DIARY – CHELTENHAM
SATURDAY 24 JANUARY 2015
FESTIVAL TRIALS DAY
|
The owner’s Racing Manager, Hannah Bishop, hugs
Annacotty, winner of the Grade 3 Handicap Chase My trip to Cheltenham Festival
Trials Day 2015 was a last minute decision.
I had booked the previous day as annual leave a couple of months ago,
originally with the idea of a visit to this fixture in mind ... it gives me
time to get organised for a day out ... but then ruled it out as Choc
remained sidelined due to injury.
However, having been reminded via twitter that Claire Lomas’ charity
fundraising event was taking place at Newbury on the evening of the raceday,
on the Wednesday evening I decided to email Claire to ask if there were
tickets still available. I knew Choc
had agreed to take part in ‘Pogo
Pandemonium’ prior to his setback, but I had subsequently dismissed it
thinking that maybe he wouldn’t attend after all. Also I wondered if I would be ‘brave’ enough to attend alone ...
because it’s not ‘me’. But, with her tweet confirming that Choc
planned to be there, I realised I had
to do it, regardless, because I wanted to see him again! So by Friday afternoon
everything was sorted. In for a penny,
in for a pound. I would go to Cheltenham,
then on to Newbury; the event started at 19:00, which gave me plenty to time
to get there. According to Google, the
trip between the two venues should take around 75 minutes. My alarm was set for around
06:00; slightly before in fact. I showered,
washed and dryed my hair. Breakfast
was two slices of buttered white toast and two croissants. I applied my make-up and checked that I’d
got everything. I must have
procrastinated a lot, as time began to get away from me. Today’s outfit was a black
camisole, 3 thermal t-shirts – violet, plum, and purple, pink frill-edged
cardigan, purple fleece, black fleece gillet, frill hemmed tweed skirt as
worn on Boxing Day, berry coloured tights, a new pair of black ‘Cannes’ Hotter wedge-heeled boots which
I bought in their sale (£59 reduced from £99), burgundy/white Rico Pom Pom
scarf, and long black faux fur coat.
Jewellery was a magenta Galaxy Glass pendant with matching
earrings. I used my large black
canvass handbag for the racing. But I
couldn’t wear a hat, as I didn’t wish to ruin my hair ahead of my evening
trip to Newbury. The evening before I’d also
packed my Newbury outfit – black Hotter ‘Clarissa’
shoes, black tights, silver and grey panelled Next skirt, my favourite
crossover top – the one with the blue and beige flowers, plus a bright blue
Wallis cardigan which I had worn when I attended the London Racing Club event
back in 2010 when Choc was their guest.
I’ve owned the Next skirt for ages but not worn it due to problems
with the lining; I could pull the skirt up but not pull it down again – of
little use if I wanted to spend a penny!
However, I did some alterations to the lining a month or two back and
the problem is sorted and it looks great! Gate opening time at Cheltenham
was 10:30; so I had planned to leave home at 08:15 or thereabouts. In the event I didn’t set off until
08:40. That ruled out my preferred ‘scenic route’ via Bicester; the
M25/M40 would be the order of the day instead. However, having set off and got as far as
the London Colney roundabout, it suddenly occurred to me that I couldn’t
recall taking my acid reflux medication that morning. So I drove around the block, it was a big
block, and returned home to check. I
hadn’t! Take two. I set off again at 09:00. I took the same route back to the London
Colney roundabout, and this time onwards to Junction 22 of the M25. Having taken the anti-clockwise
carriageway, there were no traffic problems despite illuminated signs to the
contrary just prior to the Kings Langley junction warning of an ‘incident’. By 09:30 I’d reached Junction
16, taking the westbound carriageway of the M40 to head for Oxford. There were a few problems with vehicles
leaving it until the last possible moment before deciding to transfer into
the second lane having been travelling along the inside one. This happened at both the Loudwater
junction where the road narrows from 4 lanes to 3 lanes after the junction,
and again at High Wycombe (central) junction where it narrows from 3 to 2
lanes for the distance of the interchange.
I can only think that the drivers had not travelled this stretch of
motorway before and didn’t know the layout.
Anyway, approaching Junction 8
for Oxford, there was signage warning of roadworks along the A40 and suggesting
motorists use the next junction and travel via the A34 instead. I ignored the notices and followed everyone
else, leaving the motorway at Junction 8; it was a Saturday for goodness sake
so, hopefully, there would be no holdups.
Mind you, I have to admit that on one occasion I did get held up in a
long jam on the A40 Oxford bypass during a Saturday visit to Cheltenham. But it was the correct decision
today; there were signs to instruct drivers to keep within a 30mph limit
approaching the Headington roundabout, with traffic cones marking out the
areas where road improvements were underway, but no delays whatsoever. This being the case, I’d soon reached the
Wolvercote roundabout. I
enjoy watching Michael Portillo’s Great Railway Journeys and in the summer of
2014, he began a journey in Pembroke and finished it in Cambridge. During the course of his trip he visited Bicester, where a new station was being constructed; the
line was due to be connected to the Marylebone to Birmingham route during
2015. By the end of the decade it will
be possible to travel from Oxford to Milton Keynes, Bedford, Cambridge,
Ipswich and Norwich. As part of the
plan, the section between Oxford and Bicester was
expanded to become dual track, as opposed to the original single track
line. More And
the really weird thing is that the line passes beneath Oxford’s Wolvercote roundabout ... and I’ve never even noticed, despite
it being an integral part of my route between St Albans and Cheltenham,
regardless of whether I travel M25/M40 or via Bicester! But I suppose that is a good sign, because
it means that my attention is fully given to entering and exiting the roundabout
without incident! Having negotiated Wolvercote, I
entered the ‘Cotswolds’ section of
the A40, travelling past the busy petrol station on my right, under the A34
bypass road, over a bridge, to reach the traffic lights at the Cassington/Yarnton
road junction. Prior to the turning, a
skip truck pulled out from the left, how annoying; the driver appeared to
have no intention of stopping at his T-junction unless absolutely necessary. The aforementioned traffic
lights were initially showing red, but soon changed to green and I was on my
way to reach the roundabout near Eynsham.
