We are going to see a lot more of him. Harry Findlay that is, not Denman. If yesterday's Gold Cup propelled the awesomely powerful steeplechaser to a new pitch of fame, his part-owner may soon be lobbying for a place on I'm A Celebrity.

Denman against Kauto Star was a clash of heavyweights and Findlay happily took on the role of Don King. To be fair to him, he whipped up the interest like a pro. It is hard not to be captivated by a man who not only talks a good game but puts his money where his mouth is. Yesterday, that meant taking “around £600,000” from the bookies as Denman stormed to victory.

“We told everyone Denman would win when he was 100-1,” Findlay said. “We gave you the commentary before it happened.” Given his confidence, it was a surprise that he had not risked more on the underdog but his practice is to bet big - make that huge - money on short-priced favourites. Findlay had £2.6 million on New Zealand at last year's rugby World Cup (they lost) and £2 million on Roger Federer at Wimbledon. The champion won but only after a bum-squeaking (for Findlay at least) five sets.

Findlay was a big bundle of raucous energy as he watched from the stands yesterday but he detected an absence of pandemonium around him. If that was so, it was because the horse he co-owns with Paul Barber, a West Country farmer, had taken such imperious control with a circuit to go.

There was a fleeting moment between the last two fences when, as Kauto Star rallied, the crowd of 65,000 collectively held their breath. But thoughts of a famous comeback vanished as quickly as they had come, with Denman barely faltering as he made it up the hill to the finish.

Whether it is the fairways of Augusta or the Senna ‘Esses' at Interlagos, television can never do justice to the contours that shape some of sport's great arenas. The pictures from Cheltenham can never truly reveal the upward slog, the sweaty charge through the mud, which made Denman's ride from the front so impressive.

This imposing, muscular beast - with a behind so big and powerful it is remarkable that they build a horsebox big enough - was led into the winner's enclosure where among the well-wishers was Henry Cooper. If Kauto Star was billed as the classy Muhammad Ali, Denman was the brutal George Foreman. It might not have been a great race but no one doubted that it had been a great performance to beat the champion.

“Everyone knew Denman was going to win with a circuit to go,” Findlay said. “You get the lead, you go out in front, you do the damage. He broke the whole lot of them a long way out. How do you take him on? Who wants to take him on front-running from three miles?”

Someone pointed out that Mill House was never the same after being beaten by Arkle in the 1964 Gold Cup. Asked if Denman would prove a similar heart-breaker, Findlay claimed that he already had. “That race will have blown his head off,” he said of Kauto Star. “Denman is very harmful to the other horses. If I was another owner I wouldn't put my horse near him. If he stays sound he looks like a terrorist.”

The champagne was still being poured when the discussion turned to Denman's future. Paul Nicholls, his trainer, and Barber would not be drawn other than to say he will not run again this season. Asked about a Grand National appearance in the future, Findlay's eyes lit up but even he sensed that this was a time for a little discretion.

There was another moment when he was stuck for words. It came when someone asked him how he will cope with celebrity. My guess is that the larger-than-life Findlay will cope well. “I see life as a casino,” he said this week. “Money is chips to play life with.” As of last night, he had £600,000 of living to expend.