Jezki© Photo Healy Racing
Jessica Harrington's burning desire for Cheltenham Festival glory remains as strong as ever ahead of Jezki s bid for back-to-back triumphs in the Stan James Champion Hurdle.
The 68-year-old has been training out of Commonstown Stables at Moone in County Kildare since 1989, from where she has managed to rack up eight Festival winners since finding the bullseye for the first time with Space Trucker in the 1999 Grand Annual.
That is a not inconsiderable total given her raiding teams can usually be counted on one hand, although three of those victories have been registered by just one horse, the legendary chaser Moscow Flyer.
A horse with god-like status in Kildare, 'Moscow' won the Arkle in 2002 and the Queen Mother Champion Chase 12 months later, and though he came to grief when defending his crown, he brought the house down in 2005 when he regained his title.
With just the mention of his name bringing a beaming smile to her face, Harrington said: "Moscow was an amazing horse there and I suppose the greatest satisfaction I got was when he went back and regained his crown at the age of 11.
"That was real satisfaction as everyone said he couldn't do it and he went back and did it. I think that was the most satisfying win I've had at Cheltenham.
"When you have a horse like that, you actually don't really appreciate them until you don't have them. Every time I entered him in a race, whether it was a Grade One, Two or Three, he went out and he won it, or got rid of Barry (Geraghty)!
"Horses that good become special because they get the attention, I suppose. They like the camera and people around them. I do think horses like that are a bit like us - we like it all about us as well."
Jezki, already a veteran of three Festivals, undoubtedly has a way to go until he can be mentioned in the same breath as Moscow Flyer, but another win in the greatest hurdling prize of them all would at least give him a chance.
"If Jezki can win there again, that would be amazing, but I refuse to compare him to Moscow. It's a different buzz and a different age," the trainer went on.
The seven-year-old's first visit to Prestbury Park was fairly inauspicious as he finished eighth in the Champion Bumper behind Champagne Fever but he fared better next time by finishing third to the same horse in the Supreme Novices' Hurdle.
He looked to have it all to do as he aimed to make it third-time-lucky 12 months ago with hurdling great Hurricane Fly and a couple of former Festival winners in The New One and the ill-fated Our Conor in opposition, but with the application of a hood proving a masterstroke, Jezki powered up the hill to clinch a momentous success.
Harrington said: "Cheltenham's a great place. Some horses just light up and really enjoy it and Jezki is one of them.
"I made a mistake running him in the Champion Bumper as a four-year-old, but hindsight is great as you realise your mistakes. The following year he won his maiden hurdle, a Grade Three Hurdle and two Grade Ones and we knew he was a special horse."
Reflecting on last year, she said: "I was happy he hadn't got lit up in the parade ring or the preliminaries. He jumped the first hurdle and took a bit of a tug and then everything just unfolded. It was fantastic. I couldn't believe it. It was amazing.
"It (winning at Cheltenham) still feels as good as ever. It always makes the hairs on the back of your neck stand up. I've been lucky to have had a few winners at Cheltenham. When it happens you get that buzz again. It's a good excuse to celebrate, too!"
With Hurricane Fly having bettered Jezki on three occasions on home soil this season, Harrington's ace will not be favourite to defend his title, and she is determined to enjoy the occasion, win, lose or draw.
She said: "If he wins a second, we'll be looking for a third and a fourth. You're always looking to get better. If he wins, fantastic, but if he runs a good race and comes back in one piece, I'll still be happy. I'll be disappointed initially, but afterwards I'll think, 'he ran a good race, what more could I have done?'."
Jezki spearheads another small but select Harrington team heading across the Irish Sea, with his elder half-brother Jetson not a no-hoper in the World Hurdle. The pair could be joined by two or three stable companions in some of the lesser races.
The trainer added: " I'm not keen on taking horses over there unless I feel they can finish in the first four. I don't want to be going over there making up the numbers."
With all the hard work on the gallops now done, Harrington plans to leave the final preparations to her trusted team.
She said: " I head to Lambourn on the Monday to stay with Nicky Henderson, which is great. There's plenty of friendly rivalry. He hasn't got anything for the Champion Hurdle this year, but last year I beat him and he was the first person to congratulate me. All's fair in love and war."
