THE JOCKEY
Denis O’Regan (37)
Always looking forward
With a very successful career that has spanned nearly two decades, including four Cheltenham Festival winners, Denis O’Regan is a jockey who has seen it all.
The intensity of the Festival holds a fond place in his heart, but he admits in the early days, “it was just another meeting.”
He goes on to recall: “I would race at Naas on a Sunday and then turn up to Cheltenham and feel no different to normal. As I got older and got more experienced, and I got to ride better horses, I suppose my mental approach changed in a way, but I wouldn’t change anything else in my preparations.”
During all the hullabaloo at Prestbury Park, he always wanted to maintain a sense of order. “I thrive on routine,” he says with pride. “I don’t like lack of structure, I like calm. People always talk about pressure, and I felt more pressure if I felt my routine was messed with, and even more so when I would have a book of rides at the Festival but didn’t really feel I had a live chance.
“The expectation from owners would still be there, even though deep down I knew I was up against it. When I was riding the likes of Inglis Drever, it was much easier, as I knew I had the horse that could deliver on the big stage even though the weight of expectation was huge.”
Special moments
Throughout the years, Inglis Drever, Tidal Bay, Cape Tribulation and Tully East all provided their own unique and special moments for the Corkman. O’Regan reflects on his four successes in the Cotswolds with a blend of emotions; mainly joy, but in a reserved manner.
“Look, I enjoyed those wins at the time, but I don’t sit and reflect upon former glories. I am not the type of person who, on a quieter day sits at home with a DVD and a glass of wine watching Tully East win whilst smiling to myself. In fact, I have never seen that race back - I forgot to set my TV to record before I set off to the track!”
That statement pretty much sums up his general outlook on proceedings. “I am a forward-thinking person, it’s always about tomorrow, not yesterday, as far as I am concerned. I am not the type of person to sit around thinking ‘what if?’”
Even allowing for his stoic attitude, one gets the impression he looks back at some of those giddy times with an underlying sadness. In 2010, not long after the halcyon days of Tidal Bay winning the Arkle and Inglis Drever landing the Stayers’ Hurdle for the third time, there came what appeared to be the acrimonious split between Denis and trainer Howard Johnson.
“Ah look, at the time I was hurt. There were a lot of people who were very happy to see that happen. The sport is rife with jealousy, and I know a lot of people who got a good kick out of it.” Philosophically, he then goes on to describe how he built his confidence back up. “I had to think, right, I came from a non-racing background, with no particular level of help, and I got myself to that high-profile position (as a jockey). I have taken a knock but I’ve overcome bigger challenges in life. We move on.”
Work hard
One senses a lot pride from O’Regan’s self-proclaimed resillience. “I’ve taken knocks, both physically and mentally, but I just reset, work hard and come back stronger. I’ve had people tell me I’m finished, and doubters all over the place, but I block them out.
“Whether I have ridden 130 winners in a season or 30, I am happy and content as long as I know I have done things my way. That’s not meant in an arrogant manner - but as a horseman.
“If I know I am riding to the best of my ability, the way I think it should be done, then I am content. I don’t need people to motivate me, I do that myself. The day I think I am not happy will be the day I stop riding.”
When asked what the alternative pursuit may be, once his days of the saddle have passed, he has no concrete plans. “I like the atmosphere of the point-to-point scene in Ireland and I have recently got into the buying and selling of horses. But I am far from finished yet, I still want to get lots of winners and still land the big ones.”
As far as ‘big ones’ go, none would come much bigger than making it win number five at the Cheltenham Festival. With his unshakable attitude, you would be foolish to rule it out.
THE TRAINER:
Jamie Snowden (40)
Putting his heart on the line
Training at the historic Folly House in Lambourn, Jamie Snowden has made meteoric strides in the relative embryonic stage of his training career.
Training since 2008, and with 50 horses in his yard at present, he is enjoying his best season to date in terms of winners, where quantity very much takes a back seat to quality.
“I’m interested in number of winners, not number of horses” he says sternly. “Obviously the Saturday horses and those ready to do the business at the Cheltenham Festival are what we all, as trainers, aspire to have more of.”
