DIARY – CHELTENHAM FESTIVAL 2012
DAY 4 – FRIDAY 16 MARCH 2012
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Winner of the Gold Cup: The Jonjo O’Neill trained, AP McCoy ridden, Synchronised The alarm sounded at 04:30; just
like Wednesday the alarm woke me from sleep ... causing panic and a racing
pulse. I hate it when that
happens. The fourth and final day of
the Festival; fingers crossed that Choc would ride a winner today, otherwise
it would be another blank year. I’ve attended
each day of the Cheltenham Festival for the past four years but, so far, I’ve
only seen Choc ride one winner; that was last year when he rode Bensalem to
win the Stewart Family Spinal Research Handicap Chase on Day One. I know Choc had ridden 15 Festival winners
before I attended my first Cheltenham but, since then, it’s been a desert,
with just one oasis. Very
disappointing for me, but much more so for Choc. I showered, washed and dried my hair,
before applying my make-up; ate a breakfast of Weetabix, drank a cup of black
coffee and was ready to depart at 06:15.
Today’s outfit was 2 thermal vests, a cerise cardigan, black
frilled-edged cardigan, neon blue fleece, grey tweed knee-length skirt, black
patterned tights, heavyweight green Cotton Traders fleece, plus black Faux
sheepskin coat (as opposed to jacket), plus my Tutti-Fruitti Snowball
scarf. Today there were no weather
related hazards like the dense fog of yesterday. Instead of travelling via the local
ring-road, I went directly through the town centre; then headed to Hemel
Hempstead to join the A41 to Aylesbury.
Traffic on a Friday morning is often sparser than on other days of the
week, probably because people tend to take long weekends and choose Friday as
their day off. There were no problems
on the road to Bicester, or on the southbound carriageway of the A34 to
Oxford. I exited at the Peartree
Interchange; it was actually a little more difficult to negotiate the
roundabout than on previous days, as traffic was flowing freely on the
A44. My journey had gone so well that
I actually left Oxford at 07:35; however I was delayed a little by a slow
moving lorry travelling at 40 mph along the single lane section of the
A40. Upon reaching the dual
carriageway of the Witney bypass I was able to overtake and there were no
further hold-ups on my route to Cheltenham.
I arrived on the outskirts of the town at 08:35; taking my usual route
to the racecourse. This year, the lower field of
the car park has been filled up starting from the middle row and working up
the hill; once this area is filled, the lower level moving back towards the
road is utilised. I had arrived early,
but not early enough to park on the slope, so was directed to park on the
flat area of the field, towards the middle of the second row. It transpired that spaces at the far end of
this row were reserved for specific vehicles; they arrived in convoy shortly
after myself and filled up the remaining spaces in the row. Expecting Gold Cup day to
attract the largest crowd of the Festival, I set off early for the
turnstiles. My bag was searched whilst
I waited near to the head of the queue.
Today, I had a chat with the couple standing in front of me, and with
a guy from Taunton (I believe) who had noticed me in the queue on
Tuesday. It’s nice to have people to
speak with, as time passes more quickly and it can get lonely when spending
the day on my own. The gates opened at
10:20. As always I headed to the loo
first, I have to get my priorities right, before purchasing a race-card from
the kiosk located on the concourse. I
then set off through the passageway under the grandstand to reach the
course-side rails. Despite my lack of
luck this Festival in catching a glimpse of Choc either heading out on or
returning from a course-walk I still
insisted on walking down to the course-side rails, hoping for a change of
fortune! When I returned to the Parade
Ring area I was greeted with a recorded interview shown via the screen above
the concourse; Choc had been interviewed by RUK once again, this time he’d
been standing on the area outside the Weighing Room. I’d missed him again. Damn.
He was wearing his black coat today, with a pale pink shirt and darker
pink tie. At 10:55, Wayne Hutchinson
returned from walking the course, he was accompanied by Aidan Coleman. There was an announcement that Sir Peter
O’Sullivan and Lester Piggott would be carrying out book signings at the
Cheltenham Book Shop located on the concourse. On each day of the Festival, at
12:15, a ‘Preview’ is held in the
Winners’ Enclosure. This is presented
by Ian Carnaby and Jonathan Powell, and they interview the day’s leading
contenders and other celebrities. Their first guest today was
ex-jockey and ATR presenter Richard Pitman.
Richard had recently donated one of his kidneys to someone requiring a
transplant; and he hoped to encourage others to join the donation
scheme. He was also intending to ride
in this year’s charity race on Grand National day at Aintree. Richard had lost weight in preparation for
the operation and, having now recovered, feels so much better in himself. The next guest was Irish singer,
teenager Mark Boylan, following up his appearance of yesterday. Today he sang a song about Kauto Star which
he’d composed himself. Owner Clive
Smith was next to be interviewed, and he had appeared quite emotional
listening to the words of the song.
Even I confess that the song was quite moving! It was then David Pipe’s turn to
be interviewed; he said he was pleased that the stable’s best chance of the
week, Salut Flo, had obliged by winning the Byrne Group Plate yesterday. In explanation to Grand Crus’ disappointing
run in the RSA chase, David thought perhaps the horse had settled too well;
the horse was now finished for the season.
