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“I still think there ought to be room for a NH Grade 1 at 2m5f.”
There is: the Melling Chase. Or whatever we are expected to call it now.
Just as the intermediate hurdle distance is at Aintree as well.
I expect Mullins will still run Allaho in the Ryanair next season. Cheveley Park have A Plus Tard for the race and Mullins has Galopin Des Champs, Capodanno and possibly Monkfish to call on. With The Nice Guy waiting in the wings for the following year.
Completely agree CAS; Not all the Championship races have to be run at Cheltenham.
The Ryanair Festival Chase should be Gd2, as you say, there was already a Gd1 2m4f race, the Melling Chase.Similarly, the 3m Nov Hdle at Cheltenham, there is one at Aintee – the Sefton. And they don’t need a 2m4f Gd1 Hdle at Cheltenham – we already have that too – the Aintree Hdle.
Not only that, but there simply aren’t enough top quality hurdlers around; in fact most of the Champion Hdle 2 milers, would be better suited to the longer race, but that’s no reason to bring a new race in.
Today’s farce of an extended 3-day Guineas meeting should (but won’t) serve as a warning.
“Not all the Championship races have to be run at Cheltenham.”
Agree. In particular, the Mares Hurdle and the Dawn Run should be run on the second day of the Cheltenham April meeting, which is reserved for mares. It would give that meeting a boost. It would also mean any owner with a top class mare which they wanted to run at the festival would have to choose between the Champion or Stayers Hurdle.
When I first got into the sport in the mid/late 80’s, the Guineas meeting was a 3 day affair. Thursday was 1,000 day, Friday had the Jockey Club Stakes, followed finally by the Saturday, and the 2,000.
I think it moved to a 2 day weekend meeting in 1995??, as I recall listening to the 2,000 in the car, and watched Harayir win on the Sunday.
I think a 2 day meeting is probably a better fit; it looks a bit threadbare quality wise over 3 days.
“There is: the Melling Chase. Or whatever we are expected to call it now. Just as the intermediate hurdle distance is at Aintree as well.”
You’d think this might have occurred to me in my 45 years following racing.
But it actually hadn’t.
VERY good point – all bases are already covered and not every Championship has to be at Cheltenham any more than every Classic has to be at Newmarket….or on Epsom Downs….or at Doncaster!
I’m converted – bin the Ryanair and bin it now!
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It's the "Millwall FC" of Point broadcasts: "No One Likes Us - We Don't Care"Well yes, the Ryanair replaced the old Cathcart, which was the same distance, but had different conditions, I think. (Wasn’t it confined to 2nd season chasers? or something similar).
The Cathcart couldn’t remotely be called a Championship event – yes, it had conditions as I recall and I think I remember Observe once winning it for Fred Winter and John Francome.
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It's the "Millwall FC" of Point broadcasts: "No One Likes Us - We Don't Care"Aside from the Ryanair, Aintree and Cheltenham together have made an unholy mess of the pattern for 2m 4f novice chasers.
We always had the Grade 1 Scilly Isles at Sandown in early February, the Pendil on the Racing Post Chase card at Kempton and the Future Champions at Ayr on Scottish National day, the latter pair both Grade 2.
Aintree jumped first, introducing the Manifesto Novice Chase in 2009 as a Grade 2, which later became a Grade 1. Cheltenham reacted by starting their own 2m 4f novice chase as an addition to the Thursday card, moving the Jewson sponsorship from the handicap to the graded race to add to the confusion.
So we now have five Graded 2m 4f novice chase between the first Saturday in February and the third Saturday in April, three of them Grade1. And to the surprise of almost nobody outside the walls of JCR, all five get small fields.
CAS, totally agree about the mares’ contests. It’s really good to have some championship events for mares, but moving them away from the Festival to help maintain the depth in the open championship events seems eminently sensible.
One observation I would make though is that there is already such a logjam of high-class fixtures in April. I wonder if the mares’ championships wouid sit better earlier in the season? This could then also add some spice with the champion mares potentially going on to Cheltenham.
apracing; Absolutely! None of it makes any sense. I’d like them to go back to the former ‘Pattern’ of two Gd1 races per division; one mid season, and one at the end of season. No need for both festivals to have Gd1 races over the same distance.
Another one is the Martell Cup/Betway Bowl is now a Gd1, why? Too many Gd1 for too few horses…..meaning small fields.“One observation I would make though is that there is already such a logjam of high-class fixtures in April. I wonder if the mares’ championships wouid sit better earlier in the season?”
Fair point. I suppose the Irish trainers in particular would not like the Mares Hurdle being moved so close to Punchestown.
But it is annoying when a good mare takes the Mares Hurdle as an easier option, like Honeysuckle did in 2020. It is worth noting that the Champion Hurdle in that year was won by Epatante, since beaten twice by Honeysuckle in the Champion. If her connections had either shown more confidence or (better still) they had not been given the opportunity to dodge the Champion Hurdle, she would most certainly be a three time Champion Hurdle winner now.
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