Racing: Hussard relives Jodami's dream

Cheltenham Festival: In the rolling hills of his Yorkshire farm, Beaumont is preparing a second Gold Cup raid

There is already one Cheltenham Gold Cup winner resident at Foulrice Farm. Ten years ago, Peter Beaumont sent Jodami south to bring the chasing crown back to North Yorkshire, and the big brown horse, now aged 18, still lives there in semi-retirement, ridden a few times a week by his devoted 68-year-old trainer.

"I didn't take him on the gallops this morning, as he doesn't stand as quietly as the other one when they canter past," said Beaumont. "He's better on his own, as the longer we're out the more excited he gets. He goes out quiet and comes back fresh, the old fool."

Jodami is the best of a steady stream of good horses to have passed through Beaumont's sure, capable hands in his 17 years with a licence. But a decade on from his day of days, the baton could well be passed to "the other one". Hussard Collonges, an eight-year-old winner of four races, goes to the Gold Cup on Thursday as third favourite.

Comparisons are inevitable, but apart from their rich, bitter-chocolate colour the two horses are unalike. In his prime, Jodami was an imposing head-turner, a massive deep-girthed individual. Hussard Collonges is no less attractive, but longer, lower and narrower, with an easy, athletic action in both his slow and fast paces.

As far as Beaumont is concerned, the French-bred has had that je ne sais quoi right from the start. He was acquired for the not-inconsiderable sum of 46,000 guineas at the Doncaster sales in August 2000, thanks to no less a judge than Beaumont's neighbour and old friend Monica Dickinson.

"Monica knew about the horse and fancied him as a point-to-pointer, and as I was going to Doncaster asked me to see if I could get him for her," he said. "But when I saw him I decided if he made more than her money I'd have him myself."

At that stage Hussard Collonges could have been described as a reject. His road to the Doncaster auction from his native Saône-et-Loire, via Ireland, was not trumpeted; produced by one of France's leading breeders of the tough non-thoroughbred race of which he is a member, he showed so little at home that he was culled cheaply as a four-year-old. In Ireland, the requisite point-to-point victory to augment his value was extracted in a weak contest, and off he went to market again.

His limitations as a mere galloper were exposed in three bumper runs for Beaumont: tailed off, midfield, midfield. But a different horse emerged once he had obstacles to negotiate. "He was last in the first bumper, ran like he'd been working at home," recalled the trainer, "but something began to click in his third race, and when he saw his first hurdle next time out, he knew what was wanted and won."

Beaumont's assistant, Patrick Holmes, who rides Hussard Collonges at home, concurs. "Put a fence in front of him and he surges forward, lands running and then settles back into his rhythm," he said. "He just loves to jump. He may not look a big horse, but when he wakes up, he rides like one." The horse's jockey, Russ Garritty, makes an uncomplicated horse sound even easier. "He's in control," he said. "I just steer him in the right direction."

Beaumont started farming at Foulrice, close to the village of Stillington in a fold of the rolling Howardian Hills rising to the north of Vale of York, 35 years ago, and although the cattle are now gone the agricultural legacy remains. There is a block of purpose-built stables, but horses are also housed higgledy-piggledy in converted byres and barns, sheds and shippons. The horses exercise and work round the lanes, on a mile-round, undulating wood-chip canter laid through the fields next to the yard and up the sharp incline of a three-furlong grass strip.

Beaumont and daughter Anthea trained pointers before the talent of one of them, J J Henry, led to a full licence, and Hussard Collonges' owner, Nick Bannister, a local man with a successful City career, has had horses at Foulrice since those early days. His star took his morning workout in his deceptively ground-covering stride and then, with Holmes transferred to a young recruit, stood companionably in relaxed contentment next to Beaumont as the trainer supervised a schooling session. Hussard Collonges has not won since taking the novice chasers' crown, the Royal & SunAlliance Chase, at Cheltenham a year ago, but his form this term, three excellent efforts under heavy burdens, stands close scrutiny, particularly his gutsy performance under 11st 10lb at Haydock in January.

"He's run some cracking races giving weight to smart horses, and I've been perfectly happy with his preparation," said Beaumont. "He'll run a good race, but there will be others who are thinking that way too." Last weekend, two winners ended a 77-day drought for the yard, and the next prayer is for enough rain to produce Hussard Collonges' favoured easy ground. "On faster ground, he's there to be shot at by the horses who can quicken," Beaumont added, "but on soft he can break them. He jumps out of it and can keep up that gallop of his. He goes much quicker than it appears."

The trainer, quiet and unassuming, is both a horseman and a stockman. Staying chasers are his beau ideal and for a small yard – never more than around 30 horses – the strike rate at élite levels has been notable. Jodami and Hussard Collonges apart, Niki Dee, Bobby Grant and the late and much lamented Young Kenny have carried the flag.

Horses have pulled Beaumont through since the sudden death of his beloved wife, Margaret, two years ago, and the next generations are growing up in barn and stable: gangly yearlings, strapping stores, Young Kenny's baby half-brother Young Claude. "It's not quite the same as before," he admits, "but I still enjoy training horses. And I still enjoy the tension on the build- up to a big one. It wouldn't be worth doing if I didn't."

Not a single person in the country would begrudge Beaumont another moment in the spotlight. He and Jodami, the two gentle veterans, ride out together. But for one of them, not yet into the sunset.