PART II
DIARY – CHELTENHAM FESTIVAL 2013
DAY THREE
FEATURING THE WORLD HURDLE
THURSDAY 14 MARCH 2013
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In the absence of Big Buck’s, Irish raider Solwhit
wins the World Hurdle Click here to read Day 3 Diary Part I It was now time for the feature race of the day,
the Ladbrokes World Hurdle. With Big
Buck’s on the sidelines due to injury, it afforded the opportunity for a new
winner for the first time in five years.
As with each of the feature events, there was a
pre-race parade; the horses exited onto the course and formed into number
order before the parade began. The
favourite for this race was the Nicky Henderson trained, Barry Geraghty
ridden, Oscar Whisky at odds of 9-4.
The Alan King representative was the grey Smad Place, who had finished
3rd in this event last year. Bryan
Cooper took the ride aboard Bog Warrior, substituting for the injured Davy
Russell. Members of the police force and a number of
stewards had already lined up along the edge of the racecourse, upon the
all-weather strip, to deter anyone from escaping the confines of the
enclosures to run out onto the track; in protest or just to cause a scene of
some sort. Once the parade had been completed, the horses
headed to the starting gate which, for this event, was at the beginning of
the back straight.
The
horses dawdled towards the tape and then they were off, very slowly at
first. The runners were led away by
Reve de Sivola, with the low head-carriage hard-pulling Bog Warrior in second
position, from Cross Kennon, Oscara Dara, Smad Place, Celestial Halo, Oscar
Whisky, Wonderful Charm, Solwhit, Peddlers Cross, So Young, Get Me Out Of
Here and Zaidpour. As
soon as it became apparent that Bog Warrior intended to cut out the running,
Richard Johnson restrained his mount after the first flight and settled into
second spot. Having cleared the first
three flights, the runners headed around the dog-leg turn; the pace was now
increasing as they reached the far corner and headed down the hill on the
first occasion. Bog
Warrior held a three-length advantage over Reve De Sivola, he in turn was
clear of Cross Kennon, Oscara Dara was another four lengths away in fourth;
the main pack was headed by Smad Place and Celestial Halo. Get Me Out Of Here and Zaidpour continued
to bring up the rear. Having
cleared the fifth flight, the runners headed around the bend and into the
home straight for the first time. Bog
Warrior continued to hold a three length-advantage over Richard Johnson’s
mount, with Oscara Dara and Cross Kennon now five or six lengths behind
these. The runners cleared the single
flight before heading out into the country for the final time. The
100-1 outsider of the party, Cross Kennon, was being pushed along as the
horses climbed the hill; he also received a reminder from his jockey Sean
Quinlan. Bog Warrior continued to lead
as the runners journeyed down the back straight; Reve De Sivola was still his
nearest pursuer, from Cross Kennon, Oscara Dara, Celestial Halo, Smad Place,
Oscar Whisky, Solwhit, Wonderful Charm, Get Me Out Of Here, Peddlers Cross, Zaidpour
and So Young. Reve
de Sivola was being pushed along by the time they reached the dog-leg
turn. Bog Warrior held a five length
lead over the main body of the field as they turned the far corner and headed
downhill towards the second last flight.
Celestial Halo had made progress to join Reve de Sivola in pursuing
the leader; Smad Place was now in fourth position. Peddlers Cross, having run a lifeless race,
was pulled up before the penultimate obstacle. Having
cleared this, Bog Warrior still led the field, from Celestial Halo, Reve de
Sivola, Smad Place, Solwhit, Oscara Dara, Get Me Out Of Here, Cross Kennon
and the struggling Oscar Whisky. The
runners rounded the home bend and headed for the final flight; Celestial Halo
loomed up to the outside of the tiring Bog Warrior, with Solwhit now to the
latter’s inside. The
former held a slight advantage as they cleared the last, but he blundered;
this handed the initiative to Solwhit who drew clear to win by 2½ lengths
from the gallant Celestial Halo. A
brave effort by the Stewart Family’s second string in the absence of Big
Buck’s. Smad
Place stayed on to claim 3rd again this year, from Reve de Sivola, with the
long-time leader Bog Warrior completing in 5th. Oscar Whisky was pulled up before the last,
as was Get Me Out Of Here and Zaidpour.
