Tina Cook wins Cheltenham charity race

H&H columnist Tina Cook won the St Patrick’s Day Derby, run at the Cheltenham Festival in aid of Cancer Research UK.

Riding the grey Pascha Bere, trained by her brother Nick Gifford, event rider Tina won the 12-runner race comfortably from Worcester Royal Hospital staff nurse Lindsey Hunting on Wild Desert.

“That was so exciting, a total thrill,” said Tina, who won individual and team bronze medals at the 2008 Olympics in Hong Kong. “I feel like I could go round again. I now know why the jockeys are so elated when they come in.”

Tina’s father, the celebrated National Hunt jockey and trainer Josh Gifford, died recently. He was most famous for training Aldaniti to win the 1981 Grand National.

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