JUST about everyone connected to the Gordon Elliott yard last week left Cheltenham with success and that includes Aidan ‘Mouse’ O’Ryan.

The well known bloodstock agent is never far from the side of Elliott at just about any race meeting and went through all the emotions, most of them positive, at Cheltenham last week.

O’Ryan had to wait late for the main prize personally, after a series of horses he was involved with the purchasing of, hit the crossbar. It came together when the very well backed Chosen Mate cruised to success in the Grand Annual on Friday.

“I bought Chosen Mate after he won a five-year-old maiden at Loughbrickland and that is the dream realised right there,” O’Ryan says, reflecting back.

“A good friend of mine David Sharpe came to me with his friend Sandro Di Michelle and asked could we get him a horse for a syndicate, The Northern Four Racing Partnership. They’re a great bunch of lads. David used to be chairman of Wigan Athletic, hence the colours, and he’s a very smart guy.

“He is a horse we’ve always liked. He had good hurdles form and we fancied him for the Galway Hurdle last year but he got wiped out early. The form of his beginners chase win worked out well and sure we fancied him a lot last week – 12/1 into 7/2 tells you the story.”

The future is bright now for Chosen Mate. In his Time Will Tell column (pages 8-10), Simon Rowlands suggests the seven-year-old would have gone close to winning the Arkle and that is the sort of aspiration O’Ryan has for this seven-year-old.

“The two-mile chasing division is fairly open in Ireland. There are lots of good races he can run in next year and we’d be hoping there is a fair bit of improvement in him,” O’Ryan says.

As mentioned, O’Ryan came close earlier in the week also, but the horses he was involved with still all ran with real credit.

“Recent Revelations, who I got for the Half Married syndicate, ran a blinder in the Boodles. There is plenty to look forward to with him and we have a nice option to go back on the flat.

“We were delighted with Queens Brook in the Bumper. That was a first Cheltenham runner for Noel Moran, a man who has invested a lot into the game already and there is so much to look forward to with this mare. To run third in a Champion Bumper on just her second start was a huge effort. The Bosses Oscar was another I was involved in buying for Noel and he ran a huge race to be fifth in the Martin Pipe.”

It was a different kind of Cheltenham for many this year and that was noticeable at the course according to O’Ryan, who is nonetheless keen to pay his compliments to clerk of the course Simon Claisse and his team.

“I know the crowds were down a little and you could feel that the atmosphere was a little sombre at times but I think Simon Claisse did a fantastic job getting the Festival ahead.

“Some people crabbed the meeting going ahead at the time but all we could do is trust the organisers and the government that it was safe to do so. What else could we do – you have to do right by your horses and owners.”