The morning after the four days before!! Just wanted to open the thread. I hopefully will get a bit of time this weekend to note up a few things, but here is an opening gambit. Please add your own thoughts and anything you want me to comment on. I was fortunate to attend the four days, and after last season I was worried about people having a complete blow out and the carnage that could be caused. I love a day at the racing, but as you all know I am grumpy, like my own space and most importantly, dislike people. So many would say Cheltenham sounds like a nightmare for me! However, with a members badge and knowledge of the racecourse, I thought it was a delight to be at the festival. Without giving away my favourite locations on the course, I was able to see all horses in the parade ring, cooling down areas after races and the walk of the winners back into the parade ring. This was crowded in places, but not uncomfortably so. Similar with the members steps on the new grandstand. The members bar moved from the top near the pre-parade, down into the tented village, and this facility is worth the membership alone, Guinness lined up on the bar and very small queues if any before racing. A perfect area to chat to others from Fergals yard!! I feared the festival would be uncompetitive and the two big Irish yards would dominate at the cost of smaller owners and trainers, and whilst Willie Mullins dominated, he did so with horses from many different owners. We also had the Flooring Porter syndicate winning, Middleham Park Racing and also the Noel Fehily Syndicate giving some memorable celebrations for small owners. The weather played a key part, three days of glorious weather and then a horrid Wednesday, which to be honest was a great day for seeing Tiger Roll for a final time and all the stories around him. Just a shame his owner is the biggest c**k in racing. That says a lot when Gordon Elliott doesn't top that list! I must also state how devastating the loss of four horses was at the festival, many with think this is part and parcel of the sport, and it unfortunately is, but when you see absolutely stunning horses like Ginto losing their life on course it does make a lasting memory of sadness. Losing one in the first race of the meeting did set up the fear of what was possibly to come. The sport needs to look at this again, under calm conditions and see if the festival is doing everything it can to prevent loss of horses and injuries. I do want to finish the opening post of this thread with a massive positive, and that was how glorious it was to be racing, with a big crowd and with people who wanted to watch the best horses in the National Hunt sport racing in championship races. These are glorious animals and I think we may be on the beginning stages of a glorious period of top championship races, with Sir Gerhard, Constitution Hill, Galloping Des Champs and horses like Vauban and Gaelic Warrior also likely to come up and battle with true champions like the wonderful Honeysuckle, Energumene, Shishkin, Flooring Porter, As Plus Tard and the absolutely mindboggling Allaho. If we can't get excited about this crop of horses, what can we be excited for?
Have to agree with everything you say Nass. My big takeaway personally is that I won't bet in future - partly because I have become utterly crap at it and partly because (for me) it tends to cloud the enjoyment of a race if you lose money on it (I won't bore with all the details, but the first 2 races of the meeting summed it up for me - I backed the wrong Henderson horse in the Supreme then my runner in the Arkle, Saint Sam, was bought down by Brave Seasca. The week followed a similar pattern. My big 4 horse accy on Wednesday was buggered by the weather and watering - Sir Gerhard and Facile Vega winning but Bravemansgame taken out and Shishkin - well the less said, the better). I thought ITV did an excellent job once again and the most memorable part of their coverage for me was Chapman and Gleeson in the betting ring. Especially when Gleeson had the Irish punter who wanted to put £640 on Flooring Porter and he got him 5/1 when the boards were showing 9/2. "Why are you putting £640 on him?" asked Gleeson. "Its all I've got left" roars the punter. Beautiful to see him collect £3840 afterwards. My dad fared much better but unfortunately he let AP and Chapman (on the morning line) convince him to back Galvin when he had been sweet on A Plus Tard all week. Some might call it poetic justice but the poor week endured by Elliott beggered belief. I felt very sorry for Davy Russell - used sparingly on Monday (just one ride, when finishing 21st of 22 on Ebasari in the Fred Winter), then an F and a P before being chinned on Tiger Roll on Wednesday and stood down on Thursday after two horrible falls. He returned to ride Fil D'Or with maximum power on Friday but couldn't get to Vauban and found himself lacking the speed on Galvin to get involved in the finish of the Gold Cup. Tough week for Davy and he left winnerless, hopefully he will be back next year.
