It was Henrietta Knight who first identified I Am Maximus’ star quality and she is now backing the Randox Grand National hero to go on and win a Cheltenham Gold Cup.

The Gold Cup-winning trainer was in her role as racing manager to the late Michael Grech when she first laid eyes on I Am Maximus as a yearling and it was a clear case of love at first sight for Knight, who relished every moment of the Willie Mullins-trained eight-year-old’s Aintree triumph.

The 77-year-old now feels course winner I Am Maximus has all the capabilities to emulate her own Best Mate and capture the blue riband at the Cheltenham Festival.

Knight said: “I think he could win a Gold Cup. I’m not sure how Willie will cope with all his horses for the Gold Cup and which one he would consider the best, but he is a real stayer, Maximus, and he likes Cheltenham – he loves the hill.

“I really enjoyed watching the National and after he jumped the first two fences I said ‘he’s loving it, he’s got the hang of it and loves these fences’.

“We were just watching him creeping and creeping and he made that one mistake at The Chair, where he rather caught Paul (Townend, jockey) by surprise and he had to call a cab, but then Paul was very good as he didn’t rush him.

“He just let him get his confidence again and on he went on the second circuit, I thought it was fantastic to watch.”

I Am Maximus spent his first few summers with Knight at her West Lockinge Farm in Wantage and after the early stages of his racing career were overseen by Nicky Henderson, he switched to Mullins, who Knight credits with helping the burgeoning talent fulfil his destiny of winning Grand Nationals.

“I had the horse here a lot for two summers and parts of winter as well and he won a bumper and a novice hurdle for Nicky Henderson,” continued Knight.

“Mike wanted to move all his horses to Ireland and it was my idea to move him to Willie’s. I doubt anyone else would have won a National with him and he has trained him so well.”

She added: “I felt sorry for Jody McGarvey not riding him because he has done a good job on him this year, but that is how it goes in racing and you have to have your stable jockey on your top horse. Paul’s riding fantastic and I would want him on board.”

The son of Authorized is the latest champion off the Tom Costello production line that had been the source of Knight’s very own great, Best Mate.

The Costellos have been Knight’s go-to family when searching for high-quality new stock and I Am Maximus was an instant hit with not just Knight herself, but the horse’s original owner, who sadly died before his former charge reached his peak.

“I picked him out as a yearling and then I went back and bought him for Mike Grech as a three-year-old from the Costellos, from whom I bought Best Mate. He came from a fantastic place and all my best horses have come from them, not just Best Mate, but Calgary Bay, Racing Demon and Somersby as well.

“They produce good horses and they bought him from France as a yearling. I always loved him.

“Mike adored the horse and he was named after his wife Maxine, it was his favourite horse. It was unfortunate he had to give up his racing interests and when that time came, Willie thought he was an ideal candidate for JP (McManus).”

Shifting to the left at his fences has always been a trademark of I Am Maximus’ chasing career, while he has always been regarded as a touch ‘quirky’ by those who have dealt with him on the racecourse.

However, Knight – a known master on the schooling grounds – has nothing but praise for his jumping ability and explains how he always had the hallmarks of an exceptional staying chaser in the making.

“Most of the best horses are a little quirky and he has a little bit of his own ideas,” she said.

“He’s very straightforward to train but he has his own ideas about jumping. He was always a very, very good jumper and a careful jumper, but he just likes to measure his jumps up by going left-handed.

“In the Olympics, you will see the high jumpers go off sideways to measure the jump and it is what I Am Maximus has always done. That’s his mark and how he likes to do it.”

She went on: “He was always destined to be a chaser and he was unbelievable when he was here as a youngster – we would jump him a lot. He doesn’t want to fall, he always wants to get it right and that means he sometimes takes some rather strange jumps that catch the jockeys by surprise.

“I have some fantastic pictures of Maximus jumping all kinds of poles and everything else here, he could showjump, he is that careful, and he has got the time to be careful over staying trips. He’s good at conserving his energy and he doesn’t waste any in a race.

“He’s a very good horse and he would have gone round again in the National!”

There were no fallers in this year’s Grand National, as 21 of the 32-strong field completed the marathon course.

That is the highest number of finishers since 2005 and with the first four home all previous Grade One winners, Knight concedes the race is a far different proposition to the test her late husband Terry Biddlecombe would have encountered as a jockey, but a change that is necessary to adapt with the times.

