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Highs
Gaelic Warrior and Ballyburn were both brilliant but it has to be Galopin Des Champs in the Gold Cup. We should not underestimate how special it is to win two Gold Cups. I have seen quite a lot of Gold Cup winners take the race impressively and everyone said they would win it again next year. Most didn’t but this horse has – and after having a full campaign, taking in Ireland’s big two chases. Not just a saunter around Tramore on New Year’s Day.
From a punting point of view: Chianti Classico and Lark In The Mornin on Tuesday were both good, apart from stupid me not putting them in a double. 😥 Still, it was a winning week.
Lows
Obviously losing two horses on the opening day was the real low. But I have to say Lossiemouth running in the Mares Hurdle was not good for the sport. I have heard all the arguments about how it was the right decision. No disrespect to anyone but I am not convinced.
Going by his interview after the race, I suspect Ricci regrets it now. It is all very well waiting a year but Constitution Hill may be back then. It could be this year was her best chance. A classic case of the 4 day festival and too many options not being in the sport’s best interests.
Ride of the week: I am going to go right back to the beginning and say Rachael Blackmore on Slade Steel. The horse did a lot wrong and looked beaten after the last before Rachael got one last effort out of him. It was good training by Henry De Bromhead as well, wisely avoiding Ballyburn.
Most enjoyable Cheltenham Festival for me in absolutely years.
Highs
Brilliant novices Gaelic Warrior and Ballyburn
State Man doing his usual professional job to land a deserved Champion Hurdle
Lossiemouth hosing up
An epic tussle between ultra-game duo Grey Dawning and Ginnys Destiny
Galopin Des Champs proving the best Cheltenham Gold Cup winner in many years
The Hunters’ Chase
Lows
All the moaning about “Irish” and “Mullins” domination
People running down really decent Grade 1 races like the Turners and the Ryanair
People running down a four-day Festival when, back in the day, unless you were there it was, if you were lucky, three races on BBC1, one on BBC2 (as the kids programmes had now started on BBC1), Tuesday to Thursday and it was over before you could blink
Funniest moments
Ireland winning six-one on Day One and being two-nil up on Day Two prompting some to declare UK racing suddenly in crisis (take a look at prize money at midweek meetings and you’ll see it’s been in crisis for donkeys years)
Dan “I’m the one UK trainer who actually knows what he’s doing and I spend all my earnings on pies” Skelton plotting up a handicap double then winning both the Turners and the Ryanair to shut everyone up for 24 hours
What a week!
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It's the "Millwall FC" of Point broadcasts: "No One Likes Us - We Don't Care"Highs:
Some really good winners and some good tussles in the championship races which we like to see.Exciting new blood to go into the novice chase and open chase company next year to shake things up, yes it is mostly housed with Mullins.
Lows:
The handicaps have turned into a bit of a laughing stock. Races not filling, horses winning at 13/8 like a 1/2 shot in 22 runner fields, the Langer Dan fiasco etcThe state of the ground most of the week. Can’t be avoided with mother nature and likely this is the new norm now going forwards and could be for Aintree too. If you’ve got a good old fashioned spring ground horse probably run them over the summer now target things like the Swinton and Galway rather than the spring festivals.
The Champion Chase again failing to deliver as a contest.
Henderson’s form for most of the week and being deprived of Constitution Hill, Jonbon, Shishkin, Sir Gino.
The bumper was probably not great so the novice hurdlers might not be up to much next year.
UK novice hurdlers really struggled which could have a knock on effect in the novice chases next year although you’d hope the likes of Gidleigh Park and Captain Teague will make better chasers.
One final note linked to the ground – the XCountry just needs binning if they can’t realistically run it at the festival. Its completely changed its purpose lately anyway and isn’t the handicap contest it used to be but the Grand National trial for Gold Cup has beens.
High: Ben Pauling getting on the board, god knows I threw plenty at him in races I shouldn’t have at the festival.
Low: Nicky and the Henderson’s trouble and strife, a real pity for the festival.
Horse High: Jasmin De Veaux, I was convinced weeks beforehand that Patrick would win the race again, ante-post was tricky as had no idea who we would land on.