He then spoke about his four representatives in the race named after
his father, Martin Pipe, later in the afternoon – I’msingingtheblues, Dan
Breen, Arab League, and Street Entertainer – the latter he thought had the
best chance. When asked about his pick
for the Gold Cup, David replied Kauto Star. Their next guest was Alan
King. The stable had fielded 11
runners so far this week, with 5 horses in the prize money – Montbazon (4th
in the Supreme Novices’); Vendor (3rd in the Fred Winter); Medermit (3rd in
the Ryanair); Smad Place (3rd in the World Hurdle) and Walkon (5th in the
RSA). Alan said that Smad Place was
fine following yesterday’s effort and may go to Liverpool before turning his
attention to fences next season.
Medermit may go to Aintree, stepping up in trip for the Bowl. Alan couldn’t split Grumeti and
Balder Succes; he thought both horses had a very good chance and it was a
very tricky decision for Choc to make regarding
which one to ride in the Triumph Hurdle.
Alan said he stayed out of it, allowing Choc to make up his own
mind. Choc choose Grumeti. Raya Star, his entry in the County Hurdle,
was ‘exposed’ but would be suited
by a strong gallop in this ‘impossible’
handicap. Lovcen (which Alan confirmed
was pronounced Lovchen having been named after a mountain in Montenego) was
progressive and stepping up in trip today, which should suit. The horse has won point-to-points
previously. Alan’s choice for the Gold
Cup was Long Run; due to Kauto Star’s race preparation not being ideal
following the schooling fall. Most of
all he wanted to see a good race. Nicky Henderson was then
interviewed; although his voice was croaky due to the celebrations this
week. He confessed to being worried
about Riverside Theatre’s chances after 3 fences had been negotiated in
yesterday’s Ryanair Chase; Barry Geraghty never being happy with the way the
horse was travelling. Barry had done
an amazing job to win aboard the horse; appointing Barry as his first jockey
was the best move he’d ever made.
There’s no-one better than Barry he said. Nicky stated that his Gold Cup hope, Long
Run, was well in himself; better than last year in fact. He felt that Kauto Star had improved from
last year, rather than Long Run having deteriorated. Today’s punters’ pal was George
Primorolo; he ran through this afternoon’s fancied runners. However, I’d now left the Winners’
Enclosure area to take up a vantage point beside the course-side rails, so
missed his tips. It was soon time for the first
race of the day, the JCB Triumph Hurdle, in which Choc would be riding
Grumeti. The horse was sent off as the
5-1 favourite. Wayne Hutchinson, the
stable’s second jockey, took the ride aboard stablemate, Balder Succes. The starting gate for this event
was at the far end of the home straight, the horses cantering up the
all-weather strip in front of the stands before returning down the course and
entering the lower section of track to reach the start. Soon it was time for the
off. The runners were very keen to
exit onto the course; bunching up as they did so. Unfortunately Grumeti was squeezed between
horses and had to take a back seat as the others surged forward. Upon losing his pitch, Choc was having no
part of this; as a result his mount was some distance behind the others as
they approached the tape. It was
therefore impossible for the starter to let them go first time; and those who
had soon gone beyond the tape were pulled up and walked slowly back. The second attempt was
half-hearted too, as Saddler’s Risk and Hollow Tree were positioned broadside
on. The delay enabled Choc to now take
up his intended position amongst the runners.
He chatted to colleague Wayne Hutchinson before the jockeys turned
their horses to approach the tape once more.
Then
they were off. The field was led away
by Hollow Tree, from Darroun, Baby Mix and
Saddler’s Risk. In rear were Dysios, Ut De Sivola and the held up Hisaabaat. Heading
up the home straight on the first occasion, the order was Saddler’s Risk,
Hollow Tree, Baby Mix, West Brit, Darroun, Grumeti, Asaid, Arctic Reach, Urbain De Sivola, Mattoral, Ut De Sivola, Hisaabat, Balder Succes, Pearl Swan; Shadow Catcher now in rear. Ruby’s mount dropped towards the rear at
the 2nd flight; he received reminders after the next and soon appeared to be
struggling. Balder
Succes, who was travelling on the outside of the
field in mid-division, fell at the 4th flight. Saddler’s Risk and Darroun
led over the 5th flight; Grumeti hit this one and
Choc had to urge him on. Over
the 6th, heading towards the far corner of the track, the order was Saddler’s
Risk, Darroun, West Brit, Baby Mix, Hollow Tree, Asaid, Grumeti, Hisaabaat, Countrywide Flame, Urbain
De Sivola, Dodging Bullets, Ut
De Sivola, Arctic Reach, Dysios,
Wingtips, Shadow Catcher, Pearl Swan, His Excellency and Mattoral.
There
was no change at the head of affairs clearing 2 out, Baby Mix now in second,
and Hollow Tree a close third as Darroun dropped
out. Urbain
De Sivola, on the outside of the field, made a bad
error at this flight and weakened. Richard
Johnson’s mount was soon being ridden, Hollow Tree joining him to the inside,
Baby Mix to the outer. Grumeti was a close 4th, Dodging Bullets soon upsides
him. Choc drove his mount up the
inside of the three leaders to take a narrow advantage before the last. Dodging Bullets heading up the stand-side rails, became his nearest challenger. However,
on the far side, the diminutive 15.1 hands Countrywide Flame, under a very
strong drive from Dougie Costello, arrived on the
scene as a danger. Grumeti
hit the last; Countrywide Flame hit it too but was less inconvenienced by the
error, staying on strongly on the run-in to win by 3 lengths from Hisaabaat, who took 2nd from Grumeti
close home. Choc’s
mount just held Dodging Bullets by a head at the line. Pearl
Swan, having struggled mid-race, had made headway into 7th between the last
two but fell at the final flight.