The skip truck continued on the A40 but, having passed another petrol
station on the right, and the Evenlode pub to the left, fortunately he took a
turning off to the right. Mind you, it
wouldn’t have mattered much, because the dual-carriageway of the Witney
bypass began a short distance ahead and would have permitted me to overtake
him anyway. The dual-carriageway is always
welcome at this point in the journey, as it sorts the slow vehicles from the
fast but sensible vehicles and the damn right crazy vehicles!!! This being the case I soon reached the far
end of it ... driving at around 65 mph because I don’t want to waste petrol
for the sake of it! After the Minster
Lovell roundabout is an undulating stretch of single carriageway in both
directions. It’s actually the bleakest
part of the journey; the road travels along the top of a ridge at this point,
with the beautiful Cotswolds countryside dropping away to either side. Nice in summer though, I expect. I’d soon negotiated the
roundabout at the top of Burford, and was heading along the next section of
the A40, entering Gloucestershire at this point, before driving past the Inn
For All Seasons on the right. There
were also a number of signs indicating directions to the next day’s
Point-to-Point at Cocklebarrow Farm, organised by the Heythrop Hunt; the same
Cocklebarrow Farm where the Heythrop Summer Fair is held each June and which
I’ve attended on a couple of occasions to see Choc take part in the
driven-donkey derby. The next landmark on the journey
is the roundabout where the Stow-on-the-Wold to Cirencester road crosses my
route; the aforementioned road being part of the Roman Fosse Way from Lincoln
to Exeter. The road is fairly
straight, as would be expected, but it’s also uphill and down dale. I’m familiar with the section to Stow, but
would also become familar later in the day with the section to Cirencester
(Roman Corinium). Obviously my home
city of St Albans was also a Roman town – Verulamium – being situated on
Roman Watling Street. Having entered the next section
of road, I’d soon driven past the rebranded Puesdown Inn, now Garniche, before reaching the short section of
downhill and undulating dual carriageway just prior to the traffic lights
where the Gloucester road bears off to the left. Just one impatient driver overtook me today
on this stretch; I’m never keen to speed down the hill, knowing there’s a
right-hand bend and traffic signals to negotiate shortly afterwards. Having negotiated the
Andoversford bypass, and travelled downhill once more and past the Dowdeswell
Reservoir to my right, I soon reached Charlton Kings. Traffic was queueing back from the Six Ways
junction almost to the dip in the road but, after a while, I was able to
drive up the outside of the queue to wait in the lane reserved for traffic
wishing to turn right at the junction.
Once the signals had changed to green, I drove up Greenway Lane,
turned left into Harp Hill and descended to reach the longabout, where I
turned right into Priors Road. I drove past the Sainsburys
Supermarket and, as always, took a right into Bouncers Lane. I didn’t have to queue long at the far end
thereof, before negotiating the double mini-roundabouts and entering Tatchley
Lane/New Barns Lane. There are two
further mini-roundabouts close to the racecourse, and it was straight ahead
at both of these before reaching the large roundabout outside the main
entrance to the racecourse. As usual, and having waited for
a break in the traffic to materialise, I drove straight across into Swindon
Lane before entering the car park on my right. Today parking in the bottom field was
limited to just two rows of cars, one each side, at right-angles to the
roadway. I was directed to drive up
the hill to enter the large top car park; other racegoers were entering this
area via the Evesham Road gate. The
driveway was muddy, light gravelly muddy, following overnight rain. This being the case, the wheels of my car
distributed it along the lower bodywork, just behind the wheel arches. Very attractive, NOT! It was 11:15 when I arrived, 45 minutes
after opening time. Anyway, a number of rows from
the entrance, a steward directed me to turn off to the left and drive to the
current end of the row. Fortunately
the grass was lush green around the car and, having consumed a couple of
cheese rolls and changed into my new black boots, and put on my fleeces and coat,
I set off to buy a ticket. With so
much mud on the driveway, I crossed over into the field area adjacent to the
Evesham Road and walked down the edge of the field to avoid it. I exited via a small gateway in the corner
to reach the pavement. Traffic was tailed back from the
large roundabout outside the racecourse entrance, so I weaved my way through
to enter via the gateway opposite. The
mobile ticket kiosks were situated in the area to my left, as they had been
back in October. I joined the short
queue to purchase a ticket, using my credit card, before crossing over the
perimeter road, heading across the bridge and entering the main Centaur
building to go through the turnstiles.
