Pipe mystified at festival blank

Champion owner David Johnson has admitted that nothing has yet come to light as to why Martin Pipe drew his first blank at the Cheltenham Festival for 18 years.

The pair are used to saddling a hatful of winners at the showpiece meeting but just as it seemed Pipe’s horses were running back into form before the meeting, the stable suffered another setback by not saddling a winner.

“What happened in the final race of the meeting , the County Hurdle, more or less typified what had gone before,” Johnson told the Racing Post.

“I had three runners and, after travelling well coming down the hill, they faded to finish 19th, 20th and 23rd.”

Pipe had nominated novice chaser Commercial Flyer as his banker of the meeting but even though the seven-year-old was sent off the 9-2 favourite in the Royal and SunAlliance Chase he was pulled up.

“I couldn’t see him being out of the first three,” Johnson continued.

“But, for some reason, it was a disastrous run. I don’t know why we had such a bad Festival and neither does Martin.

“He did all the usual tests beforehand. They seemed fine and we were hopeful of a successful meeting.

“Everyone is desperately disappointed and we’ll just have to take it on the chin.”

Their week was summed up by the fatal fall of Basilea Star in the National Hunt Chase and an injury to Timmy Murphy after being unseated by Celestial Gold in the Gold Cup.