There was once a time when runners from Pond House Stables had bookmakers scarpering for cover at the Cheltenham Festival.
When a gamble on one of Martin Pipe's began to gather momentum they rarely missed the target such was the now retired 15-time champion jump trainer's ability to ready one.
Think Unsinkable Boxer, the horse that Pipe admitted was as close to a certainty as you could get at the 1998 Festival in what is now Pertemps Final, and Blowing Wind, in the County Hurdle, the same year.
Add to that victories for the likes of Granville Again in the '93 Champion Hurdle and Make A Stand in the '97 renewal, plus numerous other Grade One winners, and it's easy to see why his runners commanded plenty of respect at the meeting.
And while his son David Pipe is now a multiple Festival winner in his own right, memories of his dad’s achievements are still fondly remembered, even those that were somewhat of a surprise.
Pipe said: “When Baron Blakeney won the Triumph Hurdle in 1981 I remember sitting down in front of the television watching it as I had just come out of school.
“It took a few years for dad to get another winner, but then he got rocking and rolling even more. It is an amazing Festival and it was great seeing dad go there with live chances.
“We always have a marquee there and dad had the Martin Pipe Racing Club which had lots of members in and they had Allegation in the 1997 Coral Cup.
"He jumped the last hurdle in front under AP (McCoy) and all the members in the marquee have ensured that the roof has gone off only just to get done on the line.
"They were left wondering what was that and it was Big Strand, who was another one of dad’s in the race ridden by Jamie Evans the Australian jockey! A year later we had the likes of Unsinkable Boxer win and Blowing Wind.
"AP (McCoy) won on Edredon Bleu for Henrietta Knight in the Grand Annual then he won the Cathcart on Cyfor Malta for us, before landing the County Hurdle on Blowing Wind.
"I remember walking up from the marquee with some of our owners and they were singing ‘Walking In A Pipey Wonderland’ and all that. Those were amazing memories."
For all the great days enjoyed by his dad, the father-of-three has been blessed to celebrate 15 wins at the meeting since taking over the family yard back in April 2006. And this year marks the 10th anniversary of arguably the pick of the bunch, that of Moon Racer's impressive victory in the Weatherbys Champion Bumper, a race Pipe will be hoping to win again this year with Windbeneathmywings.
Pipe said: "I've had 15 winners at Festival and it was great to get a winner there with Gaspara, who completed the Imperial Cup and Cheltenham Festival double, when winning the Fred Winter in my first season as it helped me come out of my father’s shadow.
"Our Vic and Dynaste were great, but Moon Racer winning the bumper was the pick of them as things didn’t quite go to plan. Tom (Scudamore) got left at the start, however he was soon travelling well. He got boxed in on the inside, and nothing really went right, but as soon as he got a bit of light turning into the home straight he took off.
"I watched the replay recently when he won at Cheltenham in October and then when he won at the Festival, because of Windbeneathmywings who was got this year. It was nice to watch again and it brings back plenty of memories.
“There is a picture of Moon Racer and The Package, who won the same year, in my toilet at home. I said to my father-in-law one day 'what is your dream?' and he said to have a picture up in your toilet as I know that I have made it then!"
When it comes to making an impression, Windbeneathmywings did exactly that when bolting up by 14 lengths in a Listed bumper on his stable debut at Ascot in December to leave Pipe dreaming of even better things to come.
Pipe said: “He had some decent form in Ireland. Pat Flynn had always liked him and told Tom Malone that back in the summer, but Tom wanted to see a bit more from the horse.
“He had done some very nice pieces of work at home and we were hopeful he was going to run a big race at Ascot, but we didn’t imagine he would win like that. If he won a normal bumper like that we would have still been excited, but to have won a Listed bumper like that was breathtaking.
“He has obviously got a high cruising speed and gradually one-by-one the others on behind started coming off the bridle. We had won that race before with Eden du Houx and Israel Champ and I was standing in the same place with my father-in-law Pete watching it. We were like two young kids jumping over each other when he started sprinting clear.”
WATCH: Windbeneathmywings wins by 14 lengths at Ascot
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While the Festival presents another test, Pipe is confident his new stable star can cope with the demands required. And should Windbeneathmywings give Pipe his winner at the Festival since 2017 it would be a victory all the more significant given the people that own him.
Pipe said: “It is a different kind of track, but I don’t think it will faze him coming down the hill. You need speed, and you need to stay, but he looks to have both of those key factors.
"He had an easy time after Ascot and he has gone away for a gallop to get the buzz out of before Cheltenham. Hopefully we can have a smooth run in between now and then.
“There was a real buzz in the yard after Ascot, and I’m sure it will start building up again now. We try to let the staff have a day at Cheltenham if they want to go there for the Festival experience if they haven’t been there before and I expect quite a few of them will want to go on the Wednesday.
"Caroline Tisdall owned Moon Racer as well, and she is looking forward to this, while it is great to have a nice one for Geoff Thompson, who is our yard sponsor, and he is excited. He doesn’t get involved too much, but he is always at our marquee at the Festival so it is great to get one for him.”
All eyes will be on Windbeneathmywings, and rightly so, for everyone connected to Pond House Stables at the Festival, however he might not be the only one to fly the flag for the Nicholashayne outfit across the four days.
Pipe said: "We won't have that many go there, but Gericault Roque will either go for the National Hunt Chase or the Kim Muir.
"He ran a nice race at Windsor having come back from injury. He is in good form and is still a novice chaser, but he has run in some nice races in defeat. It will be nice to get him back to the Festival having finished second in the Ultima in 2022.
“We might try to sneak Punta Del Este, who has some nice form in the book, into my dad’s race. It would be nice to win it, but history tells you that you need a Grade One standard horse to win it.
“American Sniper and Gold In The Rivers could both go for the Pertemps final. American Sniper is owned by some local guys and they would love to be in the paddock having a runner at the Festival so we will try and make that dream happen.
“Belfrina has an entry in the Boodles, but she might go elsewhere as she would be borderline to get in that and that would be about it. Some of the nicer horses will miss Cheltenham this season, but hopefully they will be their next season flying the flag for us."
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