Jockey and horse were okay following the mishap; Ruby walking away,
the horse struggling to his feet and trotting off. In
his Horse and Hound column, Choc later admitted it would have been easier to
stomach his third place in the Triumph Hurdle aboard Grumeti
had his mount been beaten by one of the fancied horses, such as Baby Mix or
Saddler’s Risk. But Countrywide Flame
was a 33-1 shot who had been beaten by the Alan King trained lower rated
Secret Edge last October! Balder Succes appeared none the worse following his fall; having
suffered the mishap near the beginning of the back straight, Wayne Hutchinson
led him back in a clockwise direction; the stable lad going to collect the
horse as they neared the home straight.
Choc
having finished third, I was a little torn as to whether to return to the
Winners’ Enclosure to see him arrive back but, if I had done so, would I be
able to regain a good vantage point on the rails ahead of the next race? I stayed put. The report
from the Stewards’ Room: The Stewards held an enquiry into the use
of the whip by Bryan Cooper, the rider of WINGTIPS, placed fifth, from the
second last flight. 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 above the permitted level. The Stewards
suspended Cooper for 2 days as follows: Friday 30 and Saturday 31 March 2012. As for the previous race, the
starting gate for this event was at the far end of the home straight, the
horses cantering up the all-weather strip in front of the stands before
returning down the course and entering the lower section of track to reach
the start. Once again the first attempt at
a successful start was a non-goer.
Alain Cawley aboard the Martin Keighley trained Court In Session had
remained in the ‘holding pen’ as the
others exited with gusto onto the course. Alain rode his mount onto the
course to join the others once they had been recalled. The next attempt encountered
problems too, with Desert Cry broadside on to the tape; Plan A then resting
his hindquarters on the tape and Alarazi also too close.
Court
In Session was caught napping when the horses finally set off, from a
standing start. Plan A and Moon Dice
led initially, blinkered Dee Ee Williams going into
the lead after the first flight. The
order heading up the home straight on the first occasion was Dee Ee Williams, from Plan A, Moon Dice, Ubi
Ace, The Bull Hayes, Alarazi, Hell’s Bay, Ifyouletmefinish, Local Hero, Ted Spread, Magnifique Etoile, Lifestyle,
Clerk’s Choice, Olofi, Alderwood,
Via Galilei, Starluck, Dirar, Citizenship, Raya Star, Redera,
Ingleby Spirit, Edgardo
Sol, Court In Session, Sailors Warn and Desert Cry. Heading
away from the stands, Dee Ee Williams held a clear
advantage, and continued to lead as the runners headed down the back
straight; Court In Session making ground on the outside of the field. Raya Star was being pushed along as the
field approached the top of the hill.
Still no change at the head of affairs, Ubi
Ace in 2nd, from Plan A, Hell’s Bay, Ifyouletmefinish,
The Bull Hayes, Alderwood, Citizenship and Magnifique Etoile; Moon Dice
had lost ground noticeably Heading
down the hill towards the second last, were Dee Ee
Williams, Ubi Ace, Ifyouletmefinish,
Plan A, Magnifique Etoile,
Lifestyle, Raya Star, Alderwood, Local Hero,
Citizenship, Ted Spread, Olofi, Via Galilei, Sailors Warn and Redera. There
were so many horses still in contention after 2 out and heading around the
final bend that AP McCoy’s mount Alderwood was
short of space. Once clear of the
restricting rail, the Champion Jockey drove his mount up the inside to lead
narrowly over the last, from Plan A, Sailors Warn, and Edgardo
Sol; the latter having come from a long way back to launch a challenge. However, Alderwood
was driven out to win by ¾ a length from Edgardo
Sol, Sailors Warn was a head away in 3rd, Plan A 4th. Raya Star completed in 13th. It
had been a true handicap, with only half a dozen horses not in the main ‘scrum’ at the last. In fact, all 26 runners completed.
With Choc having finished unplaced, I remained
beside the course-side rails. The report from the Stewards’ Room: The Stewards held an
enquiry into possible interference on the final bend. Having heard their
evidence and viewed recordings of the race they found that PLAN A, placed
fourth, ridden by Paul Carberry had interfered with
the winner, ALDERWOOD, ridden by A.P. McCoy. They found the interference was
accidental. BHA: Why they ran badly: E.J. O’Grady, the rider of SAILORS WARN
(IRE), placed third, reported that the gelding lost a shoe.