Thought we saw some fine horses this week, but I thought the first two winners were the best. Something to look forward to. Also thought it showed you have to be a good jumper at Cheltenham and Flooring Porter showed that: by gaining half a length at most hurdles.
Elliott had 64 runners or around that too, probably nearly an eight of the overall runners for the whole week so a poor return given that. The best performances of the week for me were Constitution Hill and A Plus Tard. That was some Gold Cup win, was almost level with Minella Indo at the last and once Rachael got a squeeze into him he took off like he was dropped into a 6 furlong sprint. Seriously impressive. Does Nicky go over fences with Constitution Hill now or leave him over hurdles? Often the trend lately has to be get then fencing ASAP. I think it wouldn't be no harm to let him go another year hurdling. And finally Nass, the imagery described in your post above has me picturing you alone hiding in a bush watching the events unfold during the week...reminiscent of Barney Curly when in hiding at Bellewstown for the famous coup. Does Cheltenham have a stand alone bush in the centre of it's track? If not it's maybe something they could look at for you for next years festival
Nice post that, STH!. I enjoyed the Festival meeting a lot, thanks very much to some super performances by Irish horses, notably A Plus Tard and Banbridge. The last one was spoilt a bit for me by a slightly tasteless 'joke' that I was a 'traitor', even though Banbridge, County Down, is still, I believe, N.I.? Never mind, just got a bit irritated, especially if I had had the 'savvy' to put Win instead of E.W in the competition, I might just have chinned him? That would have been in the best tradition of the greatest 'Head Waiter' of them all, Harry Wragg! . I can usually take a bit of ribbing, no problem, but this time I got a bit p***ed-off. C'est la vie!
2 wonderful days of live racing Tuesday and Thursday, with Constitution Hill providing the perfect start. Got lucky with Bob Olinger, start of Thursday A joy to witness Honeysuckle run through the gap and fly up the hill. A very lucky selection on Cody boosted the pot but 365 got a chunk back when I put my faith in Pied Piper and Galvin. On the downside had to miss Uttoxeter my local course due to a positive C test but enjoyed cheering Screaming Colours home from my isolation room!!! Scrapping the football season ticket next year and getting a members badge… a far more enjoyable experience
I only saw the ITV coverage on Tuesday (partial) and Friday (all). I thought on the latter it was very poor. The betting ring coverage solely seemed to be Gleeson holding up betting slips, or computer print-outs, and shouting about supposed said bets. I did find the betting ring coverage strange - lot of coverage in the build-up but absolutely no post-race analysis of the betting on the race just gone. They literally read out the first 3 or 4 and then their SPs and then nothing. Surely, I believe anyway, that is where the interest lies. Not in just, in effect, saying prior to the race someone has had a bet of x pounds. Also what is this 'shrewd' money Gleeson always goes on about and what, in his mind, qualifies as 'shrewd' money?!? Never any explaination or any analysis post race re how this 'shrewd' money has fared. I thought Ruby Walsh was excellent but him aside. No, no, no, no, no. McCoy, Fitzgerald and Harvey are practically the same person and similar comments apply re Oli Bell, dear old Ricci and Chris Hughes. Ed Chamberlain is just bland and Francesca suffered greatly from not having Jason Weaver with her - I've said before how great a double act this pair are. Alice Plunkett was her usual very poor (and seemed to get borderline xenophobic whenever she spoke about the Prestbury Cup) and had me reaching for the mute button whenever she appeared. Contrast this lot with Jane Mangan (excellent at Kelso and again yesterday) and SallyAnn Grassick and you have to wonder how main of the above retain their ITV jobs. Cor blimey rant over the equine stars for me were Constitution Hill, Edwardstone, A Plus Tard and Allaho. And it was a joy to see, in the flesh, Shishkin, Tiger Roll, Chacun and Melon. As I said on Friday cor blimey what a horse the latter is.