“The first four home were all class horses and it just shows that cream comes to the top in races like that now,” explained Knight.

“It’s no longer a race where you will get a huge outsider from the bottom of the weights crop up, I don’t think. They skipped round a lot of the horses yesterday, they all looked fresh and everything looked good.

“The only thing is I think on the second circuit there is hardly anything to jump at as they’ve kicked all the top off – I think you could canter round on your pony and jump those. They are not what they were, but that is what the sport is now and people want to see a race without accidents.

“It’s just adapting to the times and it’s not like the brave riders of old who hunted round sitting on the back of their saddles on a long rein, with pot luck and huge fences. It’s more of a professional race now.”

Henrietta Knight enjoyed her first day back on a racecourse as a trainer, despite being out of luck with two runners at Wincanton.

Neither Zettabyte or Ballywalter troubled the judge, but Knight, who during her first spell with a licence reached the summit of her profession, was welcomed back into the racing fold with open arms.

Knight enjoyed tremendous success during her first spell with a licence, winning the Gold Cup at Cheltenham three times with Best Mate.

She was also responsible for Queen Mother Champion Chase and King George hero Edredon Bleu, the Stayers’ Hurdle with Karshi and Victor Chandler Chase (now Clarence House) with Somersby.

Having competed at the highest level of equestrianism before beginning her training career, Knight was always credited with being a great horsewoman and until recently several trainers have sent their horses to her for extensive schooling.

“It was a very good experience to be back on the racecourse,” she said.

“I got a good welcome and I was among people I like being with.

“I saw plenty of people that I hadn’t see for a fair few years, but like myself they have all got a bit older!

“It was a great atmosphere and I’ve enjoyed it.”

She went on: “The first horse (Zettabyte) showed enough to suggest that he will win races in time, but I don’t know when I might have more runners due to the weather – judging by what they are saying there might not be much racing after Wednesday.

“Hopefully we can keep it all running smoothly at home anyway.

“I had such a lovely welcome today, I really enjoyed it.”

Zettabyte, formerly with Gordon Elliott, finished ninth of 15 having travelled well for a long way, while Ballywalter was pulled up at the third-last.

Henrietta Knight was out of luck with her first runner for over 11 years as Zettabyte finished unplaced at Wincanton.

Knight enjoyed tremendous success during her first spell with a licence, winning the Gold Cup at Cheltenham three times with Best Mate.

She was also responsible for Queen Mother Champion Chase and King George hero Edredon Bleu, the Stayers’ Hurdle with Karshi and Victor Chandler Chase (now Clarence House) with Somersby.

Having competed at the highest level of equestrianism before beginning her training career, Knight was always credited with being a great horsewoman and until recently several trainers have sent their horses to her for extensive schooling.

She had retired in 2012 but announced in November her intention to return and saddled her first runners at the Somerset venue.

While the seven-year-old Zettabyte, formerly with Gordon Elliott, failed to trouble the judge he did briefly suggest he might play a part in the finish suggesting there is something to work on for Knight.

The Start Your RacingTV Free Trial Now Handicap Hurdle was won by Anthony Charlton’s Ilanz (11-2).

Henrietta Knight will always be remembered for the Cheltenham Festival exploits of Best Mate. But there was also Edredon Bleu – a horse who always held a special place in his trainer’s heart and who 20 years ago defied his advancing years for King George VI glory.

A dual Cheltenham Festival winner having supplemented his Grand Annual victory of 1998 with a thrilling Champion Chase win in 2000, the gallant bay returned victorious to the winner’s enclosure 25 times during a staggering 57-race career and won the Peterborough Chase in four successive seasons between 1998 and 2001.

However, his finest hour arguably came aged 11 when he corrected the record of his previous King George disappointment to land a 25-1 shock and add big-race success over three miles to his extensive roll of honour.

“It was a bit of a surprise, but a nice surprise,” said Knight of Edredon Bleu’s one-and-a-quarter-length triumph over Martin Pipe’s Tiutchev.

“When Edredon Bleu ran in it the first time he didn’t quite stay, but the tactics were a bit different the second time.

“He led a lot of the way and he was just a gutsy little horse and if he got in front he didn’t like being headed.”

Since Southern Hero won the race as a 12-year-old in 1937 there has been only three 11-year-olds to claim the Boxing Day showpiece, with Edredon Bleu among top-class company in the record books alongside King George legends Desert Orchid and Kauto Star.

