PART I
DIARY – CHELTENHAM FESTIVAL 2015
DAY TWO
FEATURING THE QUEEN MOTHER CHAMPION CHASE
WEDNESDAY 11 MARCH 2015
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Dell’Arca crashes out in the Coral Cup; horse and jockey were unharmed Having made a minor adjustment to my alarm clock,
it sounded at close to 04:00 this morning; in hindsight, it must have woken
me at 03:40 the previous day. It
became apparent pretty quickly that I’d developed a headache overnight – it
may have been partly due to dehydration but, more likely, it was because I
had awoken with a stiff neck. It was
far easier for me to look to the left than the right, and also to stretch the
right side of my neck, rather than to compress it. I showered and washed and dried my hair before
applying my makeup. Again breakfast began with two Weetabix,
some raisins, some blueberries and slides of banana. But I forgot to eat any toast today. I had half a cup of tea, although I had
already taken a few sips of water when I first got up; I would regret it
later! The forecast today was for a little rain,
accompanied by a very cold easterly breeze.
I decided it would be most appropriate to wear my black faux sheepskin
coat today as it was warm to wear, fairly long and I didn’t mind if it got wet. The remainder of my outfit was as follows. Three thermal t-shirts – violet, pink and
purple, a deep pink-coloured v-neck sweater (Iris according to the label),
dark grey tweed double-frill skirt, dark violet fleece, black fleece gillet, grey tights, black Clarks wedge-heeled shoes,
black cowl with white horse design print, pink and navy geese design Per Una scarf plus my Cerise Galaxy Glass pendant with
matching earrings. I set out on my journey at 06:12 today. Again my route took me through St Albans
City Centre, onwards to Hemel Hempstead and Aylesbury; there was a brief
delay whilst a slow moving milk float held up the traffic on the initial
section of the latter’s ring-road. I
then continued through Waddesdon to reach Bicester. Traffic
wasn’t too bad on the section of dual carriageway leading to junction 9 of
the M40, nor upon the subsequent A34.
I left the latter at the Peartree
Interchange as usual; again vehicles had formed a stationary queue around the
roundabout on the A44. I hate pushing
out into the traffic ... but it has to be done. Traffic was nose to tail on the dual carriageway
leading down to the Wolvercote roundabout and I
left Oxford upon the A40 at 07:50 today.
There were no problems or delays on the next section of my route and
the tailback from Cheltenham’s Sixways junction was
shorter today because I was earlier.
When the lights changed I turned right into Greenway Lane, before
heading down Harp Hill and along Priors Road and taking a right into Bouncers
Lane. At the far end I negotiated the
mini-roundabouts before entering Tatchley Lane. Having reached the roundabout at the far end of
New Barn Lane, outside the main entrance to the racecourse, I went straight
across into Swindon Lane and, a short distance on my right, entered the
bottom field of the car park. There
were no spaces therein but, unlike yesterday, I was directed to turn left
immediately upon entering the upper field.
This meant I was driving along a muddy track, following a string of
vehicles driven by staff working at the event. The route took me past the yard when the
‘long-stay’ horse transporters are parked and, after driving along a cinder
track between very high hedges, I arrived in the far field, still alongside
Swindon Lane. I was directed to take a left turn to double-back
on myself and, following a drive along the top of the field, I reached an
area close to the driveway which serves as the exit route for those
aforementioned horseboxes. It was
09:00. Despite it being early, I
couldn’t sit around for long, as I was desperate to spend a penny. I had one of two options, either use one of
the portaloos … no way … or walk down to Cheltenham
town centre to visit Marks and Spencer and their loos! Having chosen the latter, I set off along the
muddy track back towards the Evesham Road.
I knew that my walk would make me feel hot, so I didn’t put on my
fleece or gillet, but would return to the car to
collect them later, prior to entering the grounds. The route into town is very
straightforward; having walked down the first section of Evesham Road
opposite the racecourse, I crossed Swindon Lane close to the roundabout,
before continuing downhill on the western side of the road, past the Pump
Room opposite and through the park. At the Clarence Road junction, Evesham Road
becomes Portland Street and then Pittville
Street. I crossed the road to enter
the Marks and Spencer food-hall on the opposite side of the road. Over the years I’ve become a regular
visitor to this branch of the retail store so was soon able to locate the
escalator and travel up to the first floor to find the ladies’ loos. I’d made it; but it was a pretty close
call!!! Never one to pass up the opportunity to peruse
the aisles, I stopped off briefly to look at the lingerie section; I found a
pretty pinky-mauve coloured t-shirt bra in my size
which I purchased. Then, having taken
the escalator back down to the ground floor, I took a look around the women’s
section. There was nothing to appeal
to me … until I saw a group of stands with handbags hung upon them; there was
a sale in progress. I noticed a brown shearling bag from their Indigo range, which I’d
considered buying a few weeks ago.