I wish you a speedy recovery back to normal from the positive C test, niksboy. Hope it is not affecting you too badly. (On the Gold Cup on Friday, did get one thing right and that was I felt certain that A Plus Tard would get things right this year, and my goodness did he just, absolutely stormed up the hill at the end of the race. However, I was indeed surprised that Galvin ran so poorly.)
Another highlight of Cheltenham was seeing both Alan King and Venetia Williams end very, very long Festival losing runs. Their wins have passed the 'unwanted' baton to Nige Twiston-Davies. He has now saddled 87 runners at the meeting since his last winner. 11/81 went off at single figure odds as well. Last success at the Cheltenham Festival was Ballyandy in '16.
With regards to Rachel, not just a brilliant horsewoman but such a brave jockey, she has as many falls as she does winners but she dusts herself down and jumps up on the next runner. Deserves every accolade, a true professional
Right as I have a few minutes @OddDog - Interesting what you say about betting, and I can see both sides of the betting at the festival. I had plenty of money antepost rolling on Bravemansgame for instance, and I must say I was quite happy to see him withdrawn. The money went down the pan, but I do think it was the correct call for the horse this year. I do like a punt at the festival, but I would be more likely to have more on a race on the all weather as I might in a competitive handicap at the festival. My luck at the festival was summed up with Gallopin costing me a line on the placepot, scoop6 place dividend and many multiples on the day!! @SaveTheHumans - The bushes! To be honest I like standing with the crowd on the steps for the races, but the one thing I dislike is standing near folk who have very little interest in the horses when in and around the paddock. So I head away from the ampitheatre steps and head down to parade ring height on the other side. Now if I had a runner, you would probably see me at the other side of the course being a bag of nerves!! Can you imagine having a runner at that meeting!! I am bad enough at Worcester on a cold Monday in October. @niksboy - members badge is the best purchase i've had in sporting terms, its brilliant value if you use it and at a course that rips the punters off at all opportunities it is pretty good value! @Sir Barney Chuckles - I don't like to drag this up, but I fear you might be one of those I hate around the parade ring!! To me Melon looked like a bag of spanners in the parade ring and his coat looked awful, I thought he was the worst turned out horse all week and probably the worst looking horse in terms of wellbeing too. In terms of Nigel TD, he spent big at the sales again and has had plenty of course success this season. It was a shame for them to draw a blank, but it was also a shame that the forums favourite local trainer got done with his two big handicap chances. Surely that elusive festival win is just around the corner?
Tuesday Traditionally my favourite day of the festival. It started with a big bang this season, Constitution Hill hacked up in what is probably the performance of the week by a novice. He took apart what looked a very good field and with Jonbon and Kilcruit both running their races it looks like an exceptional performance. He hopefully will stay sound and for Michael Buckley to have another star is a brilliant sight. It will be interesting to see which route they go next season, but I would expect him to go for the Arkle. He looks every inch a chaser to me. We then saw the Arkle where Edwardstone won with authority. I am likely to sound like I am underplaying his ability, but I am surprised he won the race and I do wonder if Blue Lord and a few others are "thinkers". That said he did it in great style and it was a massive win for Alan King and co. Then we have Honeysuckle, and this is going to sound odd, but I thought she was incredibly lucky that Epatante missed the last. I know we haven't seen Honeysuckle battle in a finish recently, and she may have won anyway, but the mistake at the last was crucial and left Epatante far too much to do in the finish. I love watching Honeysuckle and it was a pleasure seeing her again, but I do think she will be vulnerable to one of the novice hurdlers from this season. It will be interesting to see if that is at Punchestown or whether its DRF next season. No need to mention her jockey, just what you expect from the saddle from that superb jockey. We saw wins for Middleham Park Racing and Lucinda Russell and the Ramblers (what a band they would be), which raised spirits and we saw a potentially Grand National set of performances in the closer. Run Wild Fred looks made for that race. Wednesday