Cheltenham delight for Shropshire owner John Hales as Aux Ptits Soins wins the Coral Cup
Ecstatic Shropshire owner John Hales declared he was "over the moon" after claiming another famous victory at the Cheltenham Festival today.
Hales combined with jockey Sam Twiston-Davies and champion trainer Paul Nicholls as Aux Ptits Soins won the Coral Cup.
And Hales, who is the chairman of Golden Bear Toys in Telford, was delighted with his French horse as he triumphed on his very first race in Britain.
"I am absolutely over the moon," he said.
"It's the first time Aux Ptits Soins has ever raced in England and he was magnificent. For him to perform that well in that company is an incredible achievement.
"He actually made a lot of mistakes in the race but to respond the way he did shows a lot of class.
"I couldn't be happier. We always knew he had a good chance but to see him actually win was fantastic. We had an absolutely wonderful day."
Hales who won the Grand National with Neptune Collonges in 2012, said he believes the Cheltenham win could just be the start for his talented horse.
"I bought him in September and we have had to wait and let him acclimatise to the food, water and weather in the UK," he said.
"But it has paid off spectacularly. He is potentially a brilliant horse and I will now run him at Aintree.
"It's important though that we first celebrate this victory. We will have a party, a real party, and I'm going to make sure everyone has a really good time."