Then
they were off; first time. The field
was led away by the Tom Scudamore ridden Big
Occasion, from Brindisi Breeze and Meister Eckhart;
Fox Appeal was held up in rear. Heading
around the far turn on the first occasion the order was Big Occasion, Brindisi Breeze, Dawn Commander, Mister Eckhart, Fill The
Power, Grand Vision, Benheir, Sea Of Thunder,
Boston Bob, Lovcen, Rocky Creek, Hard To Swallow,
American Spin, Mount Benbulben, Sivola
De Sivola, Ipsos Du Berlais, The Druids Nephew, Tour Des Champs, The Bosses
Cousin, and Fox Appeal. Big
Occasion continued to hold a narrow advantage over Brindisi
Breeze as the runners galloped up the home straight with just over one circuit
to travel, near the head of affairs were Dawn Commander, Meister Eckhart,
Hard To Swallow, Fill The Power, Grand Vision and Benheir. Tom
Scudamore’s mount remained in the lead until headed
at the 9th by Brindisi Breeze; Boston Bob was being
niggled along by Ruby Walsh as the runners approached the far turn. Brindisi Breeze
continued to lead as they began to descend the hill, from Mister Eckhart,
Grand Vision, Big Occasion, Mount Benbulben, Sea Of
Thunder, Lovcen, Boston Bob, The Druids Nephew and Benheir; Hard To Swallow was losing ground, in contrast,
Tour Des Champs made ground. Race
favourite Boston Bob had improved his position by two out; Lovcen jumped it in his slipstream. Campbell Gillies
pushed his mount to a three length advantage exiting the final bend, but Ruby
was in pursuit, overtaking Grand Vision approaching the last. However, the Lucinda Russell trained runner
refused to be caught and went on to win by 2 lengths from Boston Bob and
Grand Vision. Lovcen
stayed on up the home straight to take 4th ahead of AP McCoy aboard Mister
Eckhart. Choc
was the first to congratulate Campbell, offering a handshake and a few kind
words to his colleague. It was the
jockey’s first Festival winner; he later revealed that Tom Scudamore had offered advice to him in running, telling
him exactly how to ride the final part of the race. It had obviously stood him in good stead!
Although
Choc had finished in the placed horses, once again I did not return to the Winners’
Enclosure, frightened that I would lose my place beside the rails ahead of
the feature race. Sorry Choc. BHA: Why they
ran badly: The Veterinary Officer reported that SIVOLA
DE SIVOLA (FR), unplaced, trained by Tom George, was distressed.
Upon
glancing down towards the final fence, I noticed that Choc had joined a
number of his colleagues to the nearside of the course (his red boot tops
gave him away; surprisingly even more so than his hair); he would get a very
good view of the action from there. He
had done the same in 2010 when he had no ride in the race, so I was on the
lookout for him today! Having
reached the top of the course, the lads and lasses released their charges; Kauto Star was permitted to lead the procession as the
runners cantered down the course to the starting gate, which is located on
the far side of the penultimate fence; with over two full circuits to
complete, two fences being jumped on three occasions.
Then
they were off; being experienced jockeys and chasers, it was at the first
time of asking. The field was led away
by the Dougie Costello ridden Midnight Chase, from Kauto Star, Time For Rupert and Knockara
Beau; in rear was The Midnight Club.
What A Friend fell at the second fence when in mid-division, hampering
both Carruthers in mid-field and The Midnight Club
in rear. Heading
down the back straight on the first occasion the order was Midnight Chase,
from Kauto Star, Time For Rupert, Knockara Beau, The Giant Bolster, Long Run, Burton Port,
China Rock, Carruthers, Synchronised, Weird Al,
Diamond Harry and The Midnight Club. Midnight
Chase continued to lead as the runners headed towards the top of the
hill. Kauto
Star had noticeably lost his place clearing the 7th fence. He began to drift back through the field
and was eased and pulled up before the 9th fence. There was spontaneous applause from the
spectators in the stands; the hero of previous Cheltenham Festivals had
probably run in his last Gold Cup, but at least he was safe and sound, Ruby
cantering him back to the enclosures, where further applause was offered. Meanwhile,
the feature race continued. Heading up
the home straight with just over one circuit to go, the order was Midnight
Chase, Time For Rupert, Long Run, China Rock, Knockara
Beau, The Giant Bolster, Burton Port, Carruthers,
Diamond Harry, Synchronised, Weird Al and The Midnight Club. Long Run hit the first fence in the back
straight. Heading
down the back straight for the final time, Time For Rupert and Midnight Chase
disputed the lead, from Long Run, China Rock and The Giant Bolster. Dougie Costello’s
mount hit the fence at the top of the hill, 5 out; Time For Rupert then going
on. Midnight Chase also made an error
at the next, this time he lost his place.
Heading
down the hill the order was Time For Rupert, Long Run, The Giant Bolster,
China Rock, Burton Port and Synchronised.
No change at the head of affairs as the field entered the home
straight; The Giant Bolster now in second and taking the lead as they cleared
two out. Long Run was in third,
Synchronised and Burton Port in fourth and fifth. The
Giant Bolster and Long Run cleared the last in unison, but Synchronised had
been switched to the outside to deliver a challenge and took the lead on the
run-in to win by 2¼ lengths. The Giant
Bolster completed in 2nd, last year’s winner Long Run finished 3rd, Burton
Port 4th and Time For Rupert 5th. It
was owner JP McManus’ first Cheltenham Gold Cup winner and Jonjo O’Neill’s first as a trainer; although, of course,
he won it twice as a jockey, aboard Alverton in
1979 and Dawn Run in 1986. It was AP
McCoy’s second victory in the race, having won it 15 years ago, in 1997,
aboard Mr Mulligan. Interestingly,
Synchronised is the son of Mayasta, who gave AP his
first winner in the famous green, gold and white McManus colours at Punchestown over hurdles in 1996.
