Playing live on national TV channel, Racing UK (Photo – Dave Boylan)
It’s not just any festival – it’s the Cheltenham Festival. Over 235,000 racing enthusiasts, who have waited for these four special days to arrive since the lights went out on the 2012 festival 12 months previous, descend on Prestbury Park wrapped up in their woolly hats and scarves to see 28 races in total and 12 Grade 1 contests.
Championships regained, dreams realised and future stars born – this week is everything to every being, both equine and human who are involved in our magnificent sport.
In the days leading up to the action, the meeting was in jeopardy as snow fell and temperatures dropped to -12°C and much of the course was frosted over. Leaving aside the fact that all through the winter, more rainfall than previously recorded in recent times stored itself underneath the hallowed turf at Cheltenham Racecourse. Ground staff covered more than 65 acres of the race track with 630 individual frost covers to protect the course and the prospect of top-class racing throughout the week.
Ruby Walsh salutes the crowd after Quevega wins her 5th consecutive Mares’ Hurdle (Photo – Dave Boylan)
Shortly after the meeting got the ‘’all-clear’’ to commence, spectators were certainly not disappointed with the first race when ‘Champagne Fever’ battled all the way to the line to win the Supreme Novices’ Hurdle for Ireland. Trained by Willie Mullins and ridden by the master of Cheltenham, Ruby Walsh, ‘Champagne Fever’ just got the better of the favourite ‘My Tent Or Yours’ in a tight finish to keep an unbeaten course record, this time landing the biggest prize for novice hurdlers. The grey horse on a grey morning lighting up the festival with Irish flags flying high in the freezing breeze at the home of jump racing.
A little over 30 minutes later, another grey took the stage and won the Arkle Chase – the top prize for novice chasers over 2 miles. The Nicky Henderson trained ‘Simonsig’ was uncharacteristically sketchy over some of his obstacles but his class brought him over the line defeating ‘Baily Green’ by 2 lengths and pulling 13 lengths clear of the others. Although a decent winner, Simonsig wasn’t as impressive as his adoring public know he can be. He was later found to have not been in full health post race after scoping dirtily in the following days.
Just before the feature race of the day, the Champion Hurdle over an extended trip of 2 miles half a furlong, 18 year-old Brendan Powell Jnr. enjoyed his first ever success at the Cheltenham Festival in the JLT Specialty Chase when winning by 10 Lengths on ‘Golden Chieftain’ at odds of 28/1. From a personal perspective, I was delighted to see Brendan have his first winner at this prestigious event as I have been following him all season and he is a really stylish rider for his age, and having met the man, I can assure you all, that he is a complete gentleman off the track also. As the runners for a vintage renewal of the Champion Hurdle made their way down to the start, ‘Hurricane Fly’ lined up as favourite bidding to win his second Champion Hurdle after being defeated last year by ‘Rock On Ruby’ who also was part of the top class line-up for this year’s race. Trying to defy history ‘The Fly’ as he’s affectionately known, was aiming to be the first horse since ‘Comedy Of Errors’ in 1975 to regain his Champion Hurdle crown.
The start of the race was greeted with a massive roar from the almost 60,000 strong crowd and emotions were running high as ‘Hurricane Fly’ was settled at the back of the field with ‘Rock On Ruby’ making the pace, taking the other 8 runners at a decent gallop in the early stages. ‘Grandouet’ fell at the fifth hurdle when seemingly holding every chance of landing a blow but it was left to ‘Hurricane Fly’ to swoop up the long Cheltenham Hill and leaving his rivals toiling in his midst. ‘The Fly’ was back and with a bang! Ruby Walsh and his reliable partner stormed away from his rivals and in doing so goes down in history as one of the greatest hurdlers of all time.
History was also made 40 minutes later when the great mare ‘Quevega’ also trained by Willie Mullins and ridden by Ruby Walsh won her fifth consecutive Mares’ Hurdle coming from what looked an almost impossible position when she slipped on the bend to win by a length and a half. Ruby and his gutsy battle partner cut through the field like a knife through butter. It was one of those ‘I was there moments’ and it’s something I will never forget – She was magic!
Our Conor returns victorious after destroying his rivals in the Triumph Hurdle (Photo – Dave Boylan)
On the second day, the Irish winners and especially Willie Mullins winners continued to flow when ‘Back In Focus’ won the 4 mile novice chase with his son Patrick on board. In the second race, a very special future prospect was unveiled when the Nigel Twiston-Davies trained ‘The New One’ won the Neptune Investment Novices’ Hurdle in emphatic style beating some of the most exciting up and coming stars of racing very easily. His turn of foot was incredibly smooth and was slick over each of his hurdles. He is already being touted by many as a Champion Hurdle horse for next season. Ridden by the trainer’s son, Sam, ‘The New One’ is a name that should not be forgotten! The RSA Chase is a Grade 1 race for novice chasers and this year’s race was won by former triple Gold Cup and Grand National winning jockey, now trainer, Jim Culloty. Cork/Irish jockey Davy Russell piloted the 7 year-old ‘Lord Windermere’ to victory with a strong drive in the closing stages – yet another Irish winner!
