Meade’s law
YOU would have thought Hill Society’s short head defeat to Champleve in the 1998 Arkle Trophy represented Noel Meade’s worst day at Cheltenham.
Yesterday, on the eve of the Prestbury Park extravaganza, the brilliant Co Meath handler had to harbour the notion he is heading to heartbreak hill.
For more years than he would probably care to remember, Meade has been travelling to Cheltenham with the very best his stable can muster and, more often than not, has returned defeated, but unbowed.
The facts are simple. Noel Meade, one of the greatest National Hunt trainers this country has ever produced, has only one Festival winner to his name, Sausalito Bay in 2000.
Murphy’s law - if anything can go wrong it will - could be changed to Meade’s law. When it comes to bad luck, he almost has the market cornered.
Hill Society was absolute agony. He went toe-to-toe with Martin Pipe’s Champleve from the final fence and the pair flashed across the line locked together.
It was impossible, at least without recourse to the camera, to separate them. The judge took an eternity to make up his mind, something like 20 minutes if memory serves correctly.
Finally, he nodded in favour of Champleve. It was a dagger through the heart of a proud Irish trainer.
Meade, however, continues to be utterly philosophical. “At least he ran well. I’ve had worse days, especially when a horse runs badly.”
And the worst, he says, was Embellished in the 1996 Triumph Hurdle. The 16-1 chance was cantering going to the final flight, with Paul Carberry’s rear-end pointed towards the sky.
Then disaster struck. Embellished was hampered and brought down before the hurdle was reached. “That was terrible”, remarked Meade.
“I felt robbed”, is how he describes Native Dara’s second in the Coral Cup in 2000. Native Dara had the contest “won” at the last and started up the final hill clear.
But Whats Up Boys, as if he had been fitted with an outboard engine, found the most astonishing turn of foot and mugged Native Dara in the dying strides.
This was the year as well, however, when Meade hit the jackpot, when much of the frustration was finally washed away.
The largely unconsidered Sausalito Bay beat Best Mate to land the Supreme Novices’ Hurdle and Meade knelt and kissed the ground. “I can die happy now”, he said.
“I watched the race on the grass”, recalled Meade. “I saw him win and I knew he’d won, but I still couldn’t believe it. I thought he would go down on the dope test.”
In today’s opener the banker of the meeting for many of the Irish, Meade’s Sweet Wake, will try and do a Sausalito Bay and win the Supreme Novices’.
There is no doubting the confidence the trainer has in the ex-German horse, successful in a Listed and a Group Two on the level in his native country.
“You would have to rate this horse highly”, said Meade. “I know people say he hasn’t come off the bridle in his two races over hurdles, but he’s a seasoned campaigner off the flat and has been in a few bullfights.”
Sweet Wake’s easy win last time at Naas, a contest run for much of the journey at a farcically slow pace, told us only that the engine remains in good nick.
His maiden hurdle defeat of Royaldou and Tony McCoy at Leopardstown at Christmas was more informative.
“I was talking to AP the other day and he said he was very impressed by my horse”, revealed Meade.
There have been persistent rumours for a while now that Sweet Wake has had the measure of the ultra-smart Harchibald up the Meade gallops.
Meade doesn’t exactly confirm that’s the case, but doesn’t deny it either. “Yes, he has worked well with Harchibald, but you have to remember it is the way Harchibald jumps hurdles which makes him so good!”
Tomorrow, he runs both the progressive Nicanor and the unbeaten Mr Nosie against highly rated Denman in the SunAlliance Novices’ Hurdle.
“I think Nicanor is a very good horse and have always thought that”, said Meade. “He was quite puffed at Leopardstown (won by 11 lengths) the last day, but as someone observed, the rest were worse.”
Meade, though, thinks Nicanor won’t come into his own until going over fences. “Some day I believe he could be a Gold Cup horse. He will be a far better chaser.”
Mr Nosie is the dark horse of the contest. “I don’t know how good he is,” admitted Meade. “At home he works the same way with bad horses as he will with good horses. He just does enough.”
A candidate of Meade’s who hasn’t attracted anything like the publicity of some of his stable companions, but who has a live chance, is Toofarback in Friday’s three-mile Brit Insurance Novices’ Hurdle.
He looked one for the future at Naas in January when landing a Grade Two, overcoming an unsuitably muddling gallop to beat Vic Venturi with subsequent winners Merdeka, Thyne Again and Mister Top Notch behind.
“We think he’s good”, said Meade. “The better the gallop the better he will be. He worked brilliantly over Christmas and we then decided to wait for Naas.”
Watson Lake (Champion Chase), Sir Oj (Ryanair Chase) and Wild Passion (Arkle) are among a number of others who will fly the flag for Meade.
One of the more interesting is Harbour Pilot in the Foxhunters, following his second to General Montcalm at Leopardstown last month.
“I was disappointed with that, but half expecting it”, said Meade. “He disappointed in his work the previous Tuesday.
“He had discharges in both eyes, as if he had a cold. But he’s done really well since.”
Meade’s charges head to Cheltenham in terrific shape, having maintained their form all season. Indeed, it isn’t beyond the bounds of possibility he will hit a staggering €2m in prize money here at home. His tally currently is in excess of €1.7m.
He knows the next four days have the potential to put much icing on an already well-endowed cake. “Everybody wants to win over there and I’m no different.
“But it’s not the be-all-and-end-all of everything. Of course I will be disappointed when one of my horses gets beaten. But you cannot afford to get too built up, you would drive yourself mad.”
