'Galactico' hoping for a Grand victory at Chepstow

DAVID Bishop is wishing for Welsh Grand National glory this Christmas - the rugby star who's gone from Galactico to Chepstow.

- GRAHAM THOMAS

For a man once at the heart of one of the most celebrated rugby squads Wales has ever produced Wales - the Ospreys class of 20 years ago, it is now horse racing, and the demanding daily routine of life in a training yard, that provides his competitive focus and sense of purpose.

Bishop, now 42, was a central figure for the Ospreys two decades ago, part of a side dubbed the "Galacticos" because of its concentration of star power.

Alongside the likes of Shane Williams, Justin Marshall, Gavin Henson, Lee Byrne, Jerry Collins, James Hook, Tommy Bowe and Alun Wyn Jones, Bishop helped define Welsh regional rugby during an era of success and swagger, a million miles from the chaos and anxiety of today.

But his playing career was cut short in 2015 after years of battling a serious knee injury.

Forced into retirement earlier than planned, Bishop faced the difficult task of reshaping his life away from the game he loved.

Today, he has done so alongside his partner, leading racehorse trainer Rebecca Curtis, working as stable yard manager at her Pembrokeshire base as the yard prepares for one of the biggest dates in the Welsh sporting calendar.

"My injury meant I had to stop playing before I wanted to and I wasn't able to be the same player that I was before I suffered it," explains Bishop, who had just broken into the Wales squad when the injury first struck.

"So horse racing has given me a new lease of life. It's a very different sport, but I can get the same buzz."

That buzz will be keenly felt tomorrow, when Curtis saddles Haiti Couleurs for the Coral Welsh Grand National at Chepstow.

The race is one of the most iconic fixtures in Welsh sport, staged in the depths of winter and demanding stamina, toughness and teamwork qualities Bishop recognises immediately from his rugby days.

"I actually get more nervous before a big race than I used to get before a rugby match," he says.