Day of Pride for our Best Mate
Yesterday, Michael Bowe's dream died, as did Michael Hourigan's - sadly, in more ways than one. But for Jim Culloty, Hen Knight, Terry Biddlecombe and Jim Lewis, the dream became reality as Best Mate cracked a 32-year jinx to become the first horse since L'Escargot to win back-to-back Gold Cups.
And JP McManus was another whose dream was realised when his Baracouda won the Stayer's Hurdle for the second year on the trot.
The death of Dorans Pride, though, cast a shadow over the final day of the Festival. Michael Hourigan's beloved old horse fell at the second fence in the Christie's Foxhunter Chase and was put down after breaking a hind leg.
A 14-year-old, Dorans Pride won 27 of his 62 races under National Hunt Rules and €935,000 in prize money from successes including the Stayers' Hurdle in 1995.
Hourigan said of Dorans Pride: "He had one of his greatest moments here when he won the Stayers Hurdle. If he had died in a point-to-point you would have forever been wondering 'why did I run him'.
"When we tried to retire him the old fellow used to be at the gate watching us come in every day. He has been a wonderful servant and given us some great times.
"Unfortunately he had to die some time. I'm not a hard man and I'll really miss the horse. It's a great shame, but if it was to happen anywhere then Cheltenham is better than anywhere."
Beef or Salmon and Limestone Lad had dared to dream and a nation dreamed with them and, in a year when the Irish appeared to be able to do no wrong, their aspirations were genuine and feasible.
Beef or Salmon crumbled at the third fence in the Gold Cup to the disbelief of the assembled Irish hoards, not to mention Hourigan and Timmy Murphy, and thereafter, in truth, Best Mate was never going to be beaten. For Kerryman Culloty, the real Kingdom has been attained.
The victory not only ended the 32-year wait for a two-timer, it also saw Best Mate join Desert Orchid and Arkle as only one of three horses to have won the Gold Cup and the King George VI Chase in the same season.
As well as that, only five horses Arkle, Cottage Rake, L'Escargot, Golden Miller and Easter Hero had won steeplechasing's Blue Riband on more than one occasion.
Best Mate is truly now one of the greats and Culloty has also attained legendary status, something which may have been lost on him in the heat of the moment yesterday, but which will eventually sink in.
The majority of his thoughts in the immediate aftermath of the climactic victory were simply about the horse he steered to glory. "He's not difficult to ride and my job was to get him round and get him home. They went a savage gallop, but it didn't knock anything out of him and I can't tell you how relieved I am to have got him home safely. It's just great and I can hardly believe it."
Henrietta Knight, perhaps one of the most unlikely trainers in the business, was truly relieved afterwards, having fretted her way as usual through the whole three mile two-and-a-half furlong ordeal. But while she has proud of the apple of her eye, she duly paid tribute to Culloty for the "beautiful ride" the Kerryman had given Best Mate.
"Jim put in a wonderful performance and neither he nor the horse put a foot wrong throughout."
She admitted being "terrified" throughout the whole build-up to the race, particularly by the statistics the experts were tripping out about how difficult it was to win two Gold Cups on the double.
"McCririck terrified me with some of the claptrap he was coming out with, but I should have known better and I should have had faith in my horse. I was just worried something awful might happen. Thankfully it didn't and we'll enjoy this one even more than last year's," said the former schoolteacher.
The joy in the Best Mate camp was understandably unconfined just as much as it was despairing in the Beef or Salmon corner. At least Hourigan was able to be a lot more phlegmatic about the second fence fall of Beef or Salmon, who was attempting to become the first novice since Captain Christy in 1974 to win a Gold Cup.
"Look, that's racing, but the horse is all right and there is always next year for him," the Patrickswell trainer said.
The expectations of a mega Irish double with Beef or Salmon and Limestone Lad had died on the run-in in the Stayer's Hurdle when Gattabawn's most famous resident ran out of puff, having led all, and was beaten into third by Baracouda and Iris's Gift.
For JP McManus and the Doumen family, the victory was sweet indeed; particularly so for Thierry Doumen, the jockey son of trainer Francois.
All this week the British media had flayed the French jockeys for their lack of style, class and talent, but Doumen displayed a fine sense of pace and timing to deliver Baracouda to a length victory over Jonjo O'Neill's novice with the pacemaking Limestone Lad back in third.
Doumen milked the victory for all it was worth afterwards and his father said the criticism levelled at his son had no effect whatsoever.
"Thierry is very thick-skinned," he revealed. "He's like a rhino. The press cannot be too nasty about English and Irish jockeys, so they pick on the French. Maybe this will put a stop to it," he said, singularly failing to display his smugness at the outcome.
But there was no smugness in the Irish camp after a day which had promised so much and, in truth, delivered so little.
We started the day with five winners and the prospect of much more, including the hope of Barry Geraghty's winning the jockey's title for the Festival, but it took until the very last race of the day to secure that title and increase the winning total.
Geraghty pipped Richard Johnson for the jockey's title with victory on Jess Harrington's Spirit Leader in the last and Ireland eventually came away with six winners as a result.
Even so, that did not put a gloss on a day in which expectations went unfulfilled.