Horse Low: Langer Dan, as in, being wise to the plot but not swallowing my pride to place money on it.
At the races high: Eagles Reign 80-1 2nd Boodles. Looked overpriced on form and looking at him in the parade ring, got a supreme buzz off him coming in.
At the race low: The cafe we’d go to every year for breakfast in the town centre not being there anymore, taken over by a greek restaurant. 😥
Well done on Jasmin De Vaux and Eagles Reign Chivers. Pauling did well actually, maybe should have won the Albert Bartlett if the jockey had held him a little bit longer, ground probably no good for some of his other novice hurdlers. I remember him having Barters Hill and Willoughby Court a few years back and its taken him a while to get horses with enough ability to be competitive again. Nice to see another name competing.
He moved yards didnt he ? , they have def found there feet now , both he and Skelton were going into Cheltenham redhot , a point to look for next year
High – The Cross Country being abandoned.
Lows – Henderson withdrawals and my profit margin.
The things I want most in life are the things that I can't win.
High personally GC tricast , horse wise Ballyburn looks a weapon
Low Highland Hunter , he didn’t deserve that
Highs – Struggling to think of anything to be honest…..though it was nice to see Ben Pauling get a winner, and the Hunter Chase winning connections, for the North.
Lows – Most of it; a festival that reflected what we’ve seen during the season, and quite a few recent seasons. Small field, uncompetitive graded races…….
I’m more convinced than ever that the top horses aren’t as good as their predecessors from 10-15 years ago. I include Galopin des Champs who everyone is getting carried away with…..I don’t think his jumping is brilliant, just good enough; but he has a massive engine……
Highs – any De Bromhead winner is a highpoint. Watching the history books being rewritten via Mullins was another magical element.
Lows – a tough week for the very likeable Fergal O’Brien team and the meeting was clearly poorer for the absence of the Henderson key players. The atmosphere on the course wasn’t as electric as it can be but that could just be me getting old. Still the best NH meeting in the world by a street though.
On the atmosphere, might that be down to Mullins having so many winners? Not everyone bets, so they might find yet another Mullins winner difficult to get excited about.
No disrespect to Mullins – he has worked hard to set up a highly successful business but unless you have won money on one of his horses, it is probably asking a bit much to get excited about seeing him come back into the winners enclosure for the 103rd time.
Obriens keeps getting a kicking from Cheltenham year in and out , a very professional yard needing a stoke of luck there
The fact that Dysdart Enos smashed Golden Ace in a bumper would have been a ‘f-me’ moment when she won the mares novice hurdle. Doesn’t definitely mean DE would have won but she clearly had a huge chance.
Outside of the loss of two horses (condolences to all connections), it was a great Festival top to bottom with some outstanding performance from a host of younger horses:-
Ballyburn oozing all manner of class in his stroll around Pretsbury Park
Gaelic Warrior showing his true colours and shutting up the naysayers about him
State Man doing what State Man does in showing up and getting the job done no muss no fuss
Another somewhat anti climatic renewal of QMCC (potentially next year could be very good if they turn up and if run to form….two big IFs).
Dan Skelton flying the flag for the home team and also showing that he is not just a man for the big handicaps
Protektorat finally consenting to settle and thus getting his just rewards in the Ryanair
The Fergie & Redknapp hour
GDC taking the step from being a very good Gold Cup winner to a great one….immortality potentially awaits if he gets the hatrick up next year.
Mr John Dawson for almost securing the ride of the week for his hold up ride of Sine Nomine (despite being hampered by the 2nd at the last) in the Hunter Chase to prevent Mr Derek O’Connor from sweeping all three Amateur’s riders races.
Shout out also to Sine Nomine’s trainer Fiona Needham who has now won the race both as a rider and trainer.However, the ride of the week has to go to the daringly absurde ride Townend gave Absurde picking his way through the whole ruck from last to first in the County Hurdle on ground that wasn’t supposed to suit and also foiling another Skelton handicap winner……it was coolness personified from a jockey riding at the top of his game.
A great Cheltenham overall.
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