However, I’d resisted at that time, thinking that £39.50 was a little
too much to spend on the item. But
they were now reduced to £25 … I snapped one up! Shopping over, I headed back to the racecourse,
this time beginning my walk on the eastern side of the road. Traffic being light at this time of the
morning, I safely negotiated the Clarence Road crossing. Further up, adjacent to the park, there
were a couple of rickshaws blocking the path – one painted in Kauto Star’s colours, the other in Synchronised’s
colours (in other words JP McManus’ silks).
The riders, dressed in their matching silks, kindly moved their
vehicles so that I was able to pass by without stepping onto the grass verge. A little further up I crossed over onto the
western side of the road, and headed up the hill towards the Racecourse. Having crossed Swindon Lane by using the
traffic island, I continued along Evesham Road until I found the steps which
lead down into the bottom field. There
were a few vehicles using the drop-off point but I negotiated them safely
before heading along the top of the field, through a gap in the hedge, across
the concrete driveway and into the field where I had parked. I sat in my car for a little while, and ate a
couple of the cheese rolls which I’d brought with me. I also inserted my contact lenses at this
point and they remained comfortable throughout the day, in fact I didn’t take
them out again until I reached home.
Having stowed my new treasures safely in the boot of my car to deter
any thieves, I put on extra layers of clothing before setting off to my usual
entry turnstile. The initial queues had dispersed by this time and I was able
to enter the grounds without delay, having had my bag checked once more. It was 10:55. Having purchased a race-card from the kiosk
opposite the entrance, I made my way to the steppings
above the Winners’ Enclosure. My
headache had eased a little following my walk to town, but the cold breeze
seemed to aggravate it once more whilst I was standing in this exposed
position. This being the case, after race-day presenter
Martin Kelly had interviewed his first guests I decided to take a wander
around. First I headed to the
Pre-Parade Ring, where a number of horses were entering the area prior to
being prepared ahead of the first race.
I then walked down the slope, across the new plaza area, and down
through the wide concourse between the tents to reach the Shopping Village. Expensive
and tweedy describes the retailers best.
Even Hiho Silver has lost its way with the
products offered. I remember liking
their earrings when I first saw them at the 2009 Festival ... but nothing
appeals now. I’ll stick to unique one-off
dichroic earrings and necklaces offered by
retailers on the Etsy
website. I have a number of favourite
retailers, in the UK, USA and Australia.
The
only item I fancied was a limited edition print of a painting of
steeplechasers at Cheltenham, the subjects were entering from the left-hand
side of the picture as they were jumping fences in the back straight, with
the grandstands in the far distance.
And I didn’t actually see this until I paid my second and final visit
to the Shopping Village on Thursday!
Following that I set off across the concourse and
through the tunnel between the new and old grandstands. Having crossed the members’ lawn, I found my
customary spot close to the half furlong point. The familiar steward was on duty today ...
and she’d wrapped up warmer than yesterday; although yesterday was very
pleasant until the sun disappeared behind the grandstand. I know from years of experience just how cold
it can be standing around at the races! I still had a little bit of a headache but, at
this point, I decided to wrap my cowl around my head and neck and it finally
disappeared ... after nine hours! I
just don’t take painkillers; ibuprofen is not recommended as it causes the
stomach to produce additional acid and I take tablets to prevent this because
I suffer from acid reflux as a result of a hiatus hernia. I used to be fine with paracetamol
but, for the past three or four years, they’ve made me feel spaced-out;
definitely not recommended when out and about 100 miles from home and also
having been in control of a car on a long-distance journey! It’s frightening too, as I’ve felt very
peculiar when under their influence. With too much technology available,
the weather forecast for the week continued to be revised. Rain was, or had been, forecast for some
point today but, in the event, very little materialised; all I noticed was
just a few light spots on the very cold breeze at the start of racing. Here are details of today’s
non-runners: Race Horse
and Trainer - Penalty - Reason 3:20 CHAMPAGNE FEVER (IRE), trained by W. P. Mullins (Ireland).
