After months of hype, count-down and build up, the 2023 Cheltenham Festival has come and gone far too quickly for my liking but not without providing us with four days of unrelenting, peak sporting drama in equine form. During a week where fairytales came true, new stars were born and Cheltenham Festival legends returned.
It was great to be back at Cheltenham for the festival in all of it's glory, and in my opinion, the only stage befitting the week of racing that we were served up. Now that the dust has settled, I wanted to take some time to reflect on the best four day of the year.
Tuesday - Champion Day:
The festival got us underway with the intriguing Supreme Novices Hurdle which saw the popular Facile Vega attempt to get back to winning ways after a poor run at the Dublin racing as he was sent of 9/4 market leader for Willie Mullins who is no stranger to getting off to a flyer in this race. The Barry Connell trained 6-y-o was given a cool ride by Michael O'Sullivan and held the favourite comfortably, winning by three and a quarter-lengths and pulling away.
It didn't take Willie Mullins long to get onto the scoreboard with El Fabiolo winning in very impressive style from Jonbon. As expected, Dysart Dynamo set the tempo of the race in this hands of Danny Mullins before a very tired looking falling at the last. Jonbon, looking one paced from the second-last fence was no match for El Fabiolo who looks to be improving over fences with every run.
It comes as no surprise that Great Britain took the Ultima Handicap chase, notching the first winner of the festival courtesy of a race double for Corach Rambler for Lucinda Russel under a very patient ride by Derek Fox who was allowed to cut the corner turning around the bend for home and creep up the inside before storming up the hill with Fastorslow breathing down his neck under J J Slevin. The well- backed Monbeg Genius ran a big race but was unable to make any impression on the front pair once being headed after the final fence.
All the talk was about Constitution Hill where the Champion Hurdle was concerned and the talking point was more about how many lengths as opposed to picking a winner! He was all class once again and even though he jumped longed at the final flight he still managed to make it look slick and easy. The possibilities for Constitution Hill next season are intriguing!
While we had just witnessed something special in Constitution Hill's champion hurdle victory, it was completely overshadowed by Honeysuckle who battled hard up the hill to deny Love Envoi. Coming in off the back of her first two career defeats, Honeysuckle signed off with an emotional victory under the steer of Rachel Blackmore who has partnered her for all 19 of her runs under rules. The scenes in the parade ring when Honeysuckle made her way back to the winners enclosure were special.
The racing was rounded off by another fine ride and second winner of the day for Michael O'Sullivan on Jazzy Matty in the Boodles Juvenile Handicap Hurdle for Gordon Elliot, before Gaillard Du Mesnil obliged for favourite backers after a late drive up the hill in the hands of Patrick Mullins for the master of Closutton.
Wednesday - Festival Wednesday:
The 2m5f Ballymore Novices Hurdle got the day started with another Irish trained winner courtesy of Impaire Et Passe in the hands of Paul Townend for Willie Mullins in the double green colours of Isaac Souede and Simon Munir. It was a mightily impressive win for Impaire Et Passe on just his third start for Willie Mullins and it looks like he will be another stable star for Willie Mullins.
The feel good stories continued on Wednesday as The Real Whacker produced a real gutsy performance, making all to deny Gerri Colmbe by a short head. He jumped with real zest throughout without missing a beat and trainer atrick Neville reports he will come back next season for a shot at the gold cup. He expects his stable star to be an improved horse next season.
It was third-time-lucky for Langer Dan as he landed the Coral Cup with Dan Skelton under the hands of brother Harry in what was a bunched finished between the first three home, with another second for Martin Brassil with An Epic song, following a second-placed finish for Fastorslow in the Ultima Handicap Chase just 24 hours earlier.
Energumene made it back to back Champion Chase victories with an emphatic eased-down, 10-length victory from Captain Guinness, breaking Willie Mullins Champion Chase duck. After 34 years of trying, he claims his second Champion Chase win in as many years. Energumene becomes only the third horse to register two consecutive Champion Chase victories, emulating Master Minded and Altior. Moscow Flyer and Sprinter Sacre also registered two victories in the race but had to reclaim their crowns.
Delta Work was able to register a second consecutive victory of his own when winning the Cross Country from stablemate Galvin making it 5/7 in this race for Gordon Elliot, and a 1-2 for the trainer for the 2nd year running.
Henry De Bromhead got his second winner of the week on the leaderboard in the last race over obstacles on day two as Maskada ran out an impressive six and a half-length victor under the steer of Darragh O'Keefe.
Another fairytale story in the Champion Bumper signed racing off on day two as 18-year-old John Gleeson combined with 86-year-old trainer John Kiely to win with now JP-owned A Dream To Share, who was bred and raised by the Jockey's father Brian Gleeson in a victory that will mean so much to both families.
Thursday - St Patrick's Thursday: Paul Nicholls registered his first Cheltenham winner since the 2020 festival courtesy of Stage Star under a well-timed ride by Harry Cobden for the Owners Group syndicate, causing an upset as long-time favourite for the race Mighty Potter was unable to justify his odds-on price, finishing 3rd . Runner up was 40/1 shot Notlongtillmay for Laura Morgan and Adam Wedge after a huge run from the six-year-old.
Shrewd trainer Tony Martin teamed up with Liam McKenna to take the Pertemps Final handicap hurdle in a race where there were a couple of hard luck stories due to traffic, not least for the Nicky Henderson-trained Walking On Air.
