Going for gold at race festival (From Western Telegraph)

Going for gold at race festival

A Pembrokeshire-owned racehorse will be going for gold this week, a year after being pipped at the finishing post in the Cheltenham Gold Cup.

Take The Stand, affectionately known as Stan, was second in last year's race, a good eight lengths ahead of his nearest rival.

At 66-1 he took the bookies by surprise but not his owners, Frank and Enid Ridge. Their little flutter netted them £4,500.

The Ridges, of Vaynor, Bethesda, Narberth, jointly own Stan with retired Pembrokeshire engineer, David Robbins, and his wife Geraldine.

The £366,000 Cheltenham Gold Cup earned them the £81,000 second prize, a big cause for celebration, but this year they are hoping for the big one.

They will be at Cheltenham on Friday to cheer him on and have already backed him to win.

Take The Stand is trained at the yard of Pembroke-shire trainer, Peter Bowen, and his wife Karen, where his owners are regular visitors. Frank Ridge inherited his interest in horses from his father. Frank Ridge senior bred Arabs and ran a stud at Stoke-on-Trent where he also had a pottery wholesale business.

The association with horses continued when the family moved to Pembrokeshire.

Frank and Enid have since owned a number of racehorses but Take The Stand is the star of the bunch.

"When we were thinking of buying him we were told he would never cost us a penny to train because he would be placed in all his races," Frank recalled.

And true to form, Stan has done just that. The dark bay gelding has romped home in the top three in race after race.

Frank always backs his horses to win but Enid admits to being a little more cautious.

"I worry that it will bring bad luck if I back them!" she laughed.

She does enjoy the horses but it is Frank who has the real interest.

"I get so much pleasure from seeing the horses competing.

"I'm totally hooked," he said.