I purchased a racecard from the counter opposite, before heading out
of the main doors onto the concourse. I headed down the hill towards
the Parade Ring, stopping off en-route to visit the ladies loo on the ground
floor of the main grandstand. I then
headed to the steppings above the Winners’ Enclosure. The off-time of the first race was 12:40,
so there was not much time to kill before then. I think, although I’m not 100% sure, that
raceday presenter Martin Kelly interviewed a female representative from
today’s main sponsor BetBright. Or it may be that I saw an interview on TV
when viewed later!!! Alan King was due to have five
runners at the fixture today – Karezak, Ned Stark, Smad Place, Walkon and
Ordo Ab Chao. However, Ned Stark was a
non-runner, having been discovered to have a bruised foot on the morning of
the race. Anyway, I headed to the courseside
rails well ahead of the first race. In
fact I was caught napping, having turned off my camera to conserve the
battery, because Karezak was first out and he’d already cantered past me upon
the all-weather strip before I was ready to take any photos! My excuse was that I was daydreaming about
my visit to Newbury that evening and, of course, the prospect of seeing Choc
for the first time since Grand National Day 2014; which was nine and a half
months ago. I’ve forgotten to mention that it
was a lovely sunny day, with temperatures around 5 degrees – it was
January! The odds-on favourite for this
race, priced at 4-9, was the Nicky Henderson-trained Peace And Co ridden by
Barry Geraghty. He was also the
favourite for the Cheltenham Festival’s Triumph Hurdle having won
impressively on his British debut in a Grade 2 event at Doncaster in
December.
Then
they were off ... very slowly! Nobody
was keen to lead; presumably all the jockeys had instructions not to do
so. Anyway, the John Hales-owned
runner Ibis Du Rheu, despite being restrained,
found himself sharing the lead with Zarib to his
outside as they approached the first flight.
He was followed by Bivouac to the inside and Storm Force Ten, then Karezak and the favourite Peace And Co. Having
cleared the first, Peace And Co continued to battle for his head whilst Barry
Geraghty kept a tight hold on him; Bivouac and Karezak were the most settled at the sedate pace being
set. Having cleared the second flight
without incident, the commentator, Mike Cattermole, commented that it was
more like a three mile race ... a slow three mile race at that! The
runners headed up the hill and into the country for the one and only
time. Ibis Du Rheu
held the lead, from Zarib, Bivouac, Storm Force
Ten, Karezak and Peace And Co. Having cleared the third flight, Zarib joined the Paul Nicholls-runner at the head of
affairs once more; the lack of pace meant that all six runners were closely
grouped as they jumped the next. Karezak had moved into third by the time they had
negotiated flight number five. The
field headed around the dog-leg turn, climbing towards the flight at the top
of the hill, just three left to go.
Ibis Du Rheu had a tendency to waiver
slightly off a straight line as he approached each flight, probably
greenness, but he continued to share the lead with Zarib;
although the latter made a slight error at this flight. The runners swept left-handed around the
far turn and headed down the hill to the penultimate hurdle. Zarib rose slightly ahead of his rivals at
the obstacle; Karezak had almost joined him, with
the favourite close on the latter’s tail.
They headed towards the final turn.
Wayne Hutchinson drove his mount up to the outside of the Dan Skelton
runner, with Bivouac steered up their inside.
Peace And Co was close on their heels, with Ibis Du Rheu now in fifth and being driven; a close-up last was
Storm Force Ten. Karezak took a clear
advantage as they approached the last, but he was followed through by Peace
And Co. It was a tight squeeze, but
Barry Geraghty managed to find a small gap between
the leader and the nearside rails and he cruised up beside the Alan
King-runner as they jumped it in unison.
Karezak battled on but he was no match for
Peace And Co; the latter drew away on the run to the line to win by three
lengths. However,
they had drawn well clear of their rivals, with Zarib
9 lengths back in 3rd and Storm Force Ten half a length behind him in
4th. Evidently it was the first time
the winner had been ‘settled’
within a field, having won both his first race in France from the front and
the Doncaster race too.
Karezak may be a bit
quirky with his tendency to sometimes wander off a straight line under
pressure, but he’s certainly a battle-hardened recruit who you’d want on your
side in a fight! I
returned to the Winners’ Enclosure following the race to see the placed
horses arrive back. But I was back at
the course-side rails in plenty of time to see the horses taking part in the
Novices’ Handicap Chase head across the racecourse and up the all-weather
strip in front of the Best Mate enclosure. The
favourite for this race was Stellar Notion, ridden by Paddy Brennan and
trained by Tom George; priced 4-1.
He’d won at Kempton Park on Boxing Day.
