One thing you can guarantee about the Cheltenham Festival is there will always but always be a story or two worth telling and today was no exception.
Tuesday saw the tapes go up at a little after 1.30pm for the first race and from then on it was a roller coaster of a ride for punters horse lovers and race goers alike with the first blow going to the punters as joint favourite Vautour landed some serious bets for fans of the Willie Mullins yard and landing bets of £2000 to win £8,000 at 4/1 shrinking his odds before the off. He frankly sauntered home in a hack canter an in a quality time to boot and I am already looking forward to the 2015 Champion Hurdle as this son of Robin Des Champs could well be the natural successor for Hurricane Fly? Next up we switched from hurdles to fences for perhaps the best finish of the day in the Arkle as David Pipe’s Western Warhorse got up to beat Champagne Fever by a head after looking outpace on the run in. Stupid as it makes me, I mentioned elsewhere that I couldn’t understand why the horse was in the race but I didn’t have a penny on the 33/1 shot (47/1 on the exchanges!), which doesn’t make me feel any better. I don’t personally believe it was a vintage renewal by any stretch of the imagination and I will eat my hat if the winner takes on Sprinter Sacre and Co in the Queen Mother Champion Chase next season but it was a cracking finish that got the adrenaline flowing.
At the risk of upsetting someone I failed to get too exited about the handicap that followed, though congratulations to Jonjo O’Neill for winning with Holywell, but you could have told me about his chances when I was recently at the yard? Still, with the Champion Hurdle to follow I wasn’t too bothered and again, what a race, one to tell your children about whoever you backed. Hurricane Fly was sent off favourite to win the race at the age of ten but we all wondered if the youngsters could take his crown and so it proved. The green and yellow colours of J P McManus ended locked in battle up the home straight with A P McCoy on board My Tent Or Yours doing battle toe to toe with Barry Geraghty on Jezki who prevailed for Ireland at odds of 9/1. Back in third, and finishing like a bullet was The New One, in my book an unlucky loser after being hampered by the sadly passed Our Conor, losing more lengths and momentum than the three lengths he was beaten by, and a reminder that anything can happen in this game.
With the main race out of the way we had the little matter of the possibility that history could be made in the next race as Irish mare Quevega looked to make it six in a row in the 4.00pm. Putting that in to perspective, she had beaten the best mares they could throw at her as a four year old all the way thorough to a nine year old, and blow me down if she didn’t make it number six here, though perhaps without her customary swagger. Racing folk may claim to be “hard” but the tears were flowing as she hit the front though pure emotion, and I doubt we see her likes again in my lifetime.
For reasons unknown, they always make the late race order a bit of an anti climax in my opinion (how could you follow the Champion Hurdle and Quevega with anything but a let down?), though at least the National Hunt Chase was named after the late great Terry Biddlecombe. Amateur riders deserve their chance at the limelight and those on show here are as good as some (but not all) of the professionals, though you wouldn’t have thought so in some cases had you seen the race. A war of attrition was more a case for survival with some though first prize for over confidence on day one has to go to Patrick Mullins who started 9/1 shot Suntiep in last place early on and left him there until coming with a rattling late run in to third place – too little too late Patrick and carrying my money as well, tut tut! So, as the sun started to set on a brilliant (if not so profitable day), with one last race to go and a chance for me to find a first and last race win double. Sadly, it wasn’t to be as I managed yet another third place as Pendra failed to notice one or two fences despite the assistance of AP McCoy in the saddle making a real hash of the last to be beaten by both Present View and Attaglance and dash my hopes on the day. The winner was another sign of the rising star that is Brendan Powell (junior), who kept the race after a lengthy enquiry, and he is one for the future, but I end the day with three each way thirds and a winner – not perfect but it leaves me enough to fight another day!