Waived Self Cert (Injured in Box) 3:20 CLARCAM (FR), trained by Gordon Elliott (Ireland). Waived
Self Cert (Stiff) 5:15 PYLONTHEPRESSURE (IRE), trained by W. P. Mullins (Ireland).
Waived Self Cert (Lame) The favourite for the first race
was the Willie Mullins-trained, Ruby Walsh-ridden Nichols Canyon; price
7-2. Alan King had a runner in this
race, Ordo
Ab Chao; he was the last horse I’d seen Choc ride
(live that is), in the Aintree Bumper on Grand National Day when they
finished 4th. The starting gate for this race
was situated at the beginning of the mid-course chute. This being the case, the horses cantered
across the home straight and up along the all-weather strip in front of the
Best Mate enclosure to reach it. The Warren Greatrex
representative, Warrantor, showed a little bit of temperament at the start;
at one point an assistant needed to lead him across to join the others.
At
the due time, the runners approached the entrance point to the mid-course
chute sedately; prior to jig-jogging towards the tape. Then they were off, first time. There was a roar from the expectant crowd
as the first race got underway; although not as loud as upon the first
day. The
runners were led away by Windsor Park to the inside, Warrantor in the centre,
and Beast Of Burden to the outside; the former was sporting the purple and
yellow colours of Dr Lambe, as worn by last year’s
Cheltenham Gold Cup winner Lord Windermere.
Ordo Ab Chao
travelled three from the back. The
runners cleared the first two flights without incident before traversing the
Old Course and heading downhill to the far turn to enter the home
straight. Windsor Park and Warrantor
continued to lead, from Nichols Canyon, the grey Vyta
Du Roc, Beast Of Burden, Outlander, Ordo Ab Chao, Snow Falcon, Parlour Games and the slightly
detached Anteros.
Having jumped flight number three, the runners began their long
journey up towards the grandstands and flight number four. Warrantor
held a slight advantage over his nearest rival approaching the flight but,
having put in a short stride and lost a little momentum, he had dropped to
third position as they galloped away from it.
Windsor Park and Beast Of Burden matched strides as they headed up the
hill in front of the Best Mate enclosure; following these was Warrantor, then
came Nichols Canyon and Vyta Du Roc, followed by Ordo Ab Chao and Outlander,
Snow Falcon, and a two length gap to Parlour Games, with the same distance to
Anteros. Having
reached the top of the hill, they turned left and headed slightly downhill to
reach flight number five; Beast Of Burden now alone at the head of
affairs. All the runners jumped this
flight well. They galloped to the next
flight, where the chestnut leader got in a little close to it; being a big
horse he was not the nimblest in the field.
The
runners negotiated the dog-leg turn before heading to the next flight;
Outlander made an error here. The
field was well-grouped, apart from back-marker Anteros,
as it travelled to the top of the hill and began the journey down the
slope. Outlander began to make his
move on the outside of the field, taking advantage of the momentum to be
gained approaching the third last.
Just to his inside, Ordo Ab
Chao made up ground too. Vyta Du Roc took the lead having landed
over the flight, Beast Of Burden now disputing second with Windsor Park. Having looked dangerous approaching the
flight, Outlander appeared outpaced, as did Ordo Ab Chao. The
weakening Warrantor blundered here.
They headed to the penultimate flight, the battle was now joined;
Windsor Park rose first, from Nichols Canyon who had now appeared on the
scene under Ruby Walsh. But the latter
made an error here. This
enabled Vyta Du Roc to regain his place and he was
laying down a challenge to Windsor Park as they turned into the home
straight. Snapping at their heels were
Parlour Games having improved his position and slipped up the inside rail
under AP McCoy, and Nichols Canyon; also in the leading group were Snow
Falcon, Ordo Ab Chao and
Outlander. Beast Of Burden was now
trailing them by a number of lengths. They
began their charge towards the final flight, with Windsor Park extending his
lead slightly over the grey; the others seemingly unable to go with the
present pace. However, Barry Geraghty’s mount made a complete mess of the last and was
lucky not to fall. This now left
Parlour Games as the nearest challenger, from Nichols Canyon, Snow Falcon,
the recovering Vyta Du Roc, Outlander and Ordo Ab Chao; five or six
lengths probably covered the distance from the leader to the 7th. However
Windsor Park had much the better turn of foot and went away to win by 3¾
lengths at the line. I’m sure the
runner-up Parlour Games would not have caught him, even if AP had not lost
his whip on the run-in. Nichols Canyon
claimed 3rd with Vyta Du Roc despite his
setback keeping on to take 4th; surely the latter would have finished as
runner-up but for his mistake at the last.