Then
they were off, heading along the mid-course chute towards the first
fence. Stellar Notion, a confirmed
front-runner, and Carole’s Destrier led the way
from Moss Park, Irish Cavalier, Generous Ransom and Perfect Candidate. The field cleared the first without
incident, and the second, before heading across the intersection with the Old
Course and jumping the third obstacle, where towards the rear of the field
Benevolent made an error. The
horses then headed across the New Course intersection and downhill towards
the far turn; Stellar Notion held a two lengths advantage from Carole’s Destrier who, in turn, was four lengths clear of the main
field. The runners entered the home
straight and headed over the next two fences without problems; Stellar Notion
continuing to lob along at the head of affairs. They soon joined the main racecourse,
leading the main group were Generous Ransom, Irish Cavalier, Moss Park and
Perfect Candidate. Following these
were Astigos, Black River, Garrahalish,
Keel Haul, Horatio Hornblower and Benevolent. The
runners cleared the sixth fence without mishap; Horatio Hornblower
made an error at the next. The Tom George representative continued to lead as
the field closed up as it headed away from the grandstands and out into the country
for the one and only time. In second
position, Carole’s Destrier made an error at the
next; Keel Haul a worse one at the rear of the field. Moss Park was pushed along for a few
strides as they headed to the water jump; where Horatio Hornblower
wasn’t particular fluent. The
next fence is the first of the open-ditches; all the runners cleared this
without incident. However, Stellar
Notion got a little close to the following fence and made an error. Having negotiated the dog-leg turn, there
were no noticeable errors at the second open-ditch. The field continued to the top of the hill,
and over the fifth last. Moss Park had
dropped back through the field by this point and received reminders. The
next fence on the New Course is a tricky one, the ground beginning to fall
away behind the jump as the runners begin their journey downhill. Travelling near the rear of the field, Garrahalish was caught out here; he lost his hind legs on
landing and catapulted Charlie Poste out of the
saddle. Stellar Notion continued to
lead as the runners headed down the hill to the third last, but he made an
error here, which enabled Carole’s Destrier to
assume poll position shortly afterwards.
There were also a number of untidy leaps further back in the field. As
the runners turned into the home straight, Generous Ransom loomed up on the
outside of the leader; Stellar Notion was now in third position, with Irish
Cavalier close on his heels. Astigos was also making eye-catching progress from the
back of the field. Carole’s Destrier and Generous Ransom jumped the penultimate fence
in unison; Astigos was now in third position and
still closing. Approaching
the final fence, the Neil Mulholland runner began to fade, as Generous Ransom
went into a clear lead. However, he
put in an extra stride and got too close; but he was still four lengths ahead
of his nearest rival, which was now the bottom-weight Astigos. However, as he approached the line, the
leader began to either tie-up or idle.
This enabled the Venetia Williams runner to close with every
stride. Phew
... Generous Ransom held on to win by just a neck at the line. The sole grey Irish Cavalier finished in
3rd, just two lengths back, with Carole’s Destrier
5 lengths away in 4th. Long-time
leader Stellar Notion completed in 7th.
As there had been no particular runners of
interest in this race, I remained beside the course-side rails, rather than
return to the Winners’ Enclosure. The third race was the feature event. Just six runners, but quality horses,
including the Hennessy Gold Cup winner Many Clouds, Alan King’s Smad Place, Ryanair Chase
winner Dynaste, and The Giant Bolster who has been
placed in the Cheltenham Gold Cup on more than one occasion. The starting gate for this race was mid-way down
the home straight, with just over two full circuits of the course to travel;
slightly shy of the Gold Cup distance, with one fewer fence to jump. This being the case, the horses cantered up
in front of the stands before heading down the turf to the start.
Then
they were off. The field was led away
from The Giant Bolster and Black Thunder, followed by Many Clouds, Smad Place, Theatre Guide and Dynaste. The runners cleared the first without
incident. The Paul Nicholls runner led
them up the hill; at his quarters to the inside was The Giant Bolster, to his
outside Many Clouds. The
pace was very steady, with no confirmed front runners in the race. Perhaps that is why Smad
Place appeared keen to get on with the race; I never think of him as
keen! At the rear of the field,
Theatre Guide got a little close to the second fence. Their next obstacle was the water jump,
which they all cleared in their stride.
Black Thunder had now been joined by Many Clouds at the head of
affairs; The Giant Bolster and Dynaste disputed
third, with Smad Place in fifth and Theatre Guide
bringing up the rear. Smad Place jumped past Dynaste at the first of the open-ditches; the latter then
regained his place on the flat, before the Alan King runner out-jumped him yet
again at the next. They were still
travelling at a steady pace, which was evidenced by Smad
Place’s keenness. Having negotiated
the dog-leg turn, the runners headed to the second open-ditch, which they
cleared without incident. Theatre
Guide had dropped off the back of the main pack, this being a step up in
class for the horse today. They
headed up the hill to the next fence, a plain one; Smad
Place continuing to gain ground at each of his fences. Theatre Guide had rejoined the others by
the time they reached the far corner.
There were no problems for any of the experienced steeplechasers
jumping the tricky fence where the ground began to fall away downhill. The runners bowled along down the hill to
the next, which they all cleared without problem. Many Clouds and Black Thunder continued to
dispute the lead, from Dynaste, Smad
Place, The Giant Bolster and Theatre Guide. The
speed picked up as they headed around the turn and into the home straight
once more. Smad
Place was now travelling at the more comfortable speed; Theatre Guide
remained at the rear of the group. The
runners cleared the two fences therein before heading up the hill and out
into the country for the final time.
Black Thunder and Many Clouds continued to lead as they headed over
the next fence; again Theatre Guide was a little less than fluent at the back
of the field. The
next fence was the water-jump. Smad Place continued to out-jump his rivals; although he
did take off a little early at the open-ditch and brushed through the top
with his hind-legs. But no damage was
done. Many Clouds got a little close
to the next, and Dynaste was a little less than
fluent too. The runners negotiated the
dog-leg turn and headed to the final open-ditch, which Wayne Hutchinson’s
mount jumped like a stag. Heading
up the rising ground to the far corner, Many Clouds had a slight advantage
over Black Thunder. I’ve just realised
there is a weather theme going on here!
Having cleared the next, The Giant Bolster now appeared to be
struggling at the rear of the field.