Back in 2014, he did indeed, ‘do the business’ as Present View gave him his first Festival winner with just his third runner at the meeting when landing the novices’ handicap chase. “That day was bonkers, it was tremendous euphoria. To get a winner at the pinnacle of National Hunt racing, so soon in my training career, was fantastic. There is no feeling like it.”
So much so, he was on the verge of seeing a doctor straight after the victory. “For an experiment, I was wired up to a heart-rate monitor during the race. In the closing stages, my heart-rate went off the charts. I’m told the maximum number it should have gone to was around 185, but it went up to nearly 200!”
Snowden rather candidly admits that perhaps he got a little carried away in the aftermath of that momentous occasion. “Looking back at it, I would say I was younger and a bit naïve, because I remember waking up a few days later and thinking, ‘I’ve cracked it, this is easy’, when of course training a Festival winner is anything but that - it is bloody tricky and you need a lot of luck.
“Over the season as whole, you are going to have a lot more downs than ups, and of course everything gets magnified at the Festival. You think you have a bombproof plan but it can unravel in an instant, so you absolutely must make the most of the good times, because they won’t come around every time you saddle one up.”
Everything in general gets cranked up a few notches at the Festival, and Snowden knows how important is now to try and stay calm amidst it all. He feels, with age and experience, that is now becoming his default approach.
“The hype, scrutiny, atmosphere, tension and then the actual pace of the races - it all goes into overdrive. It means so much to so many people and you can sense that, even on the drive up to the course.”
Snowden describes his wife, Lucy, as being a major calming influence. “I’m not the type of person to get superstitious or exceedingly nervous and fidgety, but it is hard not to get worked up a little. If I didn’t, I would be in the wrong game. My wife is like a spirit level. When I’m getting carried away, she tactfully keeps a lid on things. And if I’m down in the dumps she will give me a good kick up the backside for all the right reasons.”
There are a lot of things going right for ‘Team Snowden’ at the moment and, with the likes of Thebannerkingrebel, Fact Of The Matter, Kiltealy Briggs and Pacify (who would be the Duchess Of Cornwall’s first runner at the Festival) all hoping to make the gig, one cannot guarantee that the heart rate monitor won’t hit the high numbers once more.
THE OWNER
Adrian Heywood (62)
Living the dream
Mr Heywood comes across as someone who is very much ‘glass half-full.’
One can sense his enjoyment of being an owner just by the way he talks - seldom a laconic moment, full of positivity, yet understands in racing that if things don’t go to plan, you just take them in your stride. “I absolutely love it,” he beams. “It is something that gives me so much joy.”
As part-owner of one of the rising stars of the game, novice hurdler Thyme Hill, joy has been plentiful in recent months.
Shared by Adrian with his twin brother Andrew, and two other members of his family, the Philip Hobbs-trained six-year-old is unbeaten in three starts over hurdles, with the latest outing being a success at the highest level when landing the Challow Hurdle at Newbury.
“Look, I am normally pretty good at being phlegmatic on these sort of occasions but, as they turned into the home straight at Newbury, I was a nervous wreck. I had my hands in front of my eyes. We have had some nice horses over the years, but to win a Grade 1 like this was a thrill.”
Unprompted, Adrian is very complimentary about Philip Hobbs and his whole operation. “It’s a cracking set-up. Philip would be the best placer of a horse I know. When you have the likes of Nicholls and Henderson often rolling out ready-made 160-rated horses to get in your way, you have to think outside the box a little, and he is fantastic at doing so. Brian Murphy sent Thyme Hill to Philip, and the horse has been a star since day one.”
As regards the Festival, Adrian is quick to deflect attention away from himself. “Cheltenham is much more about the trainers, the stable staff and for the thousands of people and punters who attend. As owners, we just like to cling on to the showbiz coat-tails.
“What I like to see at the Festival is that the stable lad or girl who leads up the horse, get to lead it back in if their horse happens to win. They are the integral people, up at 4am everyday, they are the unsung heroes. Essentially they keep the whole show on the road. If it happens to be us lucky enough to be in that position, I will make sure that is the case.”
