Aldaniti: The Story of a Champion

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Because of his history of leg injuries, Josh gave him minimal preparatory runs. He had had only one run in 17 months before his National win.

Their legacy is a sense of hope for all those who follow in their paths. They taught us that, even when things look desperate, success is just over the next fence for those who choose to make the jump. As well as his book and the film, Champion was surprised by presenter Eamonn Andrews for the television show, This Is Your Life, on his wedding day later that year. The first time I got round was the Crisp versus Red Rum National, and to me that was the greatest National ever," he said. After losing his claim, Bob “struggled a bit, and then went freelance”, eventually working for Monty Stevens, who mainly trained hurdlers, “a self-made man, a real horseman and farmer, and a brilliant feeder,” according to Bob. ‘A superb horseman’ He raced over the famous Aintree fences eight times after returning to Britain, always keeping his eyes on the big prize. However, his career and life was about to take a major detour. Champion’s IllnessHe was bred by Tommy Barron in Yorkshire and named after his four grandchildren – Alastair, David, Nicola and Timothy. verifyErrors }}{{ message }}{{ /verifyErrors }}{{ Again Aldaniti started his return on good form, finishing third in the Cheltenham Gold Cup and second in the Scottish Grand National. In the meantime Champion learnt that he had cancer and his great motivation for getting through his chemotherapy treatment was his dream of riding Aldaniti in the 1980 Grand National. Unfortunately it was not to be, Aldaniti pulled up lame yet again when being ridden by Richard Rowe in his first run of the season. Gifford believed this time that he would never race again.

They're two women that have done a fantastic job for racing, and it's great to see them doing so well. They deserve their success. He took to jumping straight away,” says Althea Gifford. “He was just a natural jumper, very flamboyant. He could just stand off and always get there. Your heart was never in your mouth with him.”

Strong at the end

Everyone asked, ‘Do you want to pull Niti out of the National?’” remembers Alex Embiricos. “But it was Dad’s dream, and Bob’s dream to win it..” Having been made England captain at 24, Botham struggled to live up to expectations. Under his leadership, the national team had suffered heavy defeats in successive series against the West Indies. They’d failed to win any of the 12 Tests during his time as captain, while his personal form seemed to crumble too. But then he hit the buffers: Josh’s horses hit a poor run of form, and owners began to doubt Bob’s ability. “I was getting no rides whatsoever,” he remembers. “Honestly, I don’t think I was as good as I was before – my lung capacity was damaged and I had to work harder to get fit. But Josh stood by me.”