“It's a long way up the hill – I've thought that a few times before, especially at Cheltenham!"

Longstanding Tweenhills team member Graham McCourt joined the team from Cheltenham Racecourse to climb Mount Snowdon, the highest peak in Wales, on Tuesday. 

The hike was part of 'The Gold Cup 100', a series of fundraisers for Racing Welfare which also celebrates the 100th anniversary of the first ever Cheltenham Gold Cup in 2024 on Tuesday.

Graham McCourt was the winner of the 1990 Cheltenham Gold Cup aboard the 100-1 chance Norton’s Coin who was trained in Wales by dairy farmer Sirrell Griffiths. The race provided on of the biggest shocks in it’s history with Norton’s Coin beating Toby Tobias and Desert Orchid. 

The team of hikers carried the 1990 Gold Cup to the top of Snowdon on Tuesday. 

Graham said: “I knew it was going to be hard after the first 100yds. It was blowing a gale sidewards too so wasn't nice. 

"It's about 7km all told but there isn't a level step. The first stretch up the hill and last stretch down are the steepest bits, but I was given plenty of encouragement by Dave [David Redvers] and by my son Finley and his girlfriend Sienna Wintle - I couldn't have done it without them. 

"Fin and Sienna have just finished their A-Levels so I said you can walk Snowdon with me!

"There was 14 off us altogether and few of the others had walked up Carrauntoohil in Ireland with Barry Geraghty the day before and are walking up Scafell Pike today with Dickie Johnson and up Arkle in Scotland on Thursday with Marcus Armytage - fair play to them!

Regarding being asked to do the challenge, Graham said: 

"Andre Klein [Assistant General Manager at Cheltenham] caught me on the hop coming back from Newmarket on the lorry. He said "I've just been told that you could walk Snowdon". I blamed Alice [Thurtle], Alice blamed Dave and Dave blamed someone else. So I was tricked - sorry asked - to do it and I did tell him I can't walk uphill!

"I had made sure I got some practice in by walking up the Malverns in the previous couple of weeks and was a little concerned because I've had prostate cancer for ten years and my legs aren't as strong as they used to be, but I'm all right on the level.

"We set off about 11.30am and got up there about 3pm. The Gold Cup trophy weighs a bit - it has a marble bottom - so the lads passed it around, and Fin carried my jockey's trophy from Norton's Coin. We came down a lot quicker than we went up!

"There's actually a train you can get, though I never considered it. In any case the train wasn’t working on the way down – that’s how bad the weather was. It was well worth doing though and you certainly make friends in those situations.

“It's a long way up the hill – I've thought that a few times before, especially at Cheltenham!"

Well done Graham! To find out more about The Gold Cup 100 and donate please visit www.justgiving.com/fundraising/goldcup100