Time
For Rupert, having run his heart out to finish 5th, needed to be hosed down
having shown signs of stress; this took place close to the walkway
entrance. However, he was fine
following this intervention. AP
later revealed that he had spoken with Ruby as Kauto
Star had dropped back to be within earshot; advising his colleague to pull
the horse up. I
stayed beside the course-side rails; I never fancy the post Gold Cup scrum on
the steppings around the Winners’ Enclosure! Although, for Choc, I’d make an exception
if the opportunity arose!!! The report
from the Stewards’ Room: The Stewards held an enquiry into the use
of the whip by Mr Sam Waley Cohen, the rider of
LONG RUN (FR), placed third, from approaching the last fence. 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
above the permitted level. The Stewards suspended Mr Waley
Cohen for 2 days as follows: Friday 30 march and Sunday 1 April 2012. BHA: Why they
ran badly: It
was now time for the Amateurs’ Gold Cup, run over the same course and
distance as the feature event. The
horses having cantered up the all-weather strip in front of the stands, then
cantered down the course, to re-enter the track located below the walkway entrance,
exiting onto the course again part way down the home straight to reach the ‘holding pen’ located on the inside of
the track. Then
they were off ... but it was a false start.
One of the greys, Turko, had been left
within the holding pen. A number of
the runners passed to the outside of the first fence as their jockeys
attempted to apply the brakes.
Picaroon went the farthest distance, having been angled out onto the
Old Course. One of the Irish runners,
Merchant Royal, had to be led back the final few yards, having been unwilling
to rejoin the others. The
runners were ordered to take another turn; still no success, Merchant Royal
being led back once again. It was now
the turn of Picaroon to be stubborn, the starter’s assistant attempted to
lead him back, but the horse dug in his toes.
His jockey, Mrs Alex Dunn, dismounted and he then consented to
move. The
tape could now be lowered once more ...
Then
they were off; Chapoturgeon in rear, along with Not
Before Eight and Salsify. At the head of affairs were Eleazar, Rowdy Rampage, Roulez
Cool, Oscar Delta, Picaroon, Herons Well, Enter Paradise, Turko,
Count Salazar, Barbers Shop, Surenaga, Boxer Georg,
Keenan’s Future, Bradley, Just Amazing, My Flora, Merchant Royal, Cloudy
Lane, and Blackstaff; Enter Paradise unseated at
the third. Picaroon
assumed the lead crossing the water-jump; Bradley’s rider ‘hailed a cab’ when jumping the first
open-ditch. Roulez
Cool hit the next fence, the 6th.
Then, having moved into second position over the 8th fence, he
blundered and unseated Sam Waley-Cohen at the
9th. Just Amazing, in mid-field, also
unseated here; Blackstaff was hampered. Picaroon
retained the lead jumping the fence at the bottom of the hill, although he
collided with one of the loose horses on landing. But it was the loose horse which lost his
footing and stumbled badly! Heading
away from the stands Picaroon still led, from Herons Well, Count Salazar, Turko, Surenaga, My Flora,
Keenan’s Future, Oscar Delta, Eleazar, Barbers
Shop, Bradley, Blackstaff, Boxer Georg, Chapoturgeon, Rowdy Rampage, Not Before Eight, Cloudy
Lane, Salsify and Merchant Royal. Picaroon
made an error at the water-jump and began to jump out to his right as he got
tired. Eleazar
unseated his jockey at the 16th; the long-time leader blundered at the next,
the second open-ditch. Turko, Herons Well, Oscar Delta and My Flora now close on
his tail. Heading for the far corner,
and having cleared the 18th fence, it appeared that the leaders were
initially unaware that a chequered warning flag was being waved to the inside
of the track; one of the jockeys who had fallen on the first circuit, Mr D
Collins, was being attended to on the far side of the next fence. There
was a sudden bunching of the horses, with My Flora and Oscar Delta taking
advantage of this and going on; Turko was baulked
and initially squeezed out. They
continued to lead over 3 out, from Cloudy Lane, Turko,
Picaroon, Salsify and Chapoturgeon. Oscar
Delta led over 2 out, with Salsify driven upsides
over the last; Chapoturgeon just behind these
two. However, despite a strong
challenge, that latter was unable to get closer than Salsify’s
quarters; Salsify going on to win by one length at
the line. Oscar Delta finished 3rd; My
Flora 4th.
The
runner-up, Chapoturgeon, didn’t return to the
Winners’ Enclosure, having finished distressed. He was hosed down near the top of the home straight
and then taken directly to the stables.
Yet
again I remained beside the course-side rails ahead of the next race. The report
from the Stewards’ Room: The Stewards held an enquiry into the use
of the whip by Mr C.J. Sweeney, the rider of the winner, SALSIFY (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 above the permitted level and without giving his horse
time to respond. The Stewards suspended Mr Sweeney for 4 days as follows:
Friday 30 March, Sunday 1, Monday 2 and Wednesday 4 April 2012 BHA: Why they
ran badly: The Veterinary Officer reported that ROWDY
RAMPAGE (IRE), unplaced, trained by Paul Nicholls, had bled from the nose. The next event was the Martin Pipe Conditional
Jockeys’ Handicap Hurdle; not surprisingly, son David had 4 representatives
competing in this race. The
starting gate for the next race was located within the centre course chute;
the horses cantering around the top bend via the all-weather track to reach
it.
