Tributes paid to legendary National-winning trainer Denys Smith

The County Durham handler enjoyed his finest hour at Aintree in 1968 when Red Alligator claimed National glory under Brian Fletcher.

Smith could even have claimed the big race 12 months earlier, but the same horse finished a distant third after he became embroiled in the notorious 23rd fence pile-up that led to Foinavon causing a 100-1 upset.

A former taxi driver, the self-taught Smith was seen as one of the pioneering trainers of his generation and also won two Group One races on the Flat.

Smith was crowned champion jumps trainer in the 1967-68 campaign, but he was also prolific on the Flat, having won races like the Lincoln (Foggy Bell), the Middle Park (Tudenham) and the Flying Childers (Mandrake Major).

He was also a Cheltenham Festival-winning trainer and landed a division of the Gloucestershire Hurdle (now the Supreme Novices' Hurdle) in 1968.

Owen's Mark provided Smith with a first victory under Rules at Sedgefield in February 1958, while Monksford gave him his last winner at Hamilton in 2002.

He saddled more than 1,600 winners from his Bishop Auckland yard in a career that spanned nearly 50 years.

Former jockey Chris Grant left school as a 15-year-old to work for Smith, in a union which lasted 15 years, and said he owed everything in racing to his former boss.

Grant, who is now a trainer near Sedgefield, said: "I nearly got out of the game because I was a bit heavy, but Denys got me going again.

"He won a National, won a Lincoln, and won so many other good races during such a long career.

"Flat or jumps, it didn't matter to Denys. He was really ahead of his time in that respect.

"We travelled a lot of miles together. He used to drive me to the races and I used to drive him back.

"We got on very well and won some nice races, including the Triumph Hurdle Trial (Cheltenham) with The Grey Bomber and the Greenall (Haydock) with Midnight Love.

"Denys was in a care home until recently, but his mind was still as sharp as a razor.

"I wouldn't be where I was now if it wasn't for Denys Smith."

Last Saturday, at Cheltenham, Northallerton owner-trainer Peter Atkinson enjoyed his biggest moment in the game when Irish Roe dead-heated in the Listed bumper under Graham Lee, who was switching codes for the day.

The mare, who cost just 2,000 euros as a three-year-old, defied concerns about the demanding ground at Prestbury Park, leaving connections dreaming of a return in March.

Atkinson's wife, Lucinda, said: "She's perfectly happy with life and is walking around our place like she knows she's done something special.

"She's had three races since August, though, so she's in need of a break.

"The plan before Cheltenham was to put her away and start her off again in the Aintree mares' bumper.

"But after the weekend, dare you think about running her in the Cheltenham Bumper against geldings? You couldn't definitely say no, but you couldn't definitely say yes, either.

"We now, possibly, have the choice of Cheltenham, Aintree or even Punchestown next year.

"Whether it would be too much to do all three and just do two of them, I really don't know. We've never been here before, so it's all very new and exciting for us.

"She's good enough for the Flat and hurdles, but we'll probably stick to bumpers for now.

"We are still having to pinch ourselves, to be quite honest. Things like this just don't happen to people like us. We really are living the dream."

Tomorrow we will see the comeback of Coneygree, who delighted Richard Johnson in a schooling session in Lambourn on Tuesday morning ahead of the Betfair Chase at Haydock.

The champion jockey answered the call from trainer Mark Bradstock to partner the 2015 Cheltenham Gold Cup hero in the crucial workout after Coneygree's regular partner, Nico de Boinville, broke an arm in a fall at Cheltenham last Saturday.

Johnson tweeted: "Just left Lambourn after schooling Coneygree; he felt great and looked in great shape."

Johnson has ridden Coneygree once before when winning the Denman Chase at Newbury in February 2015.

However, he is not yet able to commit to the ride in the race itself as he might be needed by trainer Philip Hobbs for Menorah, who was runner-up two years ago.

Coneygree has been out of action for 12 months, but showed he was close to making a comeback when working over two miles at Haydock last week.