NEWS FROM
THE STEWARDS’ ROOM FOLLOWING THE RACE: WHY THEY
RAN BADLY Oscar
Whisky was found to be slightly lame the following morning. The
7-2 favourite for the next race was the David Pipe trained, Tom Scudamore
ridden, Ballynagour. Alan King had two
runners in this event, the grey Walkon (a favourite of mine) who today would
be ridden by Paddy Brennan; and Bless The Wings ridden, as always, by Wayne
Hutchinson who gets on particularly well with the horse. There
was a problem with AP McCoy’s mount, Cantlow, prior to the race; the
first-string JP McManus runner was second favourite in the betting. The horse had been brought into the Parade
Ring but was discovered to be bleeding from a nostril and was led back to the
saddling boxes; a broken blood vessel being suspected. However, it was subsequently decided that
Cantlow would be ridden to the start, where one of the vets would then
examine the horse and decide whether it would be permitted to take its chance
in the race. Evidently
the runner had suffered a similar problem before; further investigation on
that occasion had revealed the issue was a minor nose-related one, rather
than being a more serious problem.
Once at the starting gate, the vet examined Cantlow and the horse was
withdrawn; AP McCoy dismounted and the saddle was removed before the horse
was led back. Twenty-two runners
remained to contest the event; three of which were greys. The
starting gate for this event was in the mid-course chute; the horses having
cantered across the home straight and up the hill upon the all-weather strip
to reach the in-field area ahead of the race.
Then
they were off ... or rather they weren’t; it was a false start. Mad Moose was up to his antics again and
had failed to exit from the holding area.
One of the Starter’s assistants tried to lead in Sam Twiston-Davies’
mount on the second occasion; the other assistant grabbed hold of Finger
Onthe Pulse’s bridle, because he appeared a little reluctant too. Then
they were off again ... the remaining JP McManus runner set off behind the
others; but Mad Moose was having none of it despite the attention of both of
the Starter’s assistants, the second one having run across to help once
Finger Onthe Pulse had consented to set off.
So then there were twenty-one!
In the frontline heading for the first were Zaynar, Casey Top, Walkon,
Hector’s Choice and Carrickboy. The
runners cleared the first two fences safely and travelled towards the third
fence. Having settled into their
preferred positions, leading the way were Zaynar, Casey Top and
Carrickboy. These were followed by
Matuhi, Hector’s Choice, Tartak, Hunt Ball who had already received a
reminder, Kapga de Cerisy, Walkon, Mister Hyde, Bless The Wings, Ballynagour,
Poquelin, Giorgio Quercus, Divers, Vino Griego, Calgary Bay, Shoegazer, Sweet
My Lord, Theatre Guide, and Finger Onthe Pulse. The Colin Tizzard runner, Theatre Guide,
made a bad blunder at this fence. Carrickboy
led the field as they travelled around the far turn and into the home
straight on the first occasion.
Calgary Bay made an error at the fourth fence. Zaynar jumped the sixth fence a little
awkwardly and received a reminder for his trouble; Theatre Guide was fencing
less than fluently at the rear of the field.
Kapga de Cerisy landed awkwardly having cleared the seventh. The
runners headed past the grandstands and out into the country for the one and
only time. Carrickboy and Tartak were
disputing the lead, from Matuhi and Casey Top; behind these were Hector’s
Choice, Kapga de Cerisy, Ballynagour, Hunt Ball and Zaynar. The latter was drifting rapidly back
through the field. There
was no change at the head of affairs as the horses began the journey down the
back straight; the horses all jumped the next fence well. The runners stepped over the water-jump and
travelled towards the next, an open-ditch, where there were a few less than
tidy leaps towards the rear of the field.
Shoegazer hit the next pretty hard.