Then it came to my highlight on the track, the Queen Mother Champion Chase. ‘Sprinter Sacre’ trained by Nicky Henderson and ridden by Barry Geraghty could be one of if not the greatest horse of all time! This incredible beast of a horse has destroyed every single competitor that he has ever raced against over fences (8 races, 8 wins) and has never come off the bridle in his career. All of his victories have been won by massive distances and phenomenal displays of jumping.
This horse known as ‘The Black Aeroplane’ was described as a ‘chaser from the Gods’ on his last start here at Cheltenham. On Wednesday, his jockey Barry Geraghty said he was perfection in equine form after winning emphatically easily up Cheltenham’s Hill untouched by his rider. To be at Cheltenham on that special day was by far the most unbelievable day in my life on a racecourse. He is a superstar and thankfully he is racing’s superstar – our superstar.
Thursday’s feature race was the World Hurdle over 3m which was taken by the Irish trained ‘Solwhit’ who with Paul Carberry doing the steering won by 2 ½ L to the Paul Nicholls trained Celestial Halo. With the four time champion ‘Big Buck’s’ unfortunately ruled out of the ‘drive for five’ after injuring himself earlier this season, this was the perfect opportunity for Charles Byrnes’ stayer to land this year’s renewal.
But Thursday’s racing was marred by the tragic injury to leading amateur jockey, John Thomas (JT) McNamara who picked up a serious spinal injury after being trampled on by a cluster of horses in the Kim Muir Chase while riding Galaxy Rock for Jonjo O’Neill. At the time of print, JT is in an induced coma in hospital in Bristol after being air-lifted from the racecourse after the fall. 37 year-old JT is the 2nd most successful Point to Point rider of all time while also having four festival wins to his roll of honour. I know that everyone in racing and anyone who knows JT will be hoping and praying that he can pull through and come out on the right side of this horrible accident. I would like to pass on my best to John Thomas and his family during these difficult days. Before the racing commenced and the champions made their way on to the track, I had the privilege of performing my tribute song to the jockey Campbell Gillies on Gold Cup Friday, who tragically lost his life in a swimming pool accident in Greece in June a day before his 22nd birthday. It was a very emotional occasion for me, as Campbell’s family who had travelled from Scotland to hear the song were in attendance. It was a personal poignant moment for me to perform my tribute in the exact spot where he received his greatest award in the Albert Bartlett Novices’ Hurdle when winning on Brindisi Breeze just 12 months previous.
Performing ‘A Song For Campbell’ on the presentation podium on Gold Cup Day (Photo – Dave Boylan)
My song which is entitled ‘A Song For Campbell’ is now available on iTunes for download with 100% of the proceeds going to the Injured Jockeys’ Fund who helped Campbell’s remains to return home from Greece and who are currently helping JT McNamara in his fight to recover from this week’s fall. To have the opportunity to assist my heroes, however significant or insignificant, is something I’m very proud to do. We are hoping to keep the song as high as possible in the charts (it has already reached number 2 ahead of Justin Bieber and One Direction). In the Grade 1 Triumph Hurdle, It was all about one horse – ‘Our Conor’. Trained by Dessie Hughes and ridden by 20 year-old pilot, Bryan Cooper, ‘Our Conor’ who is co-owned by two people from my hometown (Banagher, Co.Offaly) destroyed his rivals by 15 lengths without having to be ridden or even touched. The style in which he left his very talented rivals look as if they were mere selling company horses, was just devastating.
Dessie Hughes has said that he cannot compare this horse to anything he has ever had, other than dual Champion Hurdle hero ‘Hardy Eustace’. This horse is very special and hopefully his progression can continue and he can become a Champion Hurdle contender for the future. Although the rain poured heavily down on all of us in the parade ring/winner’s enclosure, being soaked to the skin could not put the slightest of a dampener on such a momentous and outstanding occasion.
The biggest race for jump racing fans all over the world is the Cheltenham Gold Cup which was won dramatically by ‘Bobs Worth’ under a gruelling ride from top Irish jockey Barry Geraghty and trained by none other than master trainer, Nicky Henderson. Held up towards the rear of the field, the eight year-old came with a late rally to clear away from Sir Des Champs and AP McCoy under the Geraghty drive.
To see the jubilation, emotion and joy in the winner’s circle, shows us how much this sport means to everyone involved. But overall, it teaches us how delicate life is and how brave each rider and horse is when they set foot onto the equine theatre of dreams. In his post race interview, immediately after pulling up, winning rider Barry Geraghty showed both jubilance and concern for his fellow weighing room colleague John Thomas. Once again this shows us how undeniably lucky we are to have this sport and such role models in which we admire greatly. So after four days of the roars, cheers, tears, dreams, emotion and belief, there’s one thing we all know for sure: It’s not just any festival – it’s the Cheltenham Festival.
