A special Friday for Ireland at Cheltenham as they claim all seven races
18-3-22 Cheltenham..
The predicted greenwash of the Cheltenham Festival proved so wide of the mark that at the close of play on Thursday evening only one winner separated Irish and UK-based trainers. But then came the final day and it was green from start to finish, with Willie Mullins pitching in with a near 1,519-1 five-timer, Joseph O’Brien again producing a winner at a top festival, and Henry de Bromhead topping the lot with his one-two in the Gold Cup.
Vauban looked all speed when posting an impressive display in a tactical renewal of the Grade One JCB Triumph Hurdle, consigning Gordon Elliott’s two runners, Fil Dor and Pied Piper, to the minor placings. Winning rider Paul Townend was equally cool as he brought his Festival tally to 23 with a considerate and beautifully timed run aboard the inexperienced State Man in the County Hurdle.
Jockey Sean O’Keeffe broke his Festival duck 12 months ago, aboard Galopin Des Champs in the Martin Pipe Conditional Jockeys' Handicap Hurdle, and that opened the Closutton door a little further for the Wexford rider.
A most-successful season culminated in his winning ride aboard the unbeaten The Nice Guy in yesterday’s Grade One Albert Bartlett Novices’ Hurdle. Patient aboard the lightly raced seven-year-old, he brought him to challenge stablemate Minella Crooner before the last.
From there he pushed his mount clear to give winning owner Malcolm Denmark his first Festival victory since 2000, when the Mark Pitman-trained Monsignor added the Sun Alliance Novice Hurdle to his Champion Bumper of the previous season. This success brought the owner to tears.
And while he enjoyed that success, the Mullins juggernaut rolled on relentlessly. Patrick Mullins stepped up for his third of the week and his father’s fourth of the day when getting Billaway up in the dying strides of the Hunter Chase to cruelly deny David Christie’s Winged Leader. The latter, who had a verdict over Billaway earlier in the year, did everything right bar repel that last-gasp effort of the heavily backed favourite.
And the finish to the Mrs Paddy Power Chase was equally dramatic when Mark Walsh delivered Elimay late to make amends for last year’s near-miss in the same race. Five on the day gave Mullins a record tenth at the meeting and an astonishing 88 for all time.
And the curtain drew on the day and the meeting with Banbridge taking the Martin Pipe Handicap Hurdle under Mark McDonagh, for whom it was also a first ride at the meeting. For the winning trainer, Joseph O’Brien, it was a second win in the race and a third Festival success in all. His previous win in the event, with Early Doors in 2019, also gave Jonjo O’Neill Jnr his breakthrough at the Festival.
McDonagh, from Cratloe, Co Clare, said: “It was unreal when I crossed the line. I’ve never witnessed anything like it before. I have ridden a few real nice winners this season, but nothing comes close. Walking back in was class. I know half of the people have gone home, but this half are class! It was a great opportunity and thanks to everyone today who made it happen.
“I grew up on ponies, show-jumped until I was 16, and wanted to go a bit quicker then. I started race-riding and just tried to work hard, working with Joseph while I was at college. My grandad Michael trains, and his lads were great in starting me off, too.”
And so, another fabulous meeting in the Cotswolds came to a close. In a week of extraordinary achievements, Venetia Williams won’t get too many headlines, but her achievements are more than noteworthy.
With L’Homme Presse’s victory in Grade One Brown Advisory Novice Chase (former RSA), and Chambard’s success in the Kim Muir, both of which were first Festival successes for their respective jockeys, Charlie Deutsch and Lucy Turner, Williams brought her Festival figure to eight.
More remarkably, she ran 11 horses at the meeting, from which she yielded two winners, five placed horses, one faller, and no horse which finished worse than sixth. Festival targeting a la Willie Mullins, just on a much smaller scale.
* A record 73,875 attended Gold Cup day, to give a combined attendance over the four days of 280,627 (Tuesday: 68,567, Wednesday: 64,431, Thursday: 73,754).