Then
they were off; first time. They were
led away by Changing Times, ridden by Willie Twiston-Davies;
in rear were the grey Empire Levant and Gormanstown
Cuckoo. Around
the far turn the order was Changing Times, from Street Entertainer, Tornado
Bob, Molotof, Wolf Moon, Attaglance,
Open Hearted, Arab League, Dan Breen, Bocciani,
Make A Track and Toner D’Oudairies. In rear, Ski
Sunday, who has only one eye, stumbled and unseated his rider when crossing
the path after the 3rd flight.
Rigidity blundered at the 4th flight, losing his hind legs on
landing. Changing
Times still held the lead but having hung to his right at the 4th he did so
again at the first in the back straight, blundering at the next when close to
the outside wing. Willie Twiston-Davies had no option but to pull him up. Arab League and Tornado Bob now led from
Bourne, Molotof, Toner D’Oudairies,
Street Entertainer, Dan Breen, Make A Track, Grandads
Horse, Bocciani, Attaglance,
Oscar Nominee, Open Hearted, and Like Minded.
Tornado
Bob and Arab League continued to dispute the lead heading down the hill;
Street Entertainer fell two out, hampering Empire Levant; the Paul Nicholls
trained runner hurdling the fallen horse.
Toner
D’Oudairies led into the home straight, closely
pursued by Grandads Horse, Attaglance,
Bourne, Molotof, Like Minded and Pateese. The
former was 3 lengths clear approaching the last, but made a mistake and lost
momentum. This enabled Attaglance and Make A Track to catch up with him but the
latter became the ‘meat in the
sandwich’; Attaglance won by a neck from Toner D’Oudairies, with Oscar Nominee taking third on the far
side and the squeezed out Make A Track in 4th. It
was the first Festival winner for jockey Harry Haynes; and second of this
Festival for northern-based trainer Malcolm Jefferson.
Following
the race, the vet attended to one of the runners; the horse having injured
its off-side hind leg. I couldn’t get a
view of the number, as the horse was standing beside the walkway entrance,
head on to me. However, I did have
feeling it was one of the David Pipe runners, as the lad holding the
nose-banded horse was dressed in red and therefore quite likely to be sponsored
by Bathwick Tyres.
There was also an announcement for David Pipe or his representative to
report to the Weighing Room. Looking
at the BHA notes below, I deduce it was I’msingingtheblues,
who does sport a nose-band during his races.
The horse ambulance came to collect him and, despite the injury, he
was able to walk up the ramp of the vehicle. Once the horse was secure
within, the ambulance trundled up the course, heading for the adjacent
veterinary facility. The report from the Stewards’ Room: The Stewards held an
enquiry into the fall of SKI SUNDAY, ridden by Robert Kirk, approaching the
fourth flight of hurdles. Having viewed recordings of the incident the
Stewards found that the fall was caused by the gelding clipping the heels of TONER
D’OUDAIRIES (FR). Being satisfied that the incident was accidental, the
Stewards took no further action. BHA: Why they
ran badly: The
Veterinary Officer reported that I’MSINGINGTHEBLUES (IRE), unplaced, was lame
right hind. It
was now time for the final race of the 2012 Festival; and Choc’s
last opportunity to ride a winner this year.
Choc’s mount in this
race was Kumbeshwar, one of my favourite horses; he
was sporting first time blinkers today ... the horse that is, not Choc! The
start of this event was at the far end of the home straight, with that and
one full circuit to travel. This being
the case, the horses cantered up the all-weather strip in front of the stands
before heading down the course and re-entering the all-weather gallop to
continue their journey to the starting gate.
There
was a slight delay, as Kumbeshwar needed his saddle
adjusted; Choc holding his mount whilst a member of the starter’s team
carried out this task.
Then
they were off; first time. The field
was led away by Ultimate, from Tanks For That and Oiseau
De Nuit. Kumbeshwar came through to almost join the leader after
the second fence. Bellvano
was held up in rear. Heading
away from the stands the order was Ultimate, from Kumbeshwar,
Tanks For That, Anquetta, Cornas,
Oiseau De Nuit, Idarah, King Edmund, Tara Royal, Renard,
Kid Cassidy, De Boitron, Free World and Eradicate; Bellvano, Norther Bay and Slieveardagh were in rear. Having
disputed the lead with Ultimate, Kumbeshwar went on
at the 6th obstacle. As always, this
race was being run at a frenetic pace; the first casualty being Lucky William,
who unseated at the 8th; French Opera also made an error at this fence. The next to depart was early leader
Ultimate, who fell at the fence before the far turn, 5 out. He brought down last year’s winner, Oiseau De Nuit. Kumbeshwar continued to lead,
from Tanks For That. At the top of the
hill, 4 out, French Opera and Free World departed, independently; Ruby’s
mount, Toubab, was tripped up by the flailing legs of the latter and crashed
out too. Renard
blundered badly when in rear 3 out and was pulled up. Choc
led narrowly into the home straight but Kumbeshwar
hit two out when under pressure, handing the advantage to Tanks For That; in
third was Anquetta, from King Edmund and Tara
Royal, with Bellvano staying on. Barry Geraghty’s
mount led over the last fence but Bellvano launched
his challenge, overtaking Kumbeshwar and then Tanks
For That on the run in. He won by 2¼
lengths. Anquetta
finished 4th. Yet
another winner for the Nicky Henderson yard, their 7th of the week; although,
admittedly, he trained 5 of the 21 runners in this race named in honour of
his late father.