Again no problems at the tricky fourth last fence; the runners then
began their journey downhill for the final time, with Many Clouds leading the
way. Having
cleared three out, Dynaste and Smad
Place began to lay down their challenge as Black Thunder drifted back through
the field; the latter receiving a couple of backhanders from Sam Twiston-Davies in an attempt to rally to his cause. They entered the home straight, Many Clouds
remaining ahead of his rivals; Dynaste to his outside,
and Smad Place to his inside. The Oliver Sherwood runner was around half
a length up clearing the penultimate fence and a length ahead as they jumped
the last. Having
been switched to his right approaching the last, Wayne switched his mount
back again on the run-in. However, try
as Smad Place might, Many Clouds hung on
tenaciously to his lead up the hill, winning by 1¼ lengths at the line, with Dynaste a further neck away in 3rd. The Giant Bolster rallied to take 4th
prize. Poor
old Smad Place, he always seems to find one or two
better than himself. But I guess that
is the problem when running in graded races.
Many Clouds was trainer Oliver Sherwood’s first
Cheltenham winner since 2000. I returned to the Winners’ Enclosure to see the
placed horses arrive back. One of the reasons I decided to come to
Cheltenham today was to see my favourite horse, Walkon. He’d taken the tendon off one of his hocks
during last season’s Grand National, which resulted in him being pulled up
two from the finish of the race.
Having recuperated over the summer, he’d run once since then,
finishing tailed-off at Newbury. So I
had a feeling today would be his final race, with a disappointing run leading
to retirement. Also running in this race was the Martin
Keighley-trained Annacotty, ridden by Gavin
Sheehan; with first choice jockey booking of AP McCoy being kicked into touch
when the Champ re-routed to Doncaster following a defection or defections of his
intended rides at Cheltenham. The
horse had been out hunting on a couple of occasions with event rider Phoebe
Buckley in the days prior to this particular race. The favourite for this event was Easter Day,
trained by Paul Nicholls and ridden by Nick Scholfield;
his price 3-1. However, there was a
feeling that the betting public had been duped, because the horse’s first
stated preference was to run in the big handicap chase at Doncaster on this
day and many betting plans had gone astray as a result. The owners said they wanted to go to
Cheltenham, so Cheltenham it was. This race also began in the mid-course chute; the
runners heading across the track and up along the all-weather strip to reach
the centre of the course.
Then
they were off. Predictably, confirmed
front runner Sew On Target led them away; he was followed by Annacotty and Little Jon.
The latter made ground in the air when jumping the first fence and was
almost upsides the leader as they headed towards obstacle number two; veteran
Big Fella Thanks, who is now 13 years old, was at
the back of the field, alongside Tap Night and Dare Me. Walkon jumped the
second fence slowly and, as a result, found himself with the backmarkers. The
runners headed across the Old Course to approach fence number three; again Walkon jumped it less fluently than his rivals. Heading across the New Course intersection,
Little Jon led from Sew On Target.
They had set up a three length advantage over Annacotty
who, in turn, was a couple of lengths ahead of Easter Day, Quincy Des Pictons, Easter Meteor, Dare Me, Walkon,
Tap Night and Big Fella Thanks. Having
negotiated the far bend, they turned into the home straight for the first
time; four fences in front of them on this stretch of the track. Little Jon and Sew On Target continued to
lead the way. There were no problems
for any of the runners as they jumped the first two of these obstacles;
however, Little Jon made a bad blunder and pecked on landing at the third of
these but he remained at the head of affairs.
All ten runners were faultless at the next. The
field then headed out into the country for the one and only time; Walkon, Tap Night and Big Fella
Thanks continued to bring up the rear.
They soon began their journey down the back straight; Annacotty getting just a little bit close to the first
fence therein; jockey Gavin Sheehan urged his mount forward for a few strides
having jumped the water. The following
fence was the first open-ditch, which they all cleared safely. By
this stage of the race, Walkon was beginning to
show the first distress signals. The
runners jumped fence number eleven without incident. The following fence is the final
open-ditch; Dare Me made an error here, dragging his
hind-legs through the fence and landing on all fours. Walkon now found
himself at the rear of the field and, as they headed up the hill towards the
next fence, Wayne Hutchinson decided to call it a day and cantered back in
his own time. Meanwhile,
Little Jon continued to lead over this fence and he was a number of lengths
clear of the field. Quincy Des Pictons was being ridden along and had lost ground. Having reached the far corner, the runners
approached the tricky fourth last, where the leader made another error. By this point of the race, Big Fella Thanks had made a sweeping move around the outside
of the field to dispute second place with Easter Day and Sew On Target. Although Little Jon retained his lead, his
rivals were now close on his tail. The
field headed down the hill to reach three out. Little Jon nodded on landing, but Easter
Day lost his footing on landing and fell; the favourite was out of the race,
much to the disappointment of the spectators.
The horse got up and cantered away; jockey Nick Schofield walked off
the course uninjured too. Little Jon
still held a narrow advantage as they headed towards the final turn, Sew On
Target travelled to his inside, and Big Fella
Thanks was out wide. Annacotty was close on their heels, along with Dare Me
and Easter Meteor; Tap Night was a few lengths adrift and Quincy Des Pictons was even further behind, having been slightly
hampered by the faller. Having
negotiated the final bend, Sew On Target led the runners into the final
straight. Big Fella
Thanks looked the main danger to the nearside, with Annacotty
between them beginning his challenge too.