Ordo Ab Chao
completed in 7th, but far from disgraced in this Grade 1
event. And
it was another Irish winner to add to their first day tally of 5.
With Ordo Ab Chao having finished
unplaced, there was no need for me to return to the steppings
above the Winners’ Enclosure post-race.
Race 1 - 1:30pm. THE NEPTUNE INVESTMENT MANAGEMENT NOVICES' HURDLE RACE (CLASS 1)
(Registered as The Baring Bingham Novices' Hurdle Race) (Grade 1) No
Stewards Enquiry. The
Veterinary Officer reported that BEAST OF BURDEN (IRE), unplaced, trained by
Rebecca Curtis, had bled
from the nose. The
favourite for the next race was Don Poli, trained
by Willie Mullins and ridden by Bryan Cooper; the horse sports the maroon and
white colours of the Gigginstown Stud. The
starting gate was located between the nearest two fences in the home
straight; this being the case, the horses cantered up in front of the
grandstands before returning down the turf and re-entering the all-weather
strip to continue part way down it to the start. The
jockeys, having taken their horses to look at the take-off side of the second
fence from the stands, then proceeded around the obstacle to reach a small
enclosure which had been created upon the New Course. Girths were checked, after which they
circled around prior to being called out onto the racecourse.
Then
they were off; first time. The runners
were led away by Kings Palace who disputed the lead with The Young Master to
his outside. Just behind the leading
duo were Apache Jack, Southfield Theatre and Don Poli;
they were followed by the sole mare, Adriana Des Mottes,
Wounded Warrior; If In Doubt brought up the rear. All eight cleared the first fence without
problem, before heading up the hill in front of the Best Mate stand to
approach fence number two; the two leaders were four lengths clear of their
nearest rivals. Kings Palace put in a
better jump than his companion at the fence; the JP McManus runner was a
little slow at the back of the field. Having
entered the back straight, they then headed down the slope to fence number
three. In contrast, the David Pipe
runner nodded slightly on landing over this one. The following fence was the water-jump, and
they all cleared this in their stride.
The Young Master took off quite early at the first of the
open-ditches, but he cleared it okay, and Kings Palace got a little bit too
close to the inside wing; debris flew from the upright birch as a
result. The
next fence was a plain one and they all cleared this without incident before
heading around the dog-leg turn to the second open-ditch; again there were no
errors here. Having reached the top of
the hill they turned left-handed before descending again to reach fence
number eight. There was no change at
the head of affairs as The Young Master and Kings Palace took them along; the
latter saving ground close to the inside rail. Tom Scudamore’s
mount was a little bit awkward at this obstacle. The
Young Master took a clear advantage as they headed into the home
straight. There was a tiny error from
Southfield Theatre at the next fence; by this point of the race Apache Jack was
sharing last place with If In Doubt.
Don Poli got a little bit close to the next,
having put in a short stride on take-off.
The runners now headed away from the main grandstands and up the hill
to fence number eleven; Kings Palace had now taken a marginal lead. Turning
into the back straight for the final time, Apache Jack was now being bumped
along. The leader put in a good leap
at the next fence; meanwhile both Southfield Theatre and If In Doubt nodded
on landing. The runners headed to the
water-jump for the final time; despite this being the smallest fence on the
course, The Young Master blundered as he dragged his hind-legs through the
birch. The
following fence is an open-ditch, which they all cleared without difficulty;
following the fence, AP decided to give his mount a slap with his whip to
encourage the horse to keep of terms with those ahead of him. Fence number fifteen is a plain fence and,
again there were no issues in the jumping department; Kings Palace continued
to lead, from Southfield Theatre, The Young Master, and the urged along Don Poli; the latter is noted for being slightly lazy. They were followed by Wounded Warrior,
Adriana Des Mottes and If In Doubt. Apache Jack was a number of lengths behind
the main group and struggling. The
horses soon negotiated the dog-leg turn, before arriving at the final
open-ditch. Southfield Theatre took
off too early, reached for the fence which resulted in him stepping through
the birch; he survived but lost his position to Don Poli. The latter was now back on the bridle
having gone through a flat spot. As
they headed around the far bend, Bryan Cooper’s mount was just half a length
down on the leader. Southfield Theatre
retained third place as they galloped down the hill with, seemingly at first,
none of the others able to make up the deficit. The Young Master had now run his race and
had dropped back to last place; Apache Stronghold had been pulled up. Having
cleared the third last, Adriana Des Mottes began to
bridge the gap. Don Poli was three or four lengths ahead of his nearest
rival, the fading Kings Palace, as they turned into the home straight;
Southfield Theatre had soon overtaken the long-time leader too. Coming off the home bend, it was now
apparent that Wounded Warrior was staying on, and was challenging the mare
for fourth place. Don
Poli led over two out, Southfield Theatre
continuing to throw down a challenge; both Wounded Warrior and Adriana Des Mottes overtook the tiring Kings Palace on the run to the
final fence. Having cleared the last,
Bryan Cooper had to drive his mount out up the hill; the horse wasn’t giving
it his all, the telltale signs being his pricked ears! However, he still pulled away to win by 6
lengths at the line. Southfield
Theatre held on to second place, by 1½ lengths from
Wounded Warrior; the latter rallying to regain 3rd position from Adriana Des Mottes at the post.