Weather, the bloody weather. The course was watered and then it rained. And rained and rained some more. This day for me was all about Shishkin, I couldn't wait to see him, but it was soon obvious that it was going to be a bemusing race for what I had hoped would be the crowning of the star. Energumene won with so much ease and if he does end up being the better of the two, then it was a privilege to watch his first QMCC. However I was disappointed post race. The fact Henderson blamed the ground perhaps explains why he has been wearing those god awful sunglasses, his eyes must be very close to failing. Seriously I hope his health picks up. Sir Gerhard won despite of the ground, and with such ease. He is a star, and I am writing this here, he wins next years Champion Hurdle. The son of Jeremy showed that horses always show up for their sire after they have sadly departed. This boy is the real deal. L'Homme Presse won brilliantly for Herefordshire's finest trainer and the ever confident and smart Charlie Deutsch. The lad has to be applauded for the way he rides, he gives horses every chance to win races and they don't ever seem to come back in wondering about what could have been. Ahoy Senior jumped like a sherman tank, which is a shame because he is quite tank like. However when you jump like Big Bucks rather than Denman then you have issues. Let's hope they can iron those issues out. He is a talent! Then we have Tiger Roll and the utter c*ck that owns him. The horse is extraordinary, he truly is. Not very big but full of heart and he jumps so well too. However the ground was against him and he went out on his shield. The only time i've heard a festival race booed!! The grandstands couldn't believe the result and quite honestly, I can't believe it. However there is something very Ryanair about how they ruined their own fairytale. Imagine if he had been owned by a Trevor Hemmings. We could be looking at something that eclipsed Red Rum. Delta Work finally got his career back on track, but lets face it, as a Gold Cup hope, you would expect him to outclass most of the handicappers that make up the Cross Country field. I just wanted to mention a story that may have been missed in the week. Fergal sent Nazagai up to Sedgefield on Tuesday, their ony runner of the day at that course. He fell at the first and unfortunately despite an hour of vet treatment and absolute awful scenes for the lad who travelled, he had to be put down. The lad in question was at Cheltenham on Wednesday and I had a chat with him (not knowing he had gone). I won't go into details, but he travelled alone, taking one horse from Stowe to Sedgefield. A horse he looks after daily and does so for a family he counts as his second family! He went through the loss of the horse and then travel back home. So, why was he at Cheltenham? He didn't have a runner on the day, he was purely at the course to see the wonderful Tiger Roll. A horse he adores and wanted to see in the flesh before he retired. Fergal et al made sure he went to the course and he thoroughly enjoyed the day. Even if I probably annoyed him for a short time. This is why I like the yard so much, its much more than just racing for these lads and lasses. It is career, it is love and it is their lives. I am so glad he got to see Tiger Roll run so well and retire in one piece.
Heart-breaking story about Nazagai’s lad Nass but uplifting that he found some solace in seeing Tiger Roll.
Re Melon, as an aging 10YO, I wasn't saying it from the point of view that he was the most attractive horse on show but that he had a certain sparkle about him and he seemed to possess a real standout personality. Am also a lover of a bold chestnut and the sun really bounced off his coat. Grand National next?!? The massive negatives must be that (i) he's very 'Charlie Slater' and (ii) he's got far too much weight. I know that you will probably shout at me for asking this but do you think some trainers are now almost scared of running horses at the Festival. Ask this as N T-D, FOB, Charlie Longsdon and Tim Vaughan had a grand total of 11 runners between them at the meet (surely you would have expected far more than this from the first 3 in particular. Vaughan, probably, hampered by quality these days). Don't get me wrong I think all are highly capable but it must be doing their heads in and their Cheltenham Festival records (recent one in the case of N T-D) causing much angst. It also can't help that the media are regularly mentioning this. FOB is a million times better than 0/42. But he can't want that number to reach 50. Last weeks near misses proved he is having no luck at the fixture and may, in the short term, only runs those he is reasonably confident of rather than make speculative entries.
