Paddy Merrigan, a former jockey turned savvy punter, is no stranger to defying the odds at the Cheltenham Festival. Now, he's banking on a vivid dream to guide him to another lucrative victory in the very first race of this year's prestigious event.
From 50-1 Shot to Dreamt Success
Three years ago, Merrigan achieved punting glory by backing The Real Whacker from 50-1 down to 8-1, as it narrowly defeated the 5-4 favourite Gerri Colombe in the Brown Advisory Novices' Chase. The thrilling win, under jockey Sam Twiston-Davies for trainer Patrick Neville, sparked wild celebrations and cemented Merrigan's reputation as a shrewd bettor.
A Nocturnal Vision of Victory
This year, Merrigan's focus is on Mydaddypaddy, a contender in the Supreme Novices' Hurdle on day one of the Festival. In a remarkable twist, he recently dreamt of the horse, sired by Walk In The Park, racing up Cheltenham's iconic hill to claim victory. Sharing the experience on his Mad Merrigan Coldbeer Sports Facebook page, Merrigan described it as "the weirdest aberration" that felt incredibly real.
He recounted, "Mydaddypaddy, as clear as day, won the Supreme. I couldn't believe it when I woke up. I nearly cried. I thought we were collecting. Let's hope that this is a sign, but in my dream Mydaddypaddy bolted in, in the Supreme." The emotional impact was profound, with Merrigan adding, "I never was as broken when I woke up. This was so real. It was insane and I was just like 'we did it'."
Current Form and Trainer Confidence
Mydaddypaddy's recent form includes a second-place finish to Idaho Sun, losing by 3¼ lengths in the Grade 1 William Hill Formby Novices' Hurdle at Aintree on Boxing Day. Prior to that race, he was the ante-post favourite for the Supreme, and he is currently priced at around 10-1 with bookmakers for the Cheltenham opener.
Trainer Dan Skelton is optimistic about the horse's chances, expecting a career-best performance. He stated, "I feel like I could have done things a little differently in the build-up to the Formby. And I think you'll see a better horse than you saw in the Formby." Skelton emphasised that Mydaddypaddy is physically strong and high-class, with potential for future success in races like the Arkle.
He elaborated, "Personally, I think this horse is coming into the type of form that we need him to be in. We were always going to go from Aintree to Cheltenham. We've not missed anything in between. And I feel like we are coming into the form that we can show. I think he will put up a career-best [showing]. Whether that's good enough or not, we will find out."
Learning from Defeat
Skelton also highlighted the importance of learning from setbacks, noting, "We learn from getting beat. I'm not one of these guys that want every horse to go off 3-1 on and win hard held by 10 lengths. You know me better than that. But yeah, if you get beat, you have to learn from it." This philosophy underscores the careful preparation behind Mydaddypaddy's campaign.
As the Cheltenham Festival approaches, all eyes will be on whether Merrigan's dream proves prophetic, potentially adding another chapter to his storied history of outsmarting the bookies.