Kapga de Cerisy wasn’t particularly fluent at the final open-ditch and
lost ground on the leading pack. The
horses cleared the fence prior to the far turn, Carrickboy leading the way
from Matuhi and Ballynagour; Tartak was now in fourth position, and behind
these were Hunt Ball, Vino Griego and Hector’s Choice. Clinging on to their coat-tails was Walkon,
with Finger Onthe Pulse the only horse to be making ground from the rear of
the field. The horses cleared the next
safely before heading downhill towards the third last, at which Hunt Ball was
less than fluent. Carrick
Boy led around the final turn, from Matuhi, Ballynagour and Vino Griego; the
former putting distance between himself and his nearest pursuers. Having been travelling well up until this
point, Ballynagour came under pressure and began to struggle; Vino Griego now
looked like the main danger to the long-time leader. They cleared the second last and headed
towards the final fence. Carrickboy
held a two lengths advantage over Vino Griego as they jumped it; Matuhi, who
was still a close-up third, put in an extra stride and fell. The jockeys aboard the two leaders drove
their horses out to the line, with Liam Treadwell’s mount always holding the
challenge of the Gary Moore runner.
The winning distance was 1½ lengths.
Tartak stayed on to complete in 3rd, with Hunt Ball 4th and Walkon
5th.
The green
screens had been erected around the prostrate Matuhi; the veterinary staff
quickly on hand to give the horse every opportunity to recover following his
final fence fall. My companion at the course-side rails set off to
collect her afternoon’s winnings following this race. NEWS FROM
THE STEWARDS’ ROOM FOLLOWING THE RACE: The Stewards
considered the apparent improvement in form of the winner, CARRICKBOY (IRE),
ridden by Liam Treadwell, and trained by Venetia Williams, compared with its
previous run at Wincanton on 31 January 2012 where the gelding was pulled up
before the fourteenth. They noted the trainer’s explanation that CARRICKBOY
(IRE) benefited from having an uncontested lead. They ordered the gelding to
be routine tested. The
starting gate for the next event was situated part way down the home
straight, the horses cantering up past the stands upon the all-weather track
before returning down the turf and re-entering the track to travel a short
distance before re-exiting onto the racecourse. The fence where
Matuhi had fallen should have been the first fence during this amateur rider
race. However, as the injured horse
was still being treated on the landing side of this fence, the first obstacle
in the back straight would now be fence number one. This meant that fence one, fence eleven and
fence twenty-one would be omitted; due to weight of numbers, the runners
actually lined up and began the race upon the hurdles track to make the
bypassing of the first fence easier.
And
then they were off. The runners were
led away by the habitual front-runner Super Duty, together with
Becauseicouldntsee. Having passed the
grandstands the horses headed up the hill and out into the country for the
first time. Galaxy Rock fell at the
first. Super
Duty, No Secrets and Becauseicouldntsee led the way as they travelled down
the back straight, from Harry The Viking, Deal Done, Saint Are and Frisco
Depot. Heading
around the dog-leg turn, there was no change at the head of affairs, leading
was Super Duty, from Becauseicouldntsee, Harry The Viking, No Secrets, Frisco
Depot, Done Deal, Sunny Legend, Saint Are, Prince of Pirates, Relax, Same
Difference, Chartreux, Swing Bill, Alfie Sherrin, Problema Tic, Richard’s
Sundance, Liberty Counsel, Bahrain Storm, Vesper Bell, Romanesco, On Trend,
Court By Surprise and Loose Preformer; the latter blundered at the fence
prior to the far turn. Frisco
Depot got a little bit close to the fence at the top of the hill; On Trend
made an error here too. The runners
headed down the hill, cleared the next fence safely before rounding the bend
and entering the home straight; Super Duty and Becauseicouldntsee continued
to cut out the running. The almost
white Swing Bill was prominent on the wide outside of the field. The
horses cleared the sole fence to be negotiated in the home straight and
bypassed the next; the island running rail had been removed since the
beginning of the race to enable the large field of runners to safely
negotiate the cordoned off fence, and a steward was vigorously waving a
warning flag to ensure none of the competitors, ridden or otherwise,
attempted to jump it. Heading
up the hill, the Donald McCain runner still led, with Becauseicouldntsee to
his outside; disputing third were Harry The Viking, Frisco Depot, Done Deal
and Swing Bill. Having turned the
corner into the back straight, a second warning flag was being waved,
instructing the competitors to bypass the first in the line of fences; a
medical team were treating JT McNamara on the landing side of the fence. The
runners headed towards and cleared the water-jump; Swing Bill and
Becauseicouldntsee disputing the lead, with Super Duty still close up in
third. A number of the backmarkers
were a little untidy at the next, the penultimate open-ditch. By the time the field had reached the
dog-leg turn, Super Duty had re-joined Becauseicouldntsee at the head of
affairs. The competitors then jumped
the final open-ditch, at which Frisco Depot fell; he hampered Chartreux as a
result. The
runners cleared one more fence before taking the far turn, Super Duty still
marginally ahead of Becauseicouldntsee, from Same Difference, Harry The
Viking, Richard’s Sundance, Done Deal and Sunny Legend; clinging onto the
back of this leading group were the two JP McManus runners, Prince of Pirates
and Alfie Sherrin. Having safely
negotiated the tricky fence at the top of the hill, the horses headed down
towards what was now the penultimate fence; the field was becoming well
strung out. Super
Duty and Becauseicouldntsee remained at the head of affairs clearing the
obstacle and headed into the home straight.
