Al Boum needs no Photo to win the Gold Cup
The Cheltenham Festival dawned on 2019 after what had been an unusual preparation for most. One of the most dry winters in recent times had led to an uncharacteristic amount of good ground throughout the Jumps season. Add to that a quick pitstop around a month before the Festival for equine influenza checks. It left some behind the eightball. Yet, come the first day at Cheltenham, the rain had come and the ground was soft. Given the odd winter we’ve had, perhaps we should have expected it.
The grey clouds circulating around Cleeve Hill on Tuesday Morning could have easily symbolized the clouds over Willie Mullins’ stable form throughout the last few months. Mullins, who so often operates at a strike rate of 30%, was down as low as 19% for the majority of the Winter. He was bringing over his smallest squad of horses for years. However, it would have been naive to think that Willie wouldn’t be able to wave his magic wand once again.
In fact, early on Day One, Mullins threatened to break loose. Klassical Dream and Duc Des Genievres accounted for the Supreme and Arkle respectively by a combined eighteen lengths. All trends from the day would have led to Laurina collecting in the most anticipated Champion Hurdle in recent years.
The race failed to develop in the way we had all hoped for, starting with Buveur D’Air diving and falling at the third flight. Apple’s Jade ran a race that befitted Gordon Elliot’s worst nightmare and Ruby Walsh was unhappy and squeezing on Laurina from early doors. This left the race to fall beautifully into the forgotten horse’s hands. That horse was Espoir D’Allen. The five year old who has only been beaten once in his career to date, flew clear under a motionless Mark Walsh to win the race by an unprecedented fifteen lengths. It was a head scratcher at the time, but looking at Espoir D’Allen’s previous form, it really shouldn’t have been that much of a shock.
If the bookies weren’t in enough riches after an 18/1 winner of the Champion, they were further enhanced when Benie Des Dieux lunged at the last flight with an unassailable lead in the Mares Hurdle and sent Ruby Walsh out of the saddle. It was a head in hands moment for most punters but luckily Benie Des Dieux bounced up straight away, she will have plenty more big days in her.
Day Two arrived with the punters flat on the canvas after a disastrous opening day. They needed some of the favourites to oblige. However, Champ, the horse named after the former Champion jockey A.P McCoy, was outbattled on the run-in by City Island in the opener. City Island provided former Grand National winning trainer Martin Brassil with his first Festival winner. The RSA Chase was one of the most intriguing races of the week and it delivered on its promise. The three market principles came to the fore with Harry Cobden excelling in the saddle to deliver TopoftheGame after the last to win by a half length from a resolute Santini and a running on Delta Work.
Altior wasn’t quite at his brilliant best in the Champion Chase, but he showed his toughness and tenacity to hold on from Politologue and Sceau Royal to win his fourth festival race on the bounce. We only had to wait another thirty minutes before seeing another four time festival winner as Tiger Roll endorsed his Grand National claims by sauntering away from his Cross Country field with Keith Donoghue looking around for non-existent dangers up the straight. Band of Outlaws landed the Boodles hurdle and Envoi Allen showed a very brave attitude to deny Blue Sari in a titanic finish to the Champion Bumper.
Barry Geraghty had a wonderful book of rides throughout the week and had been unlucky not to have ridden a winner in the first two days. However, the rider who came of age riding Moscow Flyer at Cheltenham was seen at his brilliant best to produce firstly Defi du Seuil and then Sire du Berlais to win the JLT Novices Chase and Pertemps Handicap Hurdle respectively under two masterful rides.
The next hour and a half of racing would have brought a tear to even the most hardened of Festival watchers. Firstly, Bryony Frost captured the Ryanair Chase on her best mate, Frodon. Frost’s tearful and wonderful post-race interview was something to behold and made for brilliant racing television.
If that hadn’t managed to move even the coldest of hearts, the story of Paisley Park’s owner, Andrew Gemmell, made sure of it. Gemmell, who has been blind since birth, fulfilled a lifelong ambition in owning a Cheltenham winner. He didn’t win any old race either, with Paisley Park battling on to land the Stayers Hurdle from the gallant Sam Spinner and Faugheen. Despite only finishing third, Faugheen’s performance was as valiant an effort from an eleven year old at the Festival since Kauto Star and Denman were carried out on their shields in the 2011 Gold Cup. And like Long Run in 2011, it was the younger legs of Paisley Park that did for the veteran in the final furlong.
Day Three also provided emotional victories for Lizzie Kelly on Sirah du Lac and Noel Fehily on Eglantine du Seuil. The former was registering her second consecutive season riding a winner at the Festival and crowned off a brilliant afternoon for the ladies at Cheltenham. Fehily, announced shortly after his win that this would be his final Cheltenham Festival after struggling this year from various health troubles. I’d like to extend mine and I’m sure many others thanks to Noel for some brilliant riding performances over the years and wish him a happy retirement at the end of this season.
Day Three was a brilliant spectacle for Horse Racing and for Cheltenham. However come the first race of Gold Cup day, ecstasy had been replaced by agony. Joy had been replaced by despair. Sir Erec breaking down after the fourth flight in the Triumph was the most tragic death the game has seen in many years. The potential superstar’s demise left Prestbury Park hollow. Unfortunately, victories for Pentland Hills, Chtibello and Minella Indo all slightly fell in the shadow of this incident. The loss of Mullins stablemates Invitation Only and Ballyward throughout the week were also desperate incidences to witness and bear.
The final day needed the Gold Cup to be more magical than usual. A dramatic race saw early departures and by the end of their first circuit, Willie Mullins only had one of his four horses still in the contest. He shouldn’t have worried though, that horse was Al Boum Photo. The Tramore winner had slipped into this race dangerously under the radar and showed that his 12/1 odds were far too big by winning the race quite easily from the admirable Anibale Fly and the quirky but talented Bristol De Mai. Nothing about the race immediately would have indicated any fluke either, with multiple Grade One winners left well behind. Nobody could have argued that Willie Mullins didn’t deserve it either, with six runner-up slots in the race finally giving way to saddling the winner. Al Boum Photo is still a seven year old and looks a type to continue improving at this young stage of his career.
It was left then to the curtain closing Martin Pipe Handicap Hurdle for Joseph O’Brien to train Early Doors to victory. It provided small but nonetheless, some compensation to the connections of the ill-fated Sir Erec. O’Brien’s handling of the incident was up there with some of the best professionalism you might ever witness. He was a star creully taken away. However, there are stars that are still here. Espoir D’Allen aged five, Envoi Allen aged five, City Island and TopoftheGame.
However, it was the coming of age of the often immature Al Boum Photo that stole the show for the week. After the nightmare incident at Punchestown between the horse and Paul Townend last year, it was a brave effort from both partners to prevail in the blue riband event.
I think it is fair to say, the Punchestown score has finally and definitely been settled.