Good Day, Bad Day: The winners and losers from day two of the Cheltenham Festival
TAKING FLIGHT: Delta Work (left) with jockey Jack Kennedy and Tiger Roll with jockey Davy Russell with their owner Michael O'Leary after The Glenfarclas Chase.
The Ballymore Novice Hurdle was first off and was duly won by the hot favourite, Sir Gerhard who stayed just about far enough to hold White Stripe Life by three and a half lengths at the finish. On the turn into the straight, it looked as though Rachael Blackmore on Journey With Me would pose his biggest threat, but the Henry DeBromhead trained six year old was fading by the time he reached the last. Blackmore steered him into the hurdle on a nice stride but he crumbled on landing and didnât immediately get back to his feet. The dreaded green screens of misery were summoned to shield the horse as the vets did their thing.
Meanwhile at the winning post Paul Townend was dealing with the post-race interviews at a very silent racecourse. All spectator eyes were elsewhere, silently hoping that the fallen horse would rise. Townend began to head back to the unsaddling enclosure and at last he heard cheers build. The screens were coming down, Rachael Blackmore emerged smiling and Journey With Me was standing again, surrounded by yellow buckets of water and caring people.
Racing often gets a bad rap, presented as a vehicle for gambling and people who view horses merely as commodities. The adulation Journey With Me received when he reappeared belies this. The cheers continued for several minutes. Some might even have been for the triumphant Sir Gerhard. It was hard to tell.
Michael OâLeary paid tribute to his beloved Tiger Roll when the twelve-year-old beat everything but his own stable mate, Delta Work also owned by OâLeary, in the Cross Country chase. "I would have loved to see Tiger go out with a win.,â he said. "It's hard not to feel disappointed â I've had a winner at Cheltenham and I'm disappointed! On ground that doesn't suit him he went out on his shield. He's a warrior."
It had been decided that this would be the great little warrior's last appearance when he was ruled out of the Aintree National and the emotional reception he received in the parade ring when he returned was a testament to the popularity of Tiger Roll who was trying to win at the festival for the sixth time.
If it was a difficult moment for Jack Kennedy, who piloted Delta Work, he didnât show it. Despite some booing and catcalls from the assembled multitudes, he commented: "A lot of people don't like me after that but it doesn't bother me to be honest. I was schooling Delta Work here the other morning and I said to my brother afterwards 'I think I could be the most hated man in Cheltenham on Wednesday'. I was right.âÂ
The absence of Bravesmansgame from the novice chase made it a lot easier, on paper at least for the nine runners that stood their ground. Especially as the two best in the bunch, Bob Ollingar and Galopin Des Champs are waiting until today to put in an appearance. In an unusual twist for Grade One races these days both the first two places were filled by British trained runners, LâHomme Presse and Ahoy Senor.
The winner is trained by Venetia Williams and relished the soft as many of her staying chasers seem to do. He put in an incredibly impressive display of jumping and easily held the runner up throughout. LâHomme Presseâs part owner Andy Edwards had earlier described the rain as liquid sunshine and so it proved to be. He originally bought the horse in France despite him carrying a leg injury and is relishing a shot at the Gold Cup for which he is already as short as 8/1.Â
âBack him now for it. â said Edwards. Why wouldnât you? He was still going away up the hill in this ground and he'll be stronger next year.â âÂ
By the third race yesterday it was virtually impossible to identify the runners by the finish of their race, such was the kickback of mud and grunge. The going description changed twice during the morning, from Tuesdayâs âgoodâ to âgood to softâ then soft before ending up being described as âheavyâÂ
This is an unusual pattern and several annoyed trainers blamed the clerk of the course It looked a quagmire. The Clerk of the course, Jon Pullin had decided to water overnight night despite rain being forecast for Tuesday. Pullin justified the decision, saying "We've had 8mm now and it was the top end of what we were expecting. Yesterday I got the implication that there was a 30 per cent risk of that quantity. We'll go over that now so it's more than we were expecting."
Paul Nicholls was less than pleased, withdrawing his well-touted favourite Bravemansgame from the Brown Advisory Novice Chase a couple of other runners later in the afternoon, mystified by the decision. âFrom Sunday on the forecast,â he said, âit was going to be a very wet day today and why water when you've got a wet day forecast?
One of the most anticipated races of the week, the Champion Chase, fell apart when Shishkin was pulled up in the back straight and Chacun Pour Soi unseated Patrick Mullins soon afterward. This allowed Energumene to amble home at his own pace from outsider Funambule Sivola and Envoi Allen.
Shishkin and Energumene had looked to be on the verge of a long-term rivalry when they met in an epic contest at Ascot in January but will now have to be placed on hold for a while. Both Mullins and Shishkinâs trainer, Nicky Henderson blamed the heavy ground for his lack-lustre display.
Remarably this was Willie Mullinâs first win in the race and it left him quite emotional in the parade ring afterwards. "Iâm surprised Iâm feeling how I am, but there we are," Mullins said. "That shows how much is means to me."