The veteran led over the penultimate fence; the weakening Little Jon
was a little awkward here. The leaders
headed towards the final obstacle, Big Fella Thanks
a length or so up, from Annacotty, Sew On Target
and Dare Me. The
two leaders cleared the last without incident; however, Dare Me, who looked
to have the measure of Sew On Target and Little Jon, hit the fence and rolled
over. Jockey Aidan Coleman was thrown
clear; he stood up but had to resist the urge to move in order to avoid
Easter Meteor as he galloped by!
Heading up the hill towards the line it appeared that Big Fella Thanks had the race in the bag, although he did
drift towards the far rail. However,
Gavin Sheehan didn’t give up and switched his mount to the nearside to
continue his challenge. Would
Big Fella Thanks’ stamina see him home? No, not on this occasion. Annacotty finished with a flourish and caught him close
home, winning by three quarters of a length at the line. Tap Night stormed up the hill to claim 3rd
place, 2¾ lengths behind the veteran, with Little Jon lasting home better
than Sew On Target to take 4th position. A
win for the Martin Keighley yard ... their third Cheltenham winner this
season! Wicked!
Annacotty was owner Mrs Prowting’s first Cheltenham winner since Woodside Road in
1987. And Martin Keighley’s first
winner as a jockey was aboard a horse named Air Shot, also owned by
same. I
returned to the Winners’ Enclosure to see the placed horses arrive back. I spotted Walkon
being led back to the enclosure where the unplaced horses are unsaddled
too. Alan
King had a representative in the next race, namely Ordo
Ab Chao, ridden by Wayne Hutchinson. Having won two novice hurdles this season,
the horse had disappointed in a Grade 2 event a Sandown Park on his last
appearance. Ordo
Ab Chao also has the distinction of being the last
horse I’d seen Choc ride prior to his injury, namely when finishing 4th in
the bumper at Aintree on Grand National Day 2014. The
favourite for this race was the Dan Skelton-trained, Harry Skelton-ridden
Value At Risk; priced at 11-10. The
starting gate for this race was in the mid-course chute. This being the case, upon exiting the
horse-walk the runners cantered across the course and headed up along the
all-weather track in front of the Best Mate Enclosure to reach it.
Lined
up ready to go at the front of the group were Native River, Thistlecrack and Value At Risk; however, Thistlecrack shied away towards the remaining runners and
then they were off. The Alan King
runner was keen to get on with the race; the horse shook his head a number of
times as Wayne restrained him in order to keep his mount near the rear of the
field as they set off towards the first flight. Value
At Risk led the runners over the first, with Some Buckle bringing up the
rear. The field headed over the
intersection with the Old Course, jumped flight number two without incident,
before continuing across the New Course intersection too. Value At Risk led, from Native River, Stilletto, Thistlecrack, Robinsfirth, Present View, Vago
Collonges sporting the Wylie colours, Ordo Ab Chao and Some
Buckle. However, as they gained momentum
heading down the hill to the far bend, Stilleto
pulled his way into the lead. Ears
pricked, he held a few lengths lead as they approached the third flight,
which they all cleared without incident. Heading
up the home straight on the first occasion, he continued to lead, with Value
At Risk heading the main vanguard and Thistlecrack
still pulling hard to the outside of the field. The runners jumped the fourth flight; Stilleto having settled at the front of the field under
Tom O’Brien, the pace steadied once more. They headed up the hill and out
into the country for the one and only time.
The
runners headed over flight number five; Stilleto
remained at the head of affairs, from Value At Risk, Thistlecrack,
Vago Collonges, Native
River, Robinsfirth, Present View, Ordo Ab Chao and Some
Buckle. The field was closely packed
as it approached and cleared the next flight; although a couple of panels
therein took a bit of a battering! Vago Collonges hit flight
number seven. The
field negotiated the dog-leg turn and headed up hill to three out; Stilleto continued to lead from Value At Risk. Wayne Hutchinson was content to sit near
the rear of the field. Thistlecrack dived slightly at the next and Ordo Ab Chao wasn’t quite as
fluent as he might have been. The
runners headed to the far corner of the track, with Present View and Some
Buckle bringing up the rear. The
field was still closely packed as it headed down the hill continuing their
long run to the penultimate flight. Value At Risk rose slightly ahead of his
rivals over the flight; to the inside of the track, the white faced chestnut,
Native River, stepped at the hurdle and crashed out having lost his
footing. Vago
Collonges was upsides him as he capsized, and Ordo Ab Chao was fortunate not
to get tangled up in the horse’s legs as he was following close behind. Value
At Risk was going well within himself as he led the runners towards the final
turn. A group of six had drawn away
from the fading Stilleto and Thistlecrack. Vago Collonges was still travelling well too, as was the Alan
King runner in the leader’s wake; although he would soon need to find space
to make his challenge, because Robinsfirth, Some
Buckle and Present View were blocking his escape to the outside. Present
View was the first to concede and, once the rail terminated to his inside,
Wayne began to make his challenge and had soon passed Robinsfirth
and Some Buckle. This left just Value
At Risk and Vago Collonges
ahead of him, with the latter now travelling best as they approached the
final flight. The three leaders jumped
the hurdle in unison and began their journey up the hill to the line. The
Dan Skelton runner appeared to be the first beaten as Ordo
Ab Chao fought his way upsides and then overtook Vago Collonges. Value At Risk then began to rally as the
runners approached the line, gaining on Wayne’s mount, but he held on to win
by three quarters of a length. The
Paul Nicholls runner completed in 3rd, a further three quarters of a length
behind. Robinsfirth
was just a length behind in 4th.