If In Doubt was just half a length behind them in 5th. Kings Palace, having been eased once
beaten, finished 6th; The Young Master also came home in his own time. It
became apparent that Southfield Theatre had sustained a bad cut when he
stepped through the final open-ditch.
Having begun his ride back down the horse-walk, Sam Twiston-Davies subsequently dismounted and unsaddled his
horse, before returning on foot. The
horse was led away to the top of the racecourse where one of the vets was
waiting to examine him; he would then have either been taken away from
treatment or led back directly to the nearby stables. More Yet
another Irish winner; it was now Ireland 7 – GB 2.
There
were reports of a brief rain shower at this point of the day. I didn’t really notice! Anyway, I remained beside the course-side
rails ahead of the next race. Race 2 - 2:05pm. THE RSA STEEPLE CHASE (CLASS 1) (Grade 1) The
Stewards held an enquiry into the use of the whip by Bryan Cooper, the rider
of the winner, DON POLI (IRE), on the run in. Having heard his evidence and
viewed recordings of the race, they found him in breach of Schedule (B)6 Part
2 in that he had used his whip in an incorrect place. The Stewards suspended
Cooper for 2 days as follows: Wednesday 25 and Thursday 26 March 2015. The
Stewards considered the running of THE YOUNG MASTER, ridden by Barry Geraghty, and trained by Neil Mulholland, which finished
unplaced. The Stewards noted the trainer’s explanation that the gelding ran
too freely in the early stages. The Veterinary Officer reported that a
post-race examination of the gelding during routine testing failed to reveal
any abnormalities. The favourite for this year’s
Coral Cup was the Harry Fry-trained Activial, ridden by Noel Fehily; priced
at 17-2. Second in the market was Aux
Ptits Soins at 9-1; the horse was making his British debut for the Paul
Nicholls yard and was ridden by Sam Twiston-Davies. The starting gate for this race
was situated at the beginning of the mid-course chute. Therefore the runners cantered across the
home straight and up along the all-weather strip in front of the Best Mate
enclosure to reach it. Girths
checked, again the horses congregated in a group to undertake circuits around
the cross-country birch island fence in order to remain warmed-up prior to
the race commencing. However, the
bottom-weight Barizan didn’t join his compatriots
as they headed out onto the track; he’d been withdrawn at the start on
veterinary advice.
Then
they are off, the remaining 25 runners started at the first attempt. Leading the field over the first was the
large chestnut Zabana; to his inside and almost
upsides was the visored Hisaabaat, the first-time blinkered Dell’Arca
and the cheek-pieced Shammick Boy. At the rear of the field was Ttebbob, who was fighting for his head. Three of the hurdle panels looked a little
worse for wear as the runners headed away from it and towards flight number
two. The second favourite, Aux Ptits Soins, who was travelling
around a third of the way down the field, blundered at this obstacle; as a
result he briefly threw his jockey up his neck. Having
traversed the Old Course the runners headed downhill towards the far bend, Zabana continued to lead the way. He was followed by Shammick
Boy, Dell’Arca, Bear’s Affair, Rolling Star, Aux Ptits Soins, Hisaabaat, Activial and Volnay De Thaix. Ttebbob was still
at the rear, just in front of him travelled Plinth and Daneking. Having negotiated the far turn, the runners
soon headed over flight number three; there were no noticeable errors at this
obstacle. The
field began its long run up the home straight to reach flight number four; Shammick Boy now disputed the lead with Zabana. Behind
these the keen Bear’s Affair matching strides with Dell’Arca.
