WELSH jockey Richard Patrick rode the biggest winner of his career last weekend when he scored aboard Happy Diva, the 14-1 winner of the £160,000 Bet Victor Gold Cup at Cheltenham.

The race is one of the highlights of the pre-Christmas jump season and for winning trainer Kerry Lee it was another day in the headlines after her success with Mountainous in the 2015 Coral Welsh Grand National at Chepstow.

Happy Diva was travelling well in the 2018 Bet Victor Gold Cup but was brought down by a faller so this year’s race provided more than adequate compensation for the horse’s connections. The £90,000 first prize would have also softened the blow!

Richard is one of many Welsh jockeys riding winners on the biggest stages with Connor Brace successful in this year’s Scottish Champion Hurdle at Ayr and Sean Bowen riding his first Grade One winner on If The Cap Fits at Aintree.

The sport has never been in such rude health in Wales and many of the participants will be recognised at the Welsh Horse Racing Awards taking place at Chepstow Racecourse on Thursday, 28th November. The event has been sponsored by the Racehorse Owners Association.

It will be a few years before 12-year-old Edward Vaughan, son of Vale of Glamorgan trainer Tim, is riding winners around courses like Chepstow but judging by his current exploits in pony racing, he’s certainly heading in the right direction.

Last Sunday, he won one of two pony races that took place before racing at Cheltenham and he punched the air as he crossed the line aboard the mare White Water. He looks to have a bright future.

Now most of the racehorses I come into contact with in my day job run their races in Wales and England – and occasionally Scotland and Ireland. But one racehorse that deserves some recognition for her globe trotting exploits is the mare Magic Wand.

She was born in March 2015 and went into training as a two-year-old with top Irish trainer Aidan O’Brien. Her first two races were in Ireland before she travelled over to Chester, Epsom and Ascot for her next three races. It was then back to Ireland for one race and then a return to the UK for an appearance at York.

Then the travelling really started in late 2018 and early 2019 with runs in France (twice) and America (twice). In March 2019 it was off to Dubai for a race at Meydan and then two months later, the USA beckoned again and she ran at Belmont Park near New York.

And just to make sure she didn’t get too used to her home comforts, she’s finished the year with appearances in England, Ireland, America and, to cap it all, Australia (three times).

The reason she caught my attention is that I was present at Arlington in Chicago when she ran in August and I was also there when she ran back in Ireland at Leopardstown in September.

I think it’s an incredible story of an ultra-tough racehorse who has now won £2.6m in prize money with her latest victory in Australia worth £666,000 to her owners.

I hope she’s got her hooves up now.