No place quite like Cheltenham for Spencer
The Classic-winning rider has tasted success at a lot of the top tracks in the world, but even he rates Prestbury Park as the best as a racegoer.
“I love Royal Ascot. It’s my favourite meeting of the year, but to watch a meeting I’d rather watch Cheltenham,” he said.
“There’s so much speed, especially in the Champion Hurdle and the Champion Chase. There’s so little room for error and it catches one out every year.”
His CV would not be complete without a win at the Festival and that came in 2002 in the Weatherbys Champion Bumper on Pizarro, trained by Edward O’Grady, a neighbour and long-standing friend of the Spencer family in Co Tipperary.
“At the time I was working in Dubai so I came back for the day and it worked out. Pizarro was a good horse and he beat another (good) one in Rhinestone Cowboy,” he recalled.
Spencer was brought up in a National Hunt family, his father George saddling Winning Fair to win the 1963 Champion Hurdle.
“My father trained a Champion Hurdle winner so I was brought up with jump racing before I even got interested in Flat racing,” he remembered.
Spencer’s opinions on the feature races have to be respected and he has interesting views on Champion Hurdle favourite Sizing Europe as well as on the Queen Mother Champion Chase and the Gold Cup.
“If he jumps like he did in the Irish Champion Hurdle they won’t wait around for him. Cheltenham’s a totally different track and it’s a different race altogether,” said Spencer.
“I like last year’s winner Sublimity. If the ground is nice he could be the one.”
On the Champion Chase, Spencer is a fan of Twist Magic but admitted being disappointed by the horse’s defeat in the Victor Chandler Chase.
“Paul Nicholls has a strong hand and I like Twist Magic, but it was disappointing how quickly he stopped at Ascot. I know they blamed the ground but he stopped a bit quick for my liking,” said Spencer.
He also believes it’s best to look no further than the Nicholls-trained Kauto Star in the Gold Cup.
“Denman’s a great horse, but I think Kauto Star will pick him off,” he continued. “Ruby (Walsh) has been riding Kauto Star more prominently this year, but it doesn’t matter what they do with him.
“If they jump the second-last within a length of each other I think I’d have to favour the proven horse (Kauto Star).”
Whether he picks up a ride in the bumper or not, Spencer will have a day out there.
“My sponsors have a box so I’ll go for a day with them, maybe Wednesday or Thursday,” he added.
“The Festival is very open this year. You usually have an Irish banker in the first race at this stage, but it doesn’t look like it this time.”