Envoi Allen put his issues behind him to win the Ryanair for Henry De Bromhead and Rachel Blackmore recording his 3rd win at the Cheltenham Festival adding to his Champion Bumper and Ballymore Novices hurdle victories. Shishkin never really got going and looked to be pushed along quite early on in the race but he continued to get through the race and started to find a rythm and travelled nicely in to the closing stages before running through the third fence from home which looked to have ended his race, but his determination saw him stay on despite hanging left finishing strongly enough to finished 2nd ahead of Hitman.
The feature race of day 3 saw Flooring Porter try to defend his crown and attempt to make it 3 consecutive Stayers Hurdle wins. They went a hard gallop as Flooring Porter started to get the field bunched up while appearing to be still full of running when approaching the final stages of the race - as we have seen in his previous two wins - but a hurdle put stop to his chances this year as he crashed through to leave Dashel Drasher to fight the finish out with Teahupoo before Sire Du Berlais finished powerfully to lead in the closing stages of the race and snatch victory at the death.
The Plate Handicap Chase saw Seddon run out to two-length victor in the hands of Ben Harvey for trainer John McConnell who earned his first festival winner. It was great to see John McConnell in the winners enclosure after coming so close with Mahler Mission who final at the final fence in the National Hunt Chase earlier in the week.
What a fairytale it would have been if Magical Zoe could have gone one better in the Jack De Bromhead Mares Novices Hurdle for his father Henry. Unfortunately, it wasn't to be, as Jamie Snowden's You Wear It Well upset the odds, making all and staying on strongly without really being in any danger of being beaten. Nicky Hendersons up and coming star Luccia was unable to justify favouritism but there are plenty more bigger days ahead to be had with her.
Patrick King and Sam Curling teamed up for a festival success of their own and Angels Dawn just managed to hold off the market leader Stumptown by a neck to take the Kim Muir Amateur Jockey's Handicap Chase to close day three.
Friday - Gold Cup Day:
Lossiemouth put the Dublin Racing Festival disappointment behind her with what was one of the most impressive displays of the week as she ran out a 2 and a quarter-length victor of the Triumph Hurdle, a race where Willie Mullins saddled no less than 7 runners (for 7 different owners!) and managed a 1-2-3-4 in the race. Lossiemouth pulled like a train for the majority of the race, and got out in front far too early than Townend would have liked, but she finished full of running and looks like she will be a star!
Before the County Hurdle, Dan Skelton was asked whether he was still highly confident ahead of the race to which he simply replied 'Yes.' His runner Pembroke was then sent of the 9/2f favourite but it was his 33/1 outsider who was able to outbattle Pied Piper up the hill to get his nose in front under a fantastic ride by Bridget Andrews to win her 2nd County Hurdle and Dan Skeltons 4th in 7 years.
Cheltenham Festival winners appear to be like busses for Paul Nichols who hadn't saddled a festival winner since 2020 and had made it two in as many days courtesy of Stay Away Fay and Harry Cobden, winning in great style by staying on ever so strongly up the hill. Favourite for the race, Corbett's Cross, crashed out of the race dramatically when running out at the final fence and ejecting jockey Mark Walsh in the process.
The pressure was heaped onto the shoulders of Paul Townend and Willie Mullins with the buildup to the Festival Blue Ribband, with racing seemingly centred around the talented Galopin Des Champs. There was no doubting his class before the race and the only doubts surrounded his stamina but they were well and truly put to bed in one of the most impressive and most dominant Gold Cup performances in recent years. It was not smooth sailing at all, but under the priviledge of pressure (as A P McCoy put it) Paul Townend looked as cold as ice has he delivered his mount to perfection, powering away from 2nd Bravemansgame and hitting the line full of running, by a distance of 7 lengths. Willie Mullins claimed afterwards that there was still improvement to come.
Galopin Des Champs has won his first Gold Cup so impressively at the age of 7 and barring injury, it's hard to imagine him failing to rack up another one or two!
Vaucelet was sent of 9/4 favourite for trainer David Christie but was hampered by a loose horse which seemingly caused him to lose momentum and failed to show anything when turning for home. However, it was a special success for trainer and jockey Bradley Gibbs aboard Premier Magic who ran out a 1 and three quarters of a length victor for owner and father-in-law Julian Sherriff.
The two market leaders in the Mares Chase duly obliged and did battle up and locked horns jumping the last where Impervious fought back tenaciously after being headed by Allegorie De Vassy to seal a first festival win for Jockey Bryan Hayes.
The festival closed out with another winner and a 1-2 finish for owner JP McManus as the well backed Iroko also fought back after going down, to get power up the hill and get himself in front winning by a length and a half to give the training partnership of Oliver Greenall and Josh Guerriero a first festival success in the hands of the talented Aidan Kelly who also registered a fist festival success of his own, on his fist visit after going close just 24 hours earlier.
Summary
This years festival will be one that will live forever in memory, especially being directly in front of the winners enclosure during that hour which saw racings next superstar in Constitution Hill make a complete mockery of the Champion Hurdle with pure class, before witnessing the scenes surrounding me as heroine of racing, Honeysuckle, battled up the hill to win the Mares Chance and sign off from her career as a racehorse. The reception she got when coming back into the winners enclosure was incredible, and I don't feel like I'll see the like again. What a story too after the tragedy suffered by the Henry De Bromhead family last year. To see the support for the De Bromheads and the celebrations around them in the parade ring as Jack's rainbow watched on was truly special.
Anyway, time to get over the fact that the greatest week of the year is already over and that I have to get back to the day job!
James
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