A never-to-be-forgotten week
The funny thing is that going over, you would have said that we didn’t have a very strong hand. But in that record total, we won two of the championship races, a number of the top novice events and a few handicaps as well. Going home we know that there’s plenty of depth here. Throw into the mix that Ruby Walsh was leading jockey, Willie Mullins leading trainer and Michael O’Leary leading owner and it was a never-to-be-forgotten week to be Irish in Gloucester.
My highlight and lowlight came within 40 minutes of each other on Wednesday but Oscars Well ran a brilliant race and was just terribly unlucky, while Bostons Angel was so good when winning the RSA Chase.
That brought my career total for the festival to seven. My first came with Space Trucker in the Johnny Henderson Grand Annual Chase in 1999 and I can safely say that the feeling gets no less sweeter.
I met Paul Nolan after he won the Jewson and he was saying the same. He said he had forgotten how good it was to have a winner there after Dabiroun six years ago. Ruby says the same and he’s ridden 32 winners there now.
That’s because this is the biggest meeting in national hunt racing. It’s where all the best horses come together, primed and trying to win the biggest prizes. It’s so hard to get a winner here, you cherish one if you’re lucky enough to have one.
The great thing for me is that all three of my horses came home safe and well. Roberto Goldback and Oscars Well will both go to Punchestown now while Bostons is finished for the year. We will probably stay in Ireland with him next year to find out how good he is. He will have to go the route now of the Nicholson Chase, Hennessy and Lexus and if he isn’t good enough then we might turn our thoughts to the likes of the Irish National because he jumps so well and stays.
I was so pleased for Nicky Henderson that things turned around for him yesterday with two winners because he had had a very fraught week with a lot of near misses and he lost a horse as well. I had been staying with him so I knew how hard it was Long Run, who was my nap for the day, was outstanding in what was a phenomenal Gold Cup with all the good horses running well.
Unaccompanied ran very well in the Triumph to be third given that she would have liked some rain but I’d say Zarkandar is a serious horse. He only ran his first hurdle three weeks ago but that wasn’t a problem for him yesterday. He’s a half-brother of the Arc winner Zarkava so I’d say we’ll be seeing a lot of him.
Willie’s two winners were amazing as they were so far behind, you never thought they were ever going to get there but they both got up on the line. That’s been a feature of the meeting with some really tight finishes which just adds to the excitement.
It’s hard to believe it’s over now but it’s been so enjoyable and I was delighted to be able to tip a few winners as well which I hope people managed to get on.
I was back yesterday morning because I had to work horses at The Curragh for the end of April, including Pathfork who I’m glad to report is very well ahead of his tilt for the 2000 Guineas. Laughing Lashes didn’t work but I am very happy with her too.
I have no runners today but Gimli’s Rock is running in the Irish Lincolnshire at The Curragh tomorrow but he’d like a bit of rain. Clouded Thoughts runs in the bumper at Cork.
He’s run twice in bumpers won by Dylan Ross and Star Neuville but he hasn’t run since Christmas and he’s gotten much stronger since then.
Unlike Gimli’s, he’d want no rain at all and if it stays dry, we’d be hoping for the best.
