Edwardstone always Cannon’s number one after Silviniaco Conti strike

Time will tell how many days in the sun Edwardstone has left in his career, but there will be never any doubt just what Alan King’s great veteran means to jockey Tom Cannon and his family.

Every jockey needs a flagship horse and in the five years since giving the 34-year-old his finest hour in the saddle when storming to Arkle glory at the Cheltenham Festival, the duo have fought many brave battles against the very best in the two-mile division.

There has been the occasional heartbreak and disappointment since that glorious Prestbury Park afternoon of March 2021, but the affection Cannon has for his equine hero has never wavered.

It is a passion that has transferred to his children, with seven-year-old Mollie and five-year-old Charlie fully paid up members of the Edwardstone fan club, Charlie proudly sporting his own version of owners Robert Abrey and Ian Thurtle’s silks aboard his pony.

And although the big freeze that threatened Saturday’s action at Kempton Park prevented the younger generation of the Cannon family from a front-row seat at the Sunbury track for the Coral Silviniaco Conti Chase, their father was once again by Edwardstone’s side for another magical moment in unison.

Cannon said: “He’s been the best horse I’ve ever ridden. He has been there for me on days like today and won some special races for me.

“My little boy is watching at home and he has Edwardstone colours that he wears to ride his pony and that just shows what he means to all of us.

“Charlie will be delighted and he has really taken to Edwardstone. Both Charlie and Mollie, my daughter, were asking could they come but sadly they’re at home. I’m sure they will have been watching and he’s the horse they will tell their friends daddy rides and that means a lot to me.”

He went on: “There’s plenty of people who go their whole careers without a horse like him to ride and I get sent stuff like coffee mugs from fans with his name on, they’re recognisable colours and he really is a household name thanks to his battles with Jonbon and the likes.

“With everything he has done for me he holds a special place in my heart.”

Not only was it Edwardstone’s first victory since his Game Spirit success of February 2024, it served as a a timely reminder of Cannon’s ability on the big afternoons in a season where he has been usurped as Barbury Castle number one by Tom Bellamy, who himself enjoyed a double on a fine afternoon for the King operation.

However, despite that early-season blow the seasoned professional knew Edwardstone remained in his arsenal and after retaining faith that the big days would return, has now been richly rewarded.

“I’ve been racing long enough to know things ebb and flow and nothing is personal, I still go in there and I always knew I would still ride this lad,” explained Cannon.

“It always helps when things are quiet to have a Saturday horse and he’s done me proud today. It’s a game of momentum and hopefully I can build on that.”

It now remains a question of how many more magic moments are in the locker for the Edwardstone and Cannon combination and although this triumph had his rider pondering options for spring, he will happily leave talk of glorious swansongs and future days in the spotlight to others.

“Whether or not we see him again, I’ll leave that decision to Alan and the owners,” added Cannon.

“It was something I was talking to the travelling head lad about, as if he’d been beaten today he could have landed on a nice mark for the Grand Annual or something like that.

“Now he has won, unless the handicapper reads into it properly and we get dropped a few more pounds he could be hard to place.

“He’s won the Game Spirit (at Newbury, February 7) before and shown plenty of zest around there and it might be a race on the radar and then handicap wise there is obviously the Grand Annual and the Red Rum at Aintree. He still showed plenty of pace there today.”