Their nearest pursuer was the Ryan Hatch ridden Same Difference under
a very strong drive. The Donald McCain
runner asserted on the run to the last, with Same Difference staying on
behind him; Romanesco had emerged from the main pack and was now in pursuit
of the leading three. The
jockeys steered their mounts around the omitted fence and then set sail up
the hill towards the winning post. It
was nip and tuck all the way to the line; Same Difference prevailing by a
head from the very gallant Super Duty.
Romanesco, who had jumped slightly awkwardly at the last, completed in
3rd, with Alfie Sherrin staying on into 4th place; Becauseicouldntsee
finished 5th.
NEWS FROM
THE STEWARDS’ ROOM FOLLOWING THE RACE: The
Stewards held an enquiry into the use of the whip by Mr Ryan Hatch, the rider
of the winner, SAME DIFFERENCE (IRE), from the top of the hill. 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 Hatch for 9 days as follows: Thursday 28, Sunday 31
March and Monday 1, Tuesday 2, Thursday 4, Friday 5, Saturday 6, Sunday 7 and
Monday 8 April 2013. Under Rule (B)54 the Stewards also fined the rider £400. Matuhi became
the first and last (although one is obviously too many) equine casualty of
the Festival. It was reported that
the cause was an untreatable spinal injury.
(Unfortunately it was clear on the TV replay that the horse had
suffered nerve damage during the fall from which he would not be able to
recover.) I decided to
walk across to the centre of the racecourse ahead of the Cross Country
race. The horse’s body was being
transferred to the horsebox as I walked past on the roadway used by the
ambulance, doctor and vet. I refused
to look at the operation, as these beautiful animals deserve dignity in
death; morbid curiosity, however, did get the better of others. Having
found a good spot for taking a photograph or two, close to the water-jump, it
then became apparent that there would be a delay to the start of this race,
and the subsequent Charity race too.
Although there were loud-speakers out on the cross-country course, no
information was forthcoming as to the cause of these delays. I
regularly glanced across toward the horse-walkway, which leads down from the
Parade Ring to the racecourse, in the hope of seeing the runners on their way
to the start. But there were none to
be seen. However, from observation,
the hold-up appeared to be something to do with a lack of ambulances on
course and the fact that the air ambulance had landed on the helipad located
beyond the far end of the home straight.
From
the TV coverage it was apparent that a number of the jockeys had got onboard
their horses before the length of the delay had become known; subsequently
they had dismounted and their mounts were rugged-up again. RUK’s Stewart Machin, who was in the Parade
Ring discussing the runners ahead of the race, had no idea regarding the
reason for the delay. However, shortly
afterwards, Lydia Hislop did announce that the pause in proceedings was
related to an injury incurred by amateur rider JT McNamara during the
previous race. The jockeys engaged in
the cross-country event then returned to the Weighing Room for a brief
period. The
9-4 favourite for the cross country race was Arabella Boy. Martin Keighley had a runner in this event,
Any Currency ridden by Ian Popham.
There was also a French-trained runner, Sacree Tiepy, ridden by
English jockey James Reveley. The
ground conditions for this event were soft. The
cross-country race was originally due off at 17:15; the revised off-time was
17:40. Whilst the horses were circling
at the start, it was announced that there would be a further 5-minute delay
whilst the ambulance and medical staff returned to their designated areas. Daylight was fading fast.
Then
they were off ... or rather they were not, as a number of runners charged
forward and broke the tape; much to the annoyance of the vocal crowd. The competitors didn’t travel far, so they
returned to the starting area quickly and lined up again. Then
they were off; successfully this time.
