Fergal O'Brien gets an early Christmas present as Crambo rallies late to record back-to-back triumphs at the Howden Long Walk Hurdle
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Fergal O'Brien's eyes went wide, then he began to holler. It’s four days until Christmas but realisation was beginning to dawn for the trainer that a wish was going to come true. Through a pulsating final furlong of the Howden Long Walk Hurdle, a stamina-sapping test for stayers over the smaller obstacles, Crambo relentlessly and remorselessly eroded the deficit of the front-running Beauport then stuck his nose out to fend off the final challenge from Hiddenvalley Lake.
![[The seven-year-old saw off a late challenge from Hiddenvalley Lake in front of a record crowd]](https://i.dailymail.co.uk/1s/2024/12/21/18/93387219-0-image-a-2_1734807110518.jpg)
This was a quite magnificent piece of training by O’Brien to get Crambo – on his first run of the campaign – to win this Grade One prize. The gelding, winner of this historic race 12 months ago, had not been seen since finishing tailed off at Aintree in April but that made no difference at all.
O’Brien, one of racing’s most engaging characters, wears his heart on his sleeve and loves nothing more than to roar one of his horses home but immediately after he had seen Crambo, ridden by Jonathan Burke, crossed the line, the emotion got to him and there were tears.
It has been a difficult couple of months for the trainer, who is based close to Cheltenham, with some horses not running up to the level they should be; victories on the days that matter have been few and far between but this, thrillingly, suggested a shift in direction is coming.
