Teeton Mill

Teeton Mill made his first appearance under National Hunt rules as an eight-year-old in February 1997, when he won a hunter chase over two and a half miles at Leicester Racecourse, beating thirteen opponents at odds of 11/10. When the next hunter chase season began in early 1998 he won by more than thirty lengths at Wetherby Racecourse in February before following up in March with victories at Leicester and Newbury in March. The gelding was then moved to the stable of Venetia Williams in Herefordshire. Having been ridden in his first four races by the amateur Ben Pollock, Teeton Mill was partnered by Seamus Durack when the gelding contested a hunter chase at Cheltenham Racecourse in April 1998. He started the 4/5 favourite but after taking the lead at the third last fence and weakened to finish second, beaten twelve lengths by Double Thriller. A month later Teeton Mill was ridden by Shirley Vickery when he contested the Horse & Hound Cup Champion Hunter Chase over three and a half miles at Stratford Racecourse. He started the 5/1 third choice behind the Scottish hunter Jigtime (winner of all seven of his completed races) and the mare Grimley Gale whilst the other runners included Double Silk, a winner of eighteen hunter chases including two editions of the CGA Foxhunter Chase at the Cheltenham Festival. Teeton Mill took the lead at the eleventh fence and went clear at the final fence to win by seven lengths from Grimley Gale with a gap of more than thirty lengths back to Jigtime. Double Silk was the only one of the six other runners to complete the course.[5]

In the 1998/1999 season, Teeton Mill moved out of hunter chases to compete against professional opposition and was ridden in all of his five races by Norman Williamson. On his seasonal debut, he carried 158 pounds in the Badger Beer Handicap Chase over three and a quarter miles at Wincanton Racecourse on 7 November and won by eight lengths from Menesonic. Three weeks later, Teeton Mill was one of sixteen horses to contest the forty-second running of the Hennessy Gold Cup at Newbury. Carrying 145 pounds, he started the 5/1 second favourite behind the Midlands Grand National winner Seven Towers, with the other runners including Addington Boy (Tripleprint Gold Cup), Call It A Day (Whitbread Gold Cup), Coome Hill (winner of the race in 1996), The Toiseach (Reynoldstown Novices' Chase), Fiddling The Facts (Feltham Novices' Chase) and Boss Doyle (Mildmay Novices' Chase). Williamson positioned the grey just behind the leaders before taking the lead three fences from the finish. He drew steadily clear of the field in the straight to win by fifteen lengths from Eudipe.[6][7] On 26 December 1998 Teeton Mill was stepped up to Grade 1 level for the King George VI Chase over three miles at Kempton Park Racecourse in which he was matched against many of the leading steeplechasers of the time including Imperial Call, See More Business, Simply Dashing (FNB Gold Cup), Escartefigue (Martell Cup), Coome Hill, Challenger du Luc (Cathcart Challenge Cup, Murphy's Gold Cup) and Mulligan (Henry VIII Novices' Chase). Starting the 7/2 second favourite on soft ground, he raced just behind the leaders before taking the lead from Imperial Call at the fourteenth of the eighteen fences. He quickly went clear of the field and won by six lengths from Escartefigue with Imperial Call more than thirty lengths away in third and Challenger du Luc last of the four finishers.[8]

In February, Teeton Mill was dropped back in distance for the Grade 1 Ascot Chase over two and a half miles in which he was pitted against the Tingle Creek Trophy winner Direct Route, the Mildmay of Flete winner Super Coin, the Murphy's Gold Cup and December Gold Cup winner Senor El Betrutti and Challenger du Luc. Teeton Mill took the lead at the sixth fence and drew clear of the field to establish a twelve length advantage at the second last fence. He was eased down in the closing stages to win by four lengths from Senor El Betrutti with the subsequently disqualified Challenger du Luc in third place.[9] On 18 March 1999, Teeton Mill started the 7/2 second favourite behind the Irish gelding Florida Pearl for the 72nd Cheltenham Gold Cup in a field which included Dorans Pride, See More Business, Double Thriller, Addington Boy, Simply Dashing, Escartefigue, Suny Bay and Senor El Betrutti. Teeton Mill made several jumping errors before pulling up lame before the tenth fence and was later found to have dislodged a tendon on his hock.[10]