jonbon won. He was a good few seconds faster, so it was a good time for the ground.”

Hamilton, however, is wary about how Tommy’s Oscar handles the preliminaries – races can be lost here – and the need for luck in running. “He’s just a bit nervy, so it’ll be whether he’s able to handle the Cheltenham crowd on the day. He’s got a hood for the parade ring and then we’ll take it off and then he should be okay in the race itself,” he added.

“Our first runner at the Festival was with Runswick Royal in the County Hurdle a few years ago (2014) and he was in front halfway around, until a horse jumped in-front of him and Brian (Hughes) had to pull him up. My trainer wife said to me ‘I am never coming back here again’ – and now she wants to go!”

It is a remarkable rise to the top for the couple whose facilities are modest when compared to some of jump racing’s powerhouses.

Hamilton added: “Most of our horses have been sourced by a pal of mine, Howard Johnson, who used to train himself. We grew up together in County Durham and most of them have come from him. Nuts Well and Runswick Royal are out of the same mare (Renada) and they’ve both won the Premier Chase at Kelso.”