One of the postscripts, re the Festival, is always how will the handicapper react??? Anyone keen to see the reassessed marks, tomorrow, of anything that run at Cheltenham??? I'll be looking out for Gericault Roque (I fear he may get clobbered), The Glancing Queen and Broomfield Burg. Meanwhile, I know it's academic (the old boy will hardly be running in a handicap next week!!!) but what about Constitution Hill??? Something in the high 160's or even sneaking into the 170's, perhaps???
Problem for Fergal and the others mentioned is getting horses into the handicaps!! I know Fergal wanted to run Ask Dillon in the Coral Cup, but didn't get in. He was a reserve. With Ireland having over half the runners at the festival (223 runners 18 winners) the UK trainers are going to have fewer runners (182 with 10 winners).
I would be so against that. What we need is trainers to buy or find better horses. Take this list - Constitution Hill Gr.1 Supreme Novices' Hurdle - Cheltenham Spring HIT/P2P Sale 2021 Bernice Stables Seven Barrows £120,000 Corach Rambler Gr.3 Ultima Handicap Chase - Cheltenham November P2P Sale at Yorton 2020 Scar Stables Michael Scudamore £17,000 Stattler Gr.2 Challenge Cup Amateur Jockeys' Novices' Chase - Cheltenham Spring Store Sale 2018 Treannahow Stables Ian Ferguson £59,000 Coole Cody Sold £5,200, Tattersalls Ireland Ascot Summer Sale, 2016 By Sundale Farm to T Malone Plate H. Chase Grade 3, GB, 17/03/2022 Shishkin Sold £170,000, Tattersalls Ireland Cheltenham December NH Breeze Up Sale, 2018 By Virginia Considine to Highflyer BS Clarence House Chase Grade 1, GB, 22/01/2022 Sir Gerhard Sold £400,000, Tattersalls Ireland Cheltenham December NH Breeze Up Sale, 2019 By Coolmeen Stables, Ireland (Miss E. Holden) to Gordon Elliott Racing Tattersalls Ireland Novice Hurdle Grade 1, IRE, 06/02/2022 Ballymore Novices' Hurdle Grade 1, GB, 16/03/2022 Energumene Sold €50,000, Tattersalls Ireland Derby Sale, 2017 By Moanmore Stables to T Lacey Queen Mother Champion Chase Grade 1, GB, 16/03/2022 Honeysuckle Sold €9,500, Tattersalls Ireland Derby Sale, 2017 By The Glanvilles Stud to M O'Hare Champion Hurdle Challenge Trophy Grade 1, GB, 15/03/202 Irish Champion Hurdle Grade 1, IRE, 06/02/2022 Apart from Sir Gerhard, you would say that many UK trainers could afford the rest of them. It is just finding them and training them to be the horses they become.
Corach Rambler was sold by my cousin's Father in law John Walsh, who trains out of Scar in Rathangan Co. Wexford. Named after a local soccer team here (Corach Ramblers) and our bitter rivals of the village I am from, grrr! Bit of useless information for you all. Can't believe that horse won a race at the festival, would stay 7 miles if such a race existed for it. Will Sir Gerhard stay over hurdles Nass? Haven't Cheveley Park tended to push their runners more towards the fences as well lately? Why has this become such a trend recently to avoid a season or two hurdling when there is possibly multiple champion hurdles to be won as Honeysuckle has just showed. Regarding Tiger Roll...that was well described, It was a very Ryanair thing to do. With hindsight I suppose you leave Tiger Roll as your only runner knowing he likely has the upper hand on the rest. Can't take away from what was a very good effort on Delta Work's part. Not often a horse runs a great race to win and will be remembered for all the wrong reasons. O'Leary will put on the brave facade of "that's racing" etc, but deep down he is gutted Tiger Roll didn't win that race. An awful pity he didn't let him line up at Aintree where he could have raced around and came 10th and still be lauded in as a hero. Likely would have gone very close in the race as well.