It was just the second time he had raced over three miles, with many easily ruling the gelding out on account of a lack of stamina.

But the Edredon Bleu team always kept the faith and his handler knew just how brilliant her Champion Chase hero could be on his day.

Knight said: “Terry (Biddlecombe) always said he would stay – even though he won a Champion Chase, Terry always said ‘this horse will stay further’. He was a remarkable horse.

“He was a fantastic horse and in my heart he is held every bit as much as Best Mate, I adored the horse.”

It was, of course, not Knight’s first King George triumph with Best Mate dazzling the Christmas crowds in Sunbury 12 months previous.

But with her defending champion and Gold Cup hero heading to Leopardstown for the Lexus Chase (now Savills Chase) over the Christmas period, the door was opened for Edredon Bleu to prove he was a more than able substitute and secure leg one of what would be a fabulous big-race festive double.

“It was a fantastic weekend as he won the King George and Best Mate went over to Ireland and won the Lexus,” continued Knight.

“I wasn’t even there the day Best Mate won it as we had Edredon Bleu down at Wincanton and he won there so we had two winners which was nice.

“We thought the Lexus was a better race for Best Mate, the King George wasn’t an ideal race, it is always a very quick three miles and the Lexus was very tempting.

“We didn’t want to do the King George a third time, he had won it on his second go and should have won it the year before as well, (AP) McCoy said he should have won but didn’t think he would stay – Terry always told him he would stay.”

Edredon Bleu’s Christmas triumph meant that he even eclipsed his esteemed stablemate the following year when asked to become the King George poster boy.

Knight added: “He was brilliant. We took him up to Hyde Park Corner as they wanted to use him to advertise the race the year after he won it and he was just stood there with all the traffic going round as quiet as a lamb.

“He was just stood there near the great big statue they have there and we paraded him up there and took lots of photographs to promote the race.”

Returning to the Cheltenham Festival winner’s enclosure is the aim for Henrietta Knight as she prepares to rejoin the training ranks in the new year.

The 76-year-old is best known for the magnificent Cheltenham Gold Cup hat-trick of Best Mate between 2002-2004 and also the exploits of Champion Chase hero Edredon Bleu.

But she retired from training in 2012 and has since been involved in the pre-training of horses as well as being an active figure at the sales.

However, Knight announced in November she had reapplied for her trainer’s licence after joining forces with Brendan Powell for a shock comeback.

That process is well under way and she is eager to get the show on the road in her new venture, hoping to saddle her first runners early in 2024.

“It’s coming along well and I’ve applied for the licence so I’m just waiting for that coming through,” said Knight.

“They say it will take two months, but I’m hoping it will come through sooner. We’re hoping to have runners the first week of January.

“I’m very excited and Brendan is my assistant. Between us we have had over 1,500 (winners) as trainers so we’re quite excited.”

Knight is anticipating a maximum of 35 horses in training and dreams of unearthing a rare gem among her small but select string of young stock which will take her back into the spotlight at the racecourse she holds most dear.

“I’d like to get some older horses in, but it just depends what owners we attract,” continued Knight.

“We’ve got some lovely young ones waiting in the wings, but it might take a year or so to have them at their best as some are only three-year-olds. They would all be unheard of to you, but hopefully they become household names.

“We’ve got to get some Grade Ones and my ambition is to be back in the unsaddling enclosure with a winner at the Cheltenham Festival. I don’t mind which race, I’m not fussy, as long as it’s a winner.

“It might be a bit optimistic this year, but hopefully it will be in 2025. I like to have a goal in life, you have got to have an aim.”

Knight was assisted by her late husband and former champion jump jockey Terry Biddlecombe during the halcyon days of Best Mate and Edredon Bleu, with the duo’s joyous celebrations after various Cheltenham Festival victories a popular sight with the racing public.

Knight remembers fondly the adoration she received during those great days and hopes that support will be rekindled on the resumption of her training career as she seeks to attract new owners to her bespoke West Lockinge operation.

She added: “Hopefully the appeal to people is we’re only going to be a small yard with a maximum of 35 horses and a lot of owners like the idea of sending their horses to a small yard as they get more involved and a bit more of a personal touch.

“I think some of the horses benefit by being in a smaller yard as they don’t get so stressed.

“Terry was always a great man with the public, he loved his public and they were fantastic when we trained those great horses.

“We hope they will come back to support us because we have some fantastic people out there, and Brendan has too – we’re really looking forward to getting into the spirit of it.”