The crowd cheered as the race finally got underway. The first fence is a bank with hedge; where
A New Story wasn’t particularly fluent.
The horses took a left-hand bend and headed towards the second
obstacle, a ditch with railed hedge; two of the English representatives,
Passato and Wedger Pardy leading the way, a few lengths clear of their
rivals. Shakervilz made a slight error
at this fence; Uncle Junior was travelling at the rear of the field. The
third fence was the birch island fence; all the runners jumping the left-hand
option. At the next, the Aintree
fence, Leac An Scail unseated his rider.
Wedger Pardy and Passato continued at the head of affairs over the
next, a bank with hedge; they were setting a strong pace for this
long-distance race. Double Dizzy was
in third position at this stage, with Any Currency travelling in fourth. The
sixth fence is a double bank with hedges; the following obstacle a hedge with
log. The route then crosses the
downhill section of the Old Course before the runners jumped a double bank
with hedge and negotiated a right-hand turn to approach timber rails. Wedger Pardy was leading, from Passato,
Double Dizzy and Any Currency; the main body of the field was headed by
Outlaw Pete, sporting the first colours of JP McManus. Having
jumped this fence, the runners travelled across the mid-course chute to reach
a railed hedge, after which they galloped back across the Old Course to jump
a ditch with railed hedge. Outlaw Pete
made an error at the next fence, the twelfth, the pole and railed hedge. The runners returned across the mid-course
chute to approach the next, the raised bank with preceding ditch and hedged
drop to the far side. Wedger
Pardy and Passato still led as they headed towards the water jump, which is
situated in the river gulley. Having
exited the dip, the runners headed around a left-hand turn and towards the
two cheese wedges, where the latter jumped out to his right and lost a little
ground on the leader. Uncle Junior was
tailed off by this stage. The
first five horses continued in the same order, with Wedger Pardy leading from
Passato, Double Dizzy, Any Currency and Outlaw Pete. The next fence, now the seventeenth, was a
ditch with railed hedge, the obstacle having already been jumped as fence
number two. The runners then took a
left-hand turn in order to jump the ditch with raised bank and hedged drop at
a ninety degrees angle to the first occasion.
Wedger Pardy was now being closely followed by the loose horse. The
horses then headed back across the Old Course to reach the double bank with
hedge once more. Having cleared the
fence, they turned right to jump a ditch with railed hedge; Double Dizzy made
an error here. The field then crossed
back over the downhill section of the Old Course to face a ditch with boarded
hedge; Any Currency was beginning to drift back through the field. By
the time they took the right-hand turn and headed back towards the
water-jump, the main body of the field was only two or three lengths behind
the long-time leader. After clearing
this jump, the runners travelled around a left-hand bend to approach a double
spread hedge. Disputing second at this
point were Double Dizzy and Outlaw Pete; they were followed by A New Story,
Bostons Angel, Arabella Boy, Passato, Any Currency, Freneys Well, Sizing
Australia, Big Shu, Sacree Tiepy, and Shakervilz. Saddlers Storm was a few lengths behind the
main group and Uncle Junior was continuing but completely tailed off. The
field were a little bunched as they cleared the following fence, a bank with
hedge; a number of the runners were a little slow here as they began to tire. The track turned sharp left and the runners
headed towards the ditch with railed hedge; the only fence which is jumped
three times during the course of the race.
