PAUL NICHOLLS is planning to release Sir Alex Ferguson’s record-breaking £634,000 purchase at Newbury next week.
Caldwell Potter, a six-year-old gelding, was a high profile recruit from Gordon Elliot’s yard when Sir Alex purchased him with fellow owners Ged Mason, John Hales, and Peter Done.
Jack Kennedy once described the horse as a “machine”Sportsfile
But the new recruit took a bit of time to get into the swing of things at Ditcheat, and has not been seen on the track since winning the Champions Novice Hurdle at Leopardstown last December.
Caldwell Potter satisfied the Ditcheat trainer during a gallop at Newbury on Tuesday.
It was the same racecourse gallop that led to Constitution Hill to drift massively for both the Champion Hurdle and the Fighting Fifth.
Sir Alex’s huge purchase sent ripples around the racing world, but was soon topped by £660,000 Regents Stroll in July.
Then shockingly Palladium went for a whopping £1.4million in October.
Sir Alex’s horse missed a number of races towards the end of last season due to injury niggles, but the fan excitement around him remains immense.
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It’s no surprise given his price tag and the belief held by the former Manchester United manager that he might go on to Gold Cup glory.
One fan said on X: “I bet Caldwell Potter who cost more than a house in Eaton Square totally flops this season. Overpriced ludicrously expensive horses often fail miserably and never justify their price tag.”
But another added: “The real deal.”
Following the gallop at Newbury, Nicholls said: “He’s at the same stage as Captain Teague. They’re both ready to run.
“They both have an entry in the John Francome next Friday. We might just leave Captain Teague to go for the three mile at Sandown the week after.
“We are thrilled with what they did today. Caldwell Potter went beautifully. Two and a half is a nice starting point for him.
“I’m glad we never ran him in the spring because we didn’t have him right. He’s a different animal now.
“It will be the perfect starting point – we’re itching to get him going.”
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