The first casualty was the latter, who stepped on the flight and fell. Having been travelling just behind the
leaders, this caused havoc for any runner following in his wake; namely Hisaabaat, Clondaw Kaempfer, Plinth and Baradari
who were hampered, along with Marinero who was
badly hampered and Ttebbob who was brought
down. Both horses were fine following
the incident, as were the jockeys. The
remaining runners headed away from the main grandstands and up the hill to
reach the back straight; there was still no change at the head of affairs,
and Baradari was now at the rear of the field. They soon began their journey down the back
straight, clearing the first flight therein; the JP McManus second-string
Vulcanite made an error here and also his first-string Plinth was less than
fluent. Zabana and Shammick Boy continued to lead from Bear’s Affair and Un Ptits Soins; behind these raced
Activial, Hisaabaat,
Rolling Star, Vasco Du Ronceray and Mijhaar. Clondaw Kaempfer jumped the
next flight slowly, having dropped to the back of the field alongside Baradari. The
runners negotiated the dog-leg turn and headed to flight number seven. Shammick Boy made
an error here and was now ridden along in order to keep pace with those
disputing second position, and in mid-field Volnay
De Thaix flattened a panel. They
continued their journey to the top of the hill before heading around the far
bend and down the hill to the third last.
And still Zabana remained ahead of his
rivals, but with Activial, Shammick
Boy, Aux Ptits Soins,
Vasco Du Ronceray and Mijhaar
queuing up to take him on. Sam Twiston-Davies’ mount jumped the flight awkwardly but it
didn’t appear to stop his momentum, but the game was up for Shammick Boy who quickly lost his place and dropped back
through the field. The
runners headed towards two out, with Aux Ptits Soins now taking on the long-time leader at the head of
affairs. Back in the field, Goodwood Mirage blundered badly at the flight and Shammick Boy fell having tired. Meanwhile the leaders entered the home
straight, Zabana narrowly ahead due to having taken
the inside line around the final bend.
Behind the two leaders were Activial, Bear’s
Affair, Volnay De Thaix, Taglietelle and Hammersley
Lake. Having
arrived at the final flight, the leading duo jumped it in unison; Activial chased them in third, closely followed by Taglietelle. The
long-time leader began to drift out to his left, then back again, by which
time the Paul Nicholls runner had gained a slight advantage and he held it to
the line to win by a neck. Both Activial and Taglietelle had stayed on under pressure and continued to
close the gap upon the two leaders all the way to the winning post. This resulted in Activial
finishing just a neck behind Zabana, with Taglietelle half a length back in 4th. Five lengths away in 5th was Volnay De Thaix, the first of
Nicky Henderson’s six runners competing in the race. Yes, six! Unfortunately
one of those runners came to grief at the last, namely the tiring Rolling
Star. I didn’t see what happened, but
the green screens were soon erected.
Thus another incident had occurred at an obstacle in front of the
stands. I didn’t see what happened to
the horse but, sadly, it proved to be life-ending; the horse ambulance
eventually arriving to remove him from the course. Yesterday
had seen the fatal fall of Theatre Queen at the fence nearest the main
grandstands, and the green screens had also been erected following L’Unique’s final flight fall during the OLBG Mares’
Hurdle. Fortunately the latter had
eventually got up and been led away to much applause from the gathered
spectators. GB
had finally clawed one back, the competition now standing at Ireland 7 – GB
3.
The
winner sported the well-known yellow and red colours of Mr Teletubbies himself, John Hales. And, as is the owner’s preference, the
horse is a grey; a very dark grey in this instance, but bound to become a
lighter grey as it gets older ... I know the feeling well! And it was exactly 17 years to the day that
John had had his first ever Cheltenham Festival winner, with popular grey One
Man. When
interviewed after the race, Sam Twiston-Davies said
it was nice to get a winner on the board after a frustrating first day; it
now took the pressure off of him and he felt he could now relax. Again
there was no reason for me to return to the steppings
above the Winners’ Enclosure following the race. Race 3 - 2:40pm. THE CORAL CUP (A
HANDICAP HURDLE RACE) (CLASS 1) (Grade 3) No Stewards Enquiry. That’s
it for the first half of the diary, please ... Click here to read Day 2 Diary Part II |
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