Soft Ground? No Problem - The Story of the Cheltenham Festival

Ask any racegoer what their favourite week of the year is? You would be hard pressed to find anyone who wouldn’t have this at the top of the list. The Cheltenham Festival carries all the hype of the season, the good horses are primed for this. Cheltenham is the World Cup, the Olympics, any big sporting event you could think of. Once again, it failed to disappoint its expectant watchers.

This year was the first time for a long time that the ground was very soft. The effect from Storm Emma left the ground muddy and sticky. It was tough work for horses and jockeys alike, a different type of test than what Cheltenham usually provides. This ground did its best to not go along to the Cheltenham script, with very few of the fairytale stories coming true. It was a week of almosts.

The first almost was upon us after the first race. After Willie Mullins’ Getabird bombed out after pulling too hard, it was left to small trainer Amy Murphy’s Kalashnikov to lead all the way up the hill. However, the horse wasn’t quite infront where it mattered, with Summerville Boy making up for a last flight blunder to nab the fairytale winner by a half length. Mullins and Walsh, may have fallen short in the first, but it was normal service resumed in the Arkle, with Footpad putting in a dazzling performance to win at a canter. Apart from one mistake, Footpad jumped well in the main and benefitted from a more than generous gallop set by Davy Russell on Petit Mouchoir. It was the only magnificent performance of Day One. Buveur D’Air battled hard but made very tough work of an average Champion Hurdle and Apples Jade failed to live up to her high billing when weakening out to finish third in the Mares. At the end of the curtain raising day, England led 4-3 in the Prestbury Cup. That was the last time they would see the lead during the festival.

The second day was the beginning of dominance. Irish dominance. Where better to start than the Irish banker of the meeting, Samcro. The horse that held all the hype, delivered on the big stage. Despite losing a shoe, making a bad mistake early and almost slipping crossing the road, the son of Germany breezed clear. He managed to make good novices look ordinary and bar dossing around at the finish, was more value than the 3 length win suggested. The RSA Chase was a similar dominant display, with the Pat Kelly trained Presenting Percy cruising clear of Monalee in the home straight to enhance his own Gold Cup claims. This was Ruby Walsh’s final ride at the festival, with a slithering fall at the second last off Al Boum Photo aggravating his leg break from earlier in the year. It was a shame for the festival. Some like him, some loathe him, but everyone respects him. Ruby was missed. That wasn’t the only thing that Day Two ended up missing. The other was the conclusion to the clash we have always longed to see, Douvan vs Altior. Returning from an injury, Douvan looked at his brilliant and enthusiastic best before plunging at the fourth last and falling. Altior impressively went on to outstay and power away from Min, in what seemed one of the better Champion Chases we have seen in recent times. The Irish took six of the seven races available to them, including a Gordon Elliot treble. Normal service had indeed resumed.

Day Three was swiftly upon us and the English were desperate to get some winners back on the board. They weren't to be successful. Day Three punters were met by a Gigginstown and Gordon Elliot barrage. Shattered Love landed something of a gamble in the JLT before Elliot stablemates Delta Work and Glenloe fought out a photo finish in the Pertemps Final, with the former coming out on top. It didn’t end there for Gigginstown boss Michael O’Leary either, with Balko Des Flos finally clinching the Ryanair Chase for the sponsors themselves. The Henry De Bromhead trained gelding benefited from Un De Sceaux’s refusal to settle to win cosily. This was the fairytale people hadn’t quite hoped for. Neither of the two Iron Horses in Un De Sceaux or Cue Card came out on top. Cue Card was pulled up down the back straight to a generous round of applause from a packed Cheltenham. It was what the horse deserved, on possibly his last ever start in front of us. Unfortunately, the Stayers Hurdle contenders obviously had not read the script either. Sam Spinner, trained by small dual-purpose trainer Jedd O’Keeffe, failed to deny a battalion of challengers from the last flight up the hill after tenaciously making all to that point. In fact, it was set up for long time absentee Penhill to swoop from the back in carbon copy fashion from last year, to deliver Paul Townend his first winner of the week. Townend didn’t stay on one winner for long, with Laurina, the banker of the meeting for many, pulversing the field in the still newly introduced Mares Novice. Thursday was also a great day for Davy Russell, who recorded a treble in the saddle. It was almost a clean sweep for the Irish, but Missed Approach bravely held the late surges of Mall Dini and Squouateur to get the English on the board in the Kim Muir.

The final day was met with even softer ground, with a small deluge taking place the evening previous. Despite it being dry, it must have felt miserable for English punters when heavy favourite Apples Shakira folded tamely in the Triumph to present another 1-2-3 finish for the Irish trainers, Elliot and Mullins. Like in the trainers title for the week, it was Gordon Elliot who edged this one, with Farclas battling hard to reverse form with Mr Adjudicator. However, the British fought back, finally. Five of the Six remaining races on the card stayed in England, with Mohaayed and Kilbricken Storm both returning at the massive prices of 33-1 a piece. That was just a warmup though, for a titanic British tussle in the Gold Cup. Native River and Might Bite served up an outstanding spectacle, both jumping and travelling impeccably. It was left to the former, who gradually got the better of Might Bite’s stamina, to give Richard Johnson his second taste of Gold Cup Glory. Native River was a popular winner, a people’s horse, a real stayer. However, you could not discredit Might Bite, who on a slightly sounder surface could well have gotten closer. The two of them pulled clear and had everyone else flat to the boards a long way from home. Anibale Fly stayed on for third, but he was never nearer than the finish line.

As hard as one might try, it is extremely difficult to pick holes in any Cheltenham Festival. Perhaps with the softer ground, we didn’t see as many visually impressive winners. Yet, we still saw plenty. You could name any of a number; Footpad, Samcro, Presenting Percy, Altior, Penhill and Native River. They all shone brightest on a week of wet, gloomy weather. It gave us great memories, great moments but behind the beautiful Cleeve Hill, the Festival goes dormant till next year.