He adds “You need a lot of luck to win at the Festival. Yes, I will be hoping for the best, but if he runs into a place I will be the first person to go and congratulate and shake the hands of whoever beats us.”
Cheltenham is revered in many quarters and, as an owner, Adrian reflects upon that from his perspective. “When dealing with the racecourse, nothing is ever too much trouble, We are looked after without a stone unturned. The facilities are top-notch, and I have to say how impressed I am by the new stand and how tastefully that fits in.
Some people say it’s too busy, but it’s the biggest four days of our sport, I’d have thought that ought to be a good thing? If pushed, I suppose the Prestbury Cup, England versus Ireland stuff, is all a little bit silly. No one really cares, everyone is just happy to see quality horses.”
In conclusion, Adrian says: “I love the Festival, and will love it even more if our lad happens to do the business! However, it’s not all about the megabucks and the massive days. I am not a rich owner but, with the right people around you and a bit of luck, you can have so much fun and success.
“The best experience I have ever had within sport was when we had a horse named Woodford County win a handicap hurdle at Uttoxeter back in 2013 when sent off 14/1. That feeling in the immediate aftermath will stick with me forever. If Thyme Hill happens to win in March though, that might just beat it!”
THE RACEGOER
Rory Fitzgerald (30)
Drinking it all in
Racing fanatic and habitual Festival-goer Rory Fitzgerald hails from Dublin. I fired some quickfire questions at him, asking just what it is about the Cheltenham Festival that really makes him tick.
What was your earliest Cheltenham Festival memory?
Make A Stand winning the Champion Hurdle back in 1997. I was only eight at the time and remember thinking ‘Wow, he’s gone out in front and just destroyed them’. I suppose it left an impression on me. Naturally, every time I back one now that folds like a pack of cards after leading for most of the way, it just leaves me disappointed. I have to remember that they aren’t all like Make A Stand!
What makes the Cheltenham Festival so special in your eyes?
The National Hunt season pretty much all builds towards Cheltenham, which admittedly is not a good thing, but as a consequence you have this electric buzz and atmosphere that elevates the Festival. I haven’t attended another sporting event that comes anywhere near it. It is the best four days of action in the sporting calendar and I love every second of it.
Favourite part of the week?
The five minutes in the build up to the Supreme, culminating with the ‘Cheltenham roar’. It is magical. It is as if there is someone with a volume control switch sat in the stands who gradually turns the dial to raise the crowd volume. You can feel the tension, it’s palpable. If that doesn’t give you goosebumps, nothing will.
Racing, betting, socialising ... what is the Festival for you?
The racing, 100%. The other stuff is great, and naturally goes hand-in-hand with the racing itself, but I like to see the horses, get to the pre-parade ring, soak up the atmosphere. You could be the most reserved person in the world but it is hard not to be in awe of it all.
Cheltenham Festival: Four days or five?
Keep it to four, it is great, and doesn’t need to be diluted anymore than it is.
Favourite race of the meeting?
Has to be the Gold Cup. It is the proper test of an equine athlete. You need to jump, travel, quicken and have stamina. You can’t bluff it or get away with being off your A-game in a Gold Cup.
Your best ever Festival bet?
Sire Du Berlais to win last season’s Pertemps Final. I backed him all the way down from 20/1 into 12/1. He went off the 4/1 favourite and Barry Geraghty gave him one of the great Cheltenham rides to win by a neck.
Festival tip?
Saldier (Champion Hurdle) in a double with Glenloe (Kim Muir).
Horse you would love to see win, one for the romantics?
It would have to be Un De Sceaux. I absolutely love the horse, and there is an argument to say he is a bit underrated. It is remarkable that he is still performing at the level he is now, and it would be epic if he jumped the last in contention if he were to line up for one last race at the Festival.
Finally, if you had some words of advice for someone attending the Festival for the first time, what would it be?
Enjoy every single second of it, drink it in. It comes around once a year, and the feeling when it is all over leaves a big void. It is the Olympics of our great sport and should be treasured.