Buck’s ‘the goat’ proves that he was only kidding
Backed down from 40-1 in the morning to half that come race time, the former Gold Cup winner led from the front from the off before being submerged by the pack and it was Big Buck’s who led the charge home.
Sentiment had little to do with the cheer that greeted the seven-year-old’s romp up the hill. It had been another day of carnage for the punters and the win for such a hot favourite offered badly-needed respite from the bloodletting.
“He’s a special horse,” said Ruby Walsh, who was on board for what was his 27th festival winner. “He’s absolutely bolted in. He’s a horse that doesn’t want to be in front too long.
“I knew the ones I fancied, like Karabak, would follow me though. He’s got a terrific engine and that was a good round of jumping. He jumped better today than he ever has done.”
The punters praying for Big Buck’s to come up trumps after such an awful week would hardly have been comforted beforehand had they been afforded a window into the mind of his trainer, Paul Nicholls.
The Lambourn supremo admitted afterwards that he had endured a few sleepless nights over his odds-on favourite, comparing him to Denman, an equally reluctant worker away from the bright lights and adoring crowds.
“He’s a hugely talented horse,” said Nicholls. “It’s unbelievable. I worked the horses on Saturday morning – Poquelin, Master Minded, Kauto Star – the lot. They all worked well but he worked like a hairy goat.
“That’s just him and I lost confidence a bit and I was sweating beforehand. He never hit a flat spot today. We were keen to get him fresh and you have to get into his head a bit more than anything. He’s very good.”
Big Buck’s has now emulated Baracouda and Inglis Drever, both of whom won the World Hurdle back-to-back inside the last decade, although the latter added a third four years after his first.
He remains the only three-time winner of the race but Big Buck’s appears to have what it takes to complete a first-ever three-in-a-row in 2011. Inglis Drever was a nine-year-old winning his third, yesterday’s victor is still only seven.
“In this game you never say never but there is no point in Big Buck’s going back over fences when he is so good over hurdles,” said Nicholls. “He will now go to Aintree and hopefully follow the same path back to Cheltenham next year. In that sense, he is an easy horse to train as his route is mapped out.”
It was a day of slim pickings for the Irish brigades but the same World Hurdle did provide one of the festival’s better stories thanks to Powerstation’s third place behind Big Buck’s and Time For Rupert.
It was an identical result for trainer Eamon O’Connell and the Fat Frog Syndicate which is made up of over a dozen pals from in and around Limerick who decided to buy a horse after one boozy night out in Tralee.
Hence the name of the syndicate.
“The story of the horse is a stag night,” said one of the members, Brendan Fitzpatrick. “It was Keith Howard’s stag night six years ago when we bought him. It is called the Fat Frog Syndicate – after the drink.
“We tried to call him that but they wouldn’t let us, so we called him after Ardnacrusha power station. That’s our area. He is a great servant. He has served us well and he has won us a lot of money, I suppose.”
He certainly has. Powerstation has won races in Clonmel, Thurles and Leopardstown as well but this latest achievement on the National Hunt’s biggest stage will take some beating.
O’Connell’s story is just as interesting as his horse or its owners. From the same parish as Nicky English, he was a baggage handler in Shannon Airport for 17 years and only received his trainer’s licence two years back.
Now, here he is, working his magic from his base in Cullen, Co. Tipperary and putting it up to the giants of the game in one of the Cheltenham Festival’s four biggies two seasons on the trot.
“We get it right now and again,” he chuckled. “We have 13 (horses) in the yard. It is a small operation but it is easy to look after a good little horse. He does suffer with his back but when he is right, he’s fairly useful.”
