Michael’s fingerprints all over emotional afternoon

TED Walsh once memorably said: “This is Leopardstown, not Lourdes - you don’t get miracles around here.” He’s right, and Cheltenham isn’t typically touted as a place of the mystical either, but somehow this afternoon developed into something a bit special through the victories of Marine Nationale and Jazzy Matty.

At a meeting where the loss of Michael O’Sullivan is being so keenly felt, it felt like a hand from above helped his two Festival winners plunder back-to-back contests at this year’s meeting within 40 minutes of each other. Such poignant instances like that don’t tend to happen at the highest level of sport. This time, they did.

From the moments before racing got underway on Tuesday when remembering the young talent, to Marine Nationale drawing clear up the hill in the Champion Chase, there has been definite emotion in the air in the Cotswolds.

Most of all, though, it felt fitting that the focus of attention in that 40 minutes was shifted to the relationship between Michael and his two Cheltenham-winning horses, as opposed to chat around the specific ins and outs of his relationship with Barry Connell. His love for Marine Nationale, in particular, was always evident.

Champion agony goes on

THE high-stakes drama of two-mile chasing is like nothing else, and Champion Chase struggles for odds-on favourites continued this year. One mistake can be so costly in the championship event, and Jonbon’s mistake five fences from home ended his ambitions of a first Cheltenham Festival success. Likewise, even though it looked like he had never held better chances of ending his blanks in both races this week, J.P. McManus is still without a winner of the Arkle or Champion Chase. Jonbon is in outstanding company when it comes to short-priced beaten favourites in the Queen Mother. Turned over at 11/10 or shorter in the race since 2000 are also Douvan, El Fabiolo, Moscow Flyer, Shishkin, Master Minded, Sizing Europe, Chacun Pour Soi, Defi Du Seuil, Un De Sceaux, Well Chief and Flagship Uberalles. What a remarkable turnaround it was in the feature for Sean Flanagan too, having appeared to be heading towards the wrong course at one point on Vanillier when leading the Cross Country field 40 minutes earlier. Another rollercoaster afternoon at National Hunt racing headquarters.

Festival firsts to savour

IT’S rare to see scenes like took over the Cheltenham winner’s enclosure after Bambino Fever’s Champion Bumper success - half of Co Clare must have been in there draped in yellow and blue scarves for the O’Connell Morgan Syndicate.

The victory also represented a breakthrough at the meeting for leading lady amateur Jody Townend, who took full advantage of her big opportunity on the 4/1 shot when Patrick Mullins was unable to do the necessary weight.

Cian Collins is a young trainer eager to make his presence felt in this game and there’s every chance a first success at the Cheltenham Festival will help take his career to the next stage. He came with one bullet to fire in the shape of Jazzy Matty and didn’t miss.

Hats off to him and Denis O’Regan for snapping up the former Fred Winter winner at €50,000 last year. He is working out to be by far the best value buy from the otherwise utterly disappointing Caldwell dispersal sale.

Jazzy Matty, a half-brother to Festival stalwart Delta Work, also ensured his dam Robbe entered rare status at the meeting.

She has now produced two horses to win at multiple Cheltenham Festivals, mirroring the achievement of Fourth Degree, who had Flagship Uberalles and Viking Flagship win at multiple Festivals here.

Crowd watch

THERE was a sharp drop in attendance on day two, with just 41,949 coming through the gates. That is well short of the 46,771 a year earlier, and a significant drop from 2022’s figure of 64,431.

Elliott jockeys sidelined

JACK Kennedy and Sam Ewing stood themselves down after riding in the Coral Cup, having aggravated previous injuries. Kennedy also picked up a three-day ban for careless riding on The Yellow Clay in the Turners, while several riders received suspensions over starting procedure issues through the card. There was clearly some frustration over several starts on day two.

Fastest furlong

SPEED was a factor in the Champion Bumper, with the two fastest furlongs of the day posted by winner Bambino Fever and fourth-placed Fortune De Mer from the four furlongs out to the three-furlong marker (12.28 seconds apiece). According to RaceiQ, Copacabana, Game Of Inches and I Started A Joke were just behind on 12.29 seconds through the same portion. As for the hurdles on Wednesday, The New Lion’s 13.09 seconds from five furlongs out to the four-marker was marginally slower than one other individual furlong (King Alexander from four furlongs out to three in the Coral Cup). Lecky Watson’s 12.79 seconds from five to four furlongs out was the quickest over fences.

Longest stride

STAYING-ON Brown Advisory second Stellar Story boasted a longer maximum stride length than any other horse on day two of the meeting at 7.9 metres, as per RaceiQ’s data.

Gameofinches failed to catch fire when 12th in the Champion Bumper but covers plenty of ground at a maximum of 7.85 metres, followed in third on the day by Turners third Final Demand at 7.78 metres.