With
this win, Ordo Ab Chao
had booked his place at the Cheltenham Festival all being well. And
Native River was fine following his fall; he followed up his mishap with a
win at Exeter two weeks later; I liked him, he was pretty!
I
returned to the Winners’ Enclosure to see the placed horses arrive back. Meanwhile,
Doncaster’s feature race, the SkyBet Handicap Chase
was being shown on the large screen to the far side of the Parade Ring. Alan King was keeping a close eye on the
action, as both Godsmejudge and Medermit
were taking part in the race. The
former was pulled up and the latter finished 6th therein. The
next race was the Cleeve Hurdle; the trial for the
Festival’s World Hurdle. Following two
out of three abortive efforts over the larger obstacles, Saphir
Du Rheu reverted back to hurdles today. And, of course, he’s owned by the Stewart
Family, as is the retired legend who is Big Buck’s. His main rival today was Reve De Sivola, winner of
Ascot’s Long Walk Hurdle the previous month for the third consecutive time;
also a former winner of this race.
However, the betting said otherwise with the David Pipe runner Un
Temps Pour Tout priced the 7-4 favourite.
The
starting gate for this race was at the beginning of the back straight, so the
horses headed up the all-weather strip in front of the Best Mate Enclosure to
reach it.
Then
they were off. It was no surprise when
Daryl Jacob sent his mount into the lead.
He was followed by Cole Harden, who also likes to front-run, then dark
grey Saphir Du Rheu, Un
Temps Pour Tout, The Druids Nephew and a few lengths in rear, the lighter
grey Olofi; the latter also sports the maroon, blue
and white colours of the McNeill Family, their third runner today after Karezak and Walkon. The
field of six cleared the first flight, before continuing along the back
straight and taking the second in their stride; the David Pipe runner was a
little keen to the inside of the field.
Saphir Du Rheu got
a little close to flight number three, hitting the top as he jumped it. The runners headed around the dog-leg turn
to reach the following flight; Reve De Sivola continued to lead from Cole Harden, the latter at
his quarters and also quite keen. Having
cleared the hurdle, the runners continued their journey to the top of the
hill; the two leaders now five or six lengths ahead of their rivals. They then headed down the hill to flight
number five, which they all cleared without problem before turning the bend
and entering the home straight; Olofi still brought
up the rear, detached from the others.
The runners bunched up a bit more as they approached the sole flight
on this part of the course. The Druids
Nephew, who was reverting to the smaller obstacles today, made an error here
and dropped back to almost join the light grey at the back of the field. The
runners passed the grandstands and headed up the hill in front of the Best
Mate Enclosure; one circuit had now been completed. They continued over the next two flights,
with Cole Harden demonstrating his preference to jump out to his left. Reve De Sivola remained at the head of affairs, from Cole Harden,
Un Temps Pour Tout, Saphir Du Rheu,
The Druids Nephew and Olofi. Having
negotiated flight number nine they headed around the dog-leg turn once
again. They travelled uphill towards
the far corner, clearing the third last in the process; Cole Harden had now
joined Reve De Sivola at
the front of the field. The six
runners were more closely grouped now than they had been throughout the race
so far. They
headed down the hill, with Cole Harden holding a slight advantage over the
Nick Williams runner. Just behind
them, Un Temps Pour Tout matched strides with Saphir
Du Rheu; The Druids Nephew and Olofi
brought up the rear not far behind them; Paddy Brennan steering the light
grey to the wide outside. As they
approached two out, Cole Harden decided to veer severely off to his left,
losing ground as he jumped it; this left Reve De Sivola in the lead once more. Heading
towards and around the final bend, the runners were queuing up behind Daryl
Jacob’s mount; from the outside, line across the course, Saphir
Du Rheu, Un Temps Pour Tout, The Druids Nephew and
Cole Harden. Gavin Sheehan having
rousted the latter along to regain a position; the grey still trailed the
others. Daryl steered his mount across
to the nearside to take advantage of a rails position, with Sam Twiston-Davies having to now make his challenge to the
far side of him. The
Druids Nephew was the first of the challenging group to cry enough and he dropped
back. Cole Harden was under pressure
to the far side, with the favourite between himself and Saphir
Du Rheu.
They headed towards the final flight.
Reve De Sivola
still had almost a length in hand as he cleared the hurdle, with Saphir Du Rheu marginally ahead
of Un Temps Pour Tout; Cole Harden having dropped away. The
leading three continued their battle all the way up the hill to the
line. Un Temps Pour Tout was the first
beaten; the very game Reve De Sivola
fought for all he was worth against the Paul Nicholls runner but finally Saphir Du Rheu collared him,
winning by just a neck at the post.
The David Pipe runner claimed 3rd place, 2½ lengths behind them, with
Cole Harden 13 lengths away in 4th.
I
returned to the Winners’ Enclosure to see the placed horses arrive back. It
was now time for the final race of the day. There were nine runners in this
event, with Dell’Arca who had been both hurdling
and novice chasing this season; he started as the 7-4 favourite today. As
the starting gate for this race was at the far end of the home straight, the
runners cantered up the all-weather strip in front of the main grandstand
before heading back down the turf and re-entering the strip to reach their
destination. There
was a slight delay whilst both the hurdles in the home straight were
dolled-off; the jockeys felt the sun was now too low in the sky and might
cause a safety problem if they attempted to jump them. Thus only five of the eight scheduled
flights would be jumped.