Finally
an opportunity to see Choc return to the Winners’ Enclosure, albeit in third
position once more. His fifth 3rd
place of the week in fact. It was very
disappointing, especially for Choc, to draw a blank again this year. Choc’s parents, Sally
and Martin, were on hand to see their son arrive back aboard Kumbeshwar too. I waited to see Choc return to the
Weighing Room and for the prizes to be presented. It was then time for me to go home. Having
paid a visit to the loo, I set off for the car park to collect my car. There had been over 70,000 attendees today,
so there would be quite a wait to leave the car park and escape from the town
of Cheltenham. Whilst waiting for the
traffic to disperse, I decided to tuck into a packet of cheese straws and a
tub of chocolate covered biscuits. I
also changed my skirt for a pair of tracksuit trousers which I’d brought with
me. Well I might as well be warm
whilst waiting to set off on my journey.
Besides, there was no rush to leave, it being the final day of the
Festival, with no racing scheduled for me tomorrow ... or so I thought! The
queue of cars waiting to exit finally eased to a trickle at 19:05. It was now time for me to leave. Traffic was moving fairly freely on the
roads immediately outside the course, although I was still instructed to turn
right, initially travelling in a westerly direction. I took a left turn to travel down Tommy
Taylors Lane/Folly Lane and then another left to drive along St Paul’s Road,
although navigating this particular thoroughfare in sometimes difficult due
to the number of vehicles parked along its length. I then drove through Clarence Square and,
after waiting at the traffic lights moved forward into Clarence Road. I then turned left ... traffic coming to a
halt. It
took a number of minutes to reach the roundabout, stop start stop start. Ah, that would explain the delay; the
traffic police were just withdrawing.
Why can’t they just leave everyone to their own devices? As soon as they interfere, then traffic
jams arise ... along with angry motorists!
At the roundabout I turned right, negotiated Pittville
Circus, and took a left turn along Pittville Circus
Road to reach Hewlett Road. A further
left turn permitted me to reach the ‘longabout’ at the end of Hales Road. I turned left, then immediately right to
head up Harp Hill. As I turned right
into Greenway Lane a fox standing on the verge was illuminated in my headlights. After
negotiating the two traffic calming chicanes, I arrived at the Six Ways
junction. Following a short wait at
the traffic lights, I was on my way.
Being after 19:00 it was now dark, but the journey across the
Cotswolds went well. And there was to
be one more Cheltenham related occurrence on my way home ... Having
reached the eastern end of the Witney bypass, the road narrows to become a
single lane again. Upon this stretch of road there is a set of traffic
lights, then a roundabout on the outskirts of Eynsham,
followed by a second set of traffic lights where one can turn left to reach Cassington. The
first set of lights were showing green and there was no delay at the
roundabout; however the second set were red, so I pulled up behind an
Audi. Emblazoned across the rear of
the car, and illuminated in my headlights, was written ‘Dougie Costello NH Jockey’ plus his
sponsor’s logo, Maxilead Metals. How weird is that? He’d
obviously set off from Cheltenham long after me and had been the last car to
whizz by mine as the dual carriageway of the Witney bypass terminated. I have to say that he did drive a little
too close to the car in front of him ... but that is probably because he’s accustomed
to riding in tightly-packed races!!! I
followed his vehicle to the outskirts of Oxford, whereupon he turned left to
join the A44 and headed northwards; he was booked to ride at Uttoxeter the next day. In
contrast, I headed along the Oxford bypass.
It always amazes me the amount of traffic in the Oxford area despite
it no longer being what I would consider the evening rush hour. However, today it was worse than usual, as
I was brought to a standstill on the second section of dual carriageway; there
has been an accident. The affected
vehicles were blocking the inside lane, so there was a delay whilst everyone
merged into the outside to avoid them.
And then I was on my way again.
My
route then took me onto the M40 eastbound carriageway to join the M25. No further delays. I decided not to leave the latter motorway
at junction 21A, but proceeded to the next junction, London Colney. It wasn’t
particularly late, being 21:15, so I popped into the adjacent petrol station
to fill up my car’s tank before continuing the final leg of my journey. I arrived home at 21:30. I
had been worried that I’d be exhausted when I got home following 4 tiring
days, during which I’d driven around 800 miles. But fortunately again this year I didn’t
feel too bad and decided to log onto my laptop before turning in for the
night. Besides, I like to know where
Choc will be riding the next day, so that I can follow his progress. However,
I then discovered he would be riding at my nearest racecourse, Kempton Park, where he was due to have 6 rides. My plans for a quiet Saturday at home went
straight out the window; I had intended to recuperate, update my website and,
perhaps begin to draft my diaries. But
now Kempton Park here I come! Besides,
in the words of Willie Mullins, ‘It
would be rude not to’! Before I finish
this particular diary, I will write a summary of the week: It
was very disappointing that Choc rode no winners at this year’s
Festival. He must have been gutted; in
fact I know he was. Especially after
fighting back from serious injury, having broken his upper right arm during a
fall at Hereford last December. The
actual fall hadn’t injured him; it was the horse his mount had brought down
that trod on his arm and broke it. Choc
had been in the prize money though, riding a number of third placed horses – Medermit (Ryanair Chase), Smad Place (World Hurdle), Vendor (Fred Winter), Grumeti (Triumph Hurdle), Kumbeshwar
(Grand Annual) and fourth places too – Montbazon
(Supreme Novices’ Hurdle) and Lovcen (Albert
Bartlett), plus a fifth place aboard Walkon (RSA
Chase). The
human stars of this year’s Festival were trainer Nicky Henderson, with 7
winners – Sprinter Sacre, (Arkle
Novices’ Chase – Grade 1); Simonsig (Neptune
Investments Novices’ Hurdle – Grade 1); Bobs Worth (RSA Novices; Chase – Grade
1); Finian’s Rainbow (Queen Mother Champion Chase –
Grade 1); Une Artiste (Fred Winter Juvenile
Handicap Hurdle – Grade 3); Riverside Theatre (Ryanair
Chase – Grade 1) and Bellvano (Johnny Henderson
Grand Annual Handicap Chase – Grade 3); and his stable jockey, Barry Geraghty having ridden 5 of those winners (all five Grade
1 winners in fact). They
won the awards for top trainer and top jockey respectively. In addition, Nicky Henderson not only broke
but smashed Fulke Walwyn’s
long-standing record of having trained 40 Festival winners; Nicky has now
trained 46. It was also a record
number for a single Festival. Jonjo O’Neill had an excellent Festival
too, training 3 winners, including the winner of the Gold Cup, Synchronised. It
was also a good year for northern trainer Malcolm Jefferson, who trained two
winners – Cape Tribulation and Attaglance ... and
he’d sent only 3 runners to the Festival.