Double Dizzy began to struggle as the horses headed over the next, the
birch island fence; Outlaw Pete was disputing second position now with Big
Shu and Arabella Boy. Patrick Mullins
finally gave up the unequal struggle and pulled up Uncle Junior after this
fence. Wedger
Pardy was being ridden along in an attempt to cling on to his narrow lead
but, as they approached the next, the Aintree fence, Outlaw Pete and Big Shu
took over; notwithstanding that they just avoided being carried out by the
loose horse as it ran across in front of this obstacle! Big Shu then coasted into the lead having
cleared the twenty-eighth fence, the bank with hedge; and he was gradually
extending his lead as he crossed the next, a double bank hedge. The
leader had established an advantage of four or five lengths by the time he
cleared the hedge with log prior to joining the Old Course. In second position was Outlaw Pete,
followed by Arabella Boy, Bostons Angel, Wedger Pardy, Shakervilz and the
French mare Sacree Tiepy. Upon
reaching the main racecourse, Big Shu turned left and headed over the first
of two stuffed hurdles; he remained four to five lengths clear of his nearest
rivals. Having turned into the home
straight, his jockey steered him across to the stand-side rails on the
approach to the final obstacle, Shakervilz soon his nearest pursuer. They
cleared the last and, although Shakervilz drew clear of the remaining
runners, Big Shu remained beyond reach and won by 4 lengths at the line. Outlaw Pete finished 10 lengths back in
3rd, with Bostons Angel 4th, Sizing Australia 5th and Sacree Tiepy 6th. Any Currency completed in 9th; the first of
the home team to finish. Of
those who had been prominent for much of the race, Double Dizzy finished in
10th and long-time leader Wedger Pardy finished 11th of the 12 who
completed. Passato had been pulled up
before the 25th.
The
Charity race followed almost immediately, but not before the spectators had
been permitted to cross back to the stands-side of the racecourse. I
can’t describe this race in detail as, due to today’s delays, my Sky box recording
cut out before the event took place so I have no record to refer to. However, I do recall that Newmill, winner
of the 2006 Queen Mother Champion Chase and now a sprightly 15 year old(!), ‘took off’ at the start, soon setting
up a big lead. He still held the
advantage heading into the home straight but the field was closing and he was
collared on the run-in by Age of Glory, ridden by Brian Bunyan, despite
rallying at the end. Choc
later confirmed in his Horse and Hound column that he’d been at the Festival
again today (having attended yesterday too), but I didn’t see him on this
occasion; probably because I didn’t venture back to the Parade Ring area at
any point between the races. L Choc was also due to have a scan on his back
today; I wonder how he got on? I guess
he’d decided to pay another visit, as presumably he’d been to Cheltenham
General Hospital for the scan so was in the area anyway. With
the races running late, it was impossible to gain an early departure. I returned to my car and, having removed my
contact lenses and eaten the remaining cheese roll (only one left today), I
set off to join the queue heading out of the car park. It was 18:50. Having
exited onto Swindon Lane in a westerly direction, I turned left at the
mini-roundabout to travel down Tommy Taylor’s Lane. Deja vu, it was just like Tuesday; the
queue stretched the entire length of the road. As always, when I eventually reached St
Paul’s Road, I turned left to reach Clarence Square and subsequently Clarence
Road. A further left turn took me
along the Prestbury Road, where I turned right to drive around Pittville
Circus and enter Pittville Circus Road.
Upon reaching Hewlett Road I turned left and drove to the ‘longabout’.
My
journey took me back to Oxford and onwards to the M40, before joining the M25
clockwise carriageway. I needed to
fill up with petrol once again, ready for tomorrow, the final day of the
Festival. Being quite late into the
evening, many of the pump lanes at the fuel station were closed – those ones
which could not easily be seen and monitored during the evening darkness; I
had to queue. It’s a busy petrol
station, very close to Junction 20 of the M25. The fuel cost £27.29 today. I
arrived home at 21:25. So much for my
hopes that I’d get home earlier and earlier as the week progressed, apart
from Gold Cup day of course when it didn’t really matter! Thus Tuesday would be the earliest, at
20:40. Supper
tonight was Penne Mozzarella again. I
did log onto my laptop and began writing a blog entry but it soon became
apparent that I was too tired to concentrate; I called it a day and went to
bed. Just one more day to go ... * * *
* * * * It
later transpired that JT McNamara had been very seriously injured as a result
of his first fence fall during the Kim Muir.
As a result he was airlifted to the Frenchay Hospital in Bristol
having sustained a life-changing neck injury. In
addition to the loss of Matuhi; there would also be three further sad equine
postscripts relating to well-known horses which had run today during the
following few weeks. The Alan
King-trained Bakbenscher suffered a fatal injury at Cheltenham’s April
fixture when slipping up on the flat; the Philip Hobbs stable-stalwart Fair
Along lost his life as a result of a bout of colic; and in early April,
Zaynar sustained an injury when running at Taunton and, despite David Pipe’s
veterinary staff’s best efforts, he could not be saved. |
