Sheikh Mohammed’s bloodstock advisor John Ferguson took his burgeoning second career as a National Hunt trainer to a new level when Cotton Mill won Saturday’s Novices’ Hurdle at Warwick.
Ferguson might be a new name to the trainers’ roster but from his Bloomfields yard just outside Newmarket he has made a sensational start with Cotton Mill completing a hat-trick and taking Ferguson’s strike-rate to well over 40 per cent.
The gelding’s gutsy triumph over Ambion Wood in the Grade Two event means Ferguson has sent out 18 winners from 42 runners and all roads now lead to the Cheltenham festival for the 11-2 winner.
“He travelled really well and the ground was probably to his liking, more good to soft than soft,” Ferguson said.
“All through the winter we’ve been walking through his paddock saying to ourselves we hope he gets to the Festival, but the burning question now is which race?
“He has speed but the way he battled suggests two miles and five furlongs (4200m) and that final hill might suit him. Anyway I’m thrilled with today’s performance and we have another two months in which to decide.”
Before becoming a bloodstock agent, Ferguson worked as a stablehand for Nick Gaselee then moved to Newmarket to work as an assistant to Sir Michael Stoute.
He divides his time between Dubai and England and admits Sheikh Mohammed’s help has been invaluable in his training career.
“You don’t have to be Albert Einstein to work out that Sheikh Mohammed has been a huge support to me,” Ferguson told the Guardian.
“He has given me a chance with horses that might otherwise have been sold to the four corners of the earth.”
PA AAP TURF