The third being The Panama Kid who had finished 16th in the Pulteney Land Investments Novices’ Chase. Not
such a good Festival for Paul Nicholls, but he did train the winner of the
Champion Hurdle, Rock On Ruby; his first Champion Hurdle win in fact. But it was good for Noel Fehily, the winning jockey, who had lost the opportunity
to be Paul’s second jockey following injury last season. Big
Buck’s was the only horse to retain a crown; winning his 4th consecutive
World Hurdle. It
was classed as a bad week for Irish trainers ... with just 5 winners. Willie Mullins having trained three of
these – Quevega, Champagne Fever, Sir Des Champs;
Thomas Mullins one winner - Alderwood; Roger
Sweeney one winner – Salsify. JP
McManus owned five of this year’s winners – Alderwood,
Alfie Sherrin, Bellvano, Sunnyhillboy and, of
course, Synchronised. It was his first
Cheltenham Cup win too. He’d had no
winners at the 2011 Festival. For
AP McCoy, it was his second career Gold Cup win, having first won it in 1997
aboard Mr Mulligan. The
most celebrated win of the week must have been that of Hunt Ball in the Pulteney Land Investments Novices’ Chase on Tuesday, by
extravert owner Anthony Knott ... closely followed by that in the Charity
race when Tina Cook won aboard Pascha Bere trained by her brother Nick Gifford! Betting
coos of the week – Conor Murphy, Nicky Henderson’s
Head Lad, had won over a million pounds having just before Christmas placed a
£50 accumulator on Sprinter Sacre, Simonsig, Bobs Worth, Finian’s
Rainbow and Riverside Theatre! Phil
Williams, owner of the Donald McCain trained Son Of Flicka,
won £933,000 having backed his horse down from 66-1 to 16-1 to win the Coral
Cup. Five
jockeys rode their first ever Cheltenham Festival winner – Richie McLernon (Alfie Sherrin – JLT Specialty Chase); Nick Scholfield
(Hunt Ball – Pulteney Land Investments Novices’
Chase); Jerry McGrath (Une Artiste – Fred Winter
Juvenile Handicap Hurdle); Campbell Gillies (Brindisi Breeze – Albert Bartlett Novices’ Hurdle); Harry
Haynes (Attaglance – Martin Pipe Conditional
Jockeys’ Hurdle). On
the downside, eleven jockeys received bans for whip abuse, ranging between 2
to 7 days. The offenders on Day 1 were
(1) Jamie Moore (Fruity O’Rooney) – 7 days (2)
Nick Scholfield (Hunt Ball) – 6 days; Day 2 (3) Andrew Lynch (Sizing Europe) – 6
days (4) Mr PW Mullins (Champagne Fever)
– 2 days (5) Mr D Lavery (Moscow Mannon) – 7
days; Day 3 (6) Denis O’Regan (Cape Tribulation) – 2 days (7) Robert Thornton (Medermit) – 2
days; Day 4 (8) Bryan Cooper
(Wingtips) – 2 days (9) Mr Sam Waley-Cohen (Long Run) – 2 days (10) Mr CJ Sweeney (Salsify) – 4 days (11) Mr Will Kinsey (Surenaga) – 5 days. It
was very sad that five horses lost their lives this year. Firstly, Irish stalwarts 11-year-old Scotsirish (Willie Mullins) and 13-year-old Garde Champetre (Enda Bolger) both broke limbs during the Cross Country
Chase, they had been good servants to their respective yards, and it would
have been nice to enjoy happy retirements at the end of their long careers,
but it was not to be. The
Nigel Twiston-Davies trained 7-year-old Educated
Evans was put to sleep having been seriously injured when crashing through
the penultimate fence during Tuesday’s Pulteney
Land Investments Novices’ Chase. The
final two casualties had occurred during the Wednesdays’ Coral Cup; the Brian
Ellison trained 5-year-old Abergavenny lost his
life as a result of falling at the third flight, and the Philip Hobbs trained
7-year-old Featherbed Lane broke a hind-leg when galloping on the flat prior
to the fifth flight. RIP beautiful
horses. |