Then
they were off, with an extremely long run to what was now the first flight;
it was in the back straight! Anyway,
the runners set off up the home straight with a marshal waiving a chequered flag
to ensure the original first flight wasn’t jumped. The field was led by Landscape, upsides him
to the inside was Kiama Bay. Pulling hard in third position was Diamond
King, and close were behind Desert Recluse and Dell’Arca. Then
followed Royal Irish Hussar, Minstrels Gallery, Lightentertainment
and Bold Duke. There
was little change in the order as the horses continued their journey towards
the grandstands; they had to weave in and out of the obstacles to avoid the
chase fences and the bypassed flights.
The runners then headed up the hill in front of the Best Mate
enclosure and into the back straight for the one and only time. And finally they encountered their first obstacle. All the horses cleared it in their stride
barring Bold Duke, who jumped it a little too big and landed awkwardly; he
was then pushed along for a few strides by his jockey, Paddy Brennan. The
field continued their journey to the next flight, Landscape and Kiama Bay sharing the lead; the latter out-jumping his
rival at this one. Again Bold Duke in
rear was less fluent than the others at this hurdle. It was noticeable that
Desert Recluse and Royal Irish Hussar were pony-like when compared to the
others. All nine runners cleared their
third obstacle without a problem, before heading around the dog-leg turn;
there were now just two flights to go. Kiama Bay led over the penultimate flight,
from Landscape, Desert Recluse, Diamond King, Dell’Arca,
Royal Irish Hussar, Minstrels Gallery, Lightentertainment
and Bold Duke; the latter was in danger of losing touch with the main
group. Having reached the top of the
hill at the far corner of the track, the runners headed down the hill to the
final flight. Landscape hit this one; Lightentertainment had now been relegated to last position
having been outpaced. The
runners headed towards the final turn, with Kiama
Bay, Desert Recluse, Diamond King and Royal Irish Hussar front rank. Dell’Arca and
Minstrels Gallery were close on their heels.
With so many in the firing line, it was a tight squeeze to negotiate
their way between the steeplechase fence and the omitted hurdle. By the time they were level with the
latter, Desert Recluse and Dell’Arca were disputing
the lead, from Royal Irish Hussar upsides Minstrels Gallery. Behind these, in a line, were Diamond King,
the rallying Lightentertainment and Kiama Bay. And
just when it appeared that the David Pipe runner had got the race in the bag,
Lightenterainment swooped to make his challenge on
the far side and he got up to win by half a length at the line. It was quite amazing; he had been in last
place and seemingly fading into oblivion jumping what, today, had been the
final flight. Minstels
Gallery finished 2¼ lengths behind Dell’Arca to
claim 3rd, with Desert Recluse a further 1¼ lengths away in 4th.
It
was trainer Chris Gordon’s first ever Cheltenham winner. It was also a welcome change of fortune for
him. The yard had lost their stable
stalwart King Edmund at Ascot the previous Saturday; this was their first
runner since that day. I
returned to the steppings above the Winners’
Enclosure for the final time today. Having stayed to see the final
presentation, I popped to the loo before heading up the concourse towards the
main gate. I stopped off briefly
enroute to take a peek inside the bloodstock sales arena; the sale hadn’t
begun yet, it commenced at 17:00. I headed back over the bridge,
crossed the perimeter road, walked across the gravelled area where the ticket
kiosks were located, before weaving through the traffic queued on the Evesham
Road. I entered via the small gate,
and headed up the hill beside the hedge, before turning to my left, crossing
the driveway to find my car. A few areas
of the car park were badly cut up; one vehicle was being towed out of the mire,
finally reaching the safety of the driveway.
There would be no problems in the area where I was parked, it was
still lush green and, as many of the vehicles had already left, I would be
able to find my way back to the drive without crossing the most badly damaged
areas. I needed to change prior to my
trip to Newbury, so I got my small holdall, small pink handbag and mauve
jacket out of the car boot, replacing them with my muddy boots, which I
placed in a large plastic storage box.
I laid my black coat in the area beside it. As mentioned earlier, the trip
should have taken 75 minutes ... which it would have done, had I not got
stuck in traffic in Cheltenham and had problems getting into the racecourse
at Newbury! As
expected, the following day it was announced that Walkon
had been retired. Alan decided that
the horse wasn’t enjoying his racing anymore and felt he might still be
feeling the injury sustained during the Grand National. In
addition, later in the week it was announced that Medermit
had been retired having broken down as a result of his run at Doncaster; it
was a suspensory (ligament) injury. However, following recuperation, he was
expected to have a long and happy retirement.
And, being a Dunkley and Reilly Partnership horse, he was based at
Choc Thornton’s new bloodstock yard whilst he recovered! And
here he is, enjoying the sunshine from his new loose box in early February: https://twitter.com/Choc_Thornton/status/564462995460616192/photo/1 Although
a non-runner today, the Dunkley and Reilly Partnership-owned Ned Stark went
to Wetherby and won a Grade 2 Novices’ Chase under
Denis O’Regan the following Saturday, with Choc doing
the honours of representing Alan King that day. This is the point
where my Cheltenham Trials Day diary becomes my Newbury Pogo Pandemonium diary ... Click here for photos – Races 1 & 2 Click here for photos – Race 3 Click here for photos – Race 4 Click here for photos – Remaining Races |
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