THE numbers were 17, 23, 18 and 18. These were the previous winners’ hauls of Irish-based trainers at the Cheltenham Festival in the lead-up to the 2024 meeting. Would anything change this year? Could Britain win the ultimate prize in racing: the Prestbury Cup?
Well, we all knew the answer was no before things started, but a 1-2-3-4-5 in the Supreme Novices’ Hurdle certainly reminded us of this fact.
The spoils of the opening contest went the way of Slade Steel, rewarding Henry de Bromhead and Robcour for not sending their Navan Novice Hurdle winner to the Grade 1 Gallagher Novices’ Hurdle instead. This turned out to be a very wise decision indeed.
Similar distance-related decisions surrounded Gaelic Warrior, ahead of his run in the Grade 1 Arkle Trophy Novices’ Chase, but much like Slade Steel, he was first past the famous winners’ post. It’s rare to see a horse start the season as a typical Brown Advisory sort, before winning convincingly over the minimum distance at jump racing’s Olympics. The great game.
Chianti Classico gave one back to the home team before we witnessed two ‘wow’ performances from a couple of Closutton inmates.
The first came from State Man in the Champion Hurdle. He maybe isn’t truly a Cheltenham horse, but the history books won’t say that. All that needs to be remembered is State Man, this 10-time Grade 1 winner, was the two-mile champion.
Lossiemouth, who could lift the crown off her older stablemate’s head in March, made her first start at 20 furlongs look easy when landing the Mares’ Hurdle.
A Mullins took home the final race of day one, but it was Emmet rather than Willie, thanks to Corbetts Cross in the National Hunt Chase.
Changing times
So, day one and, to a large extent, day two of the meeting this year did feel a little bit flat. Yes, seeing Ballyburn streak clear in the Gallagher Novices’ Hurdle despite his unfathomably low head carriage was good, and Fact To File continued to reward punters in the Brown Advisory, but it was hard not to feel slightly deflated by the time Jasmine De Vaux crossed the line in the Champion Bumper.
Admittedly, El Fabiolo diving at the fifth fence and eventually pulling up in the Champion Chase at odds of 2/9 injected a sense of drama into the contest that had not been predicted pre-race, but the number of odds-on runners (and winners) in the first half of the week was hard to ignore.
Four Irish shorties duly obliged across Tuesday and Wednesday, and the uncompetitive nature of the racing showed in the ticket sales. 46,771 officially showed up to the second day of the Festival this year, a stark drop off from the 50,387 and 64,431 (first year back after the pandemic) from the previous two years. This, undoubtedly, had an effect on the subsequently announced changes to the 2025 renewal.
As for this year, Thursday brought a nice beam of sunlight to proceedings. Grey Dawning and Ginny’s Destiny fought out the Grade 1 Turners Novices’ Chase in a ding-dong battle for the British, while Dan Skelton took home his fourth winner of the week thanks to Protektorat in the Ryanair Chase.
His success was the second leg of a John Hales, Lisa Hales, Sir Alex Ferguson and Ged Mason double, after Monmiral took home the Pertemps Final.
Gordon Elliott, who was so far winless at the meeting, saw his long-term Teahupoo-shaped plan turn to reality in the Stayers Hurdle, though Brighterdaysahead, arguably his banker of the meeting, found Golden Ace too good in the Mares’ Novices’ Hurdle two races later.
Golden glory
The final day of Cheltenham 2024 saw one of the better Gold Cups in recent memory, or at least, that’s what it looked like on paper until Fastorslow unshipped J.J. Slevin at the 16th.
Although he was officially out of the race, Martin Brassil’s eight-year-old still made his presence known when it mattered. He jumped the last in front, which connections would have been hoping to see in their pre-race thoughts, but without a jockey, it was all in vain.
This left Galopin Des Champs to strut his stuff once again at the home of jumps racing. His engine: endless. His jumping: magnificent. His performance: historic. Let’s hope Willie Mullins can work his magic and give us all something to look forward to in the 2025 renewal.
Six. That’s how many winners the Irish collected on Gold Cup Day this year, with only Sine Nomine in the Champion Hunter Chase holding down the fort for the Brits.
While the graded winners – Majborough, Stellar Story, and Limerick Lace – contributed to a great card, the handicaps, as they usually prove to be, are worth following going forward.
The County Hurdle has already produced a Grade 1 winner with L’Eau du Sud and an Ebor winner with Magical Zoe, while Better Days Ahead, the Martin Pipe winner, downed Slade Steel on his chase debut this season.
NATIONAL Hunt racing has undergone much change in recent years, but Ireland’s dominance at the top end of the game has remained a constant state.
This year, the frequent raid of Britain’s Grade 1 contests began early. Specifically, on St Stephen’s Day, Hewick caused a truly uncensored shock in the 2023 King George VI Chase.
Many thought the 2022 winner Bravemansgame, Allaho, and Shishkin would fight out the finish, but few could have predicted the latter’s unseating after the second-last and Hewick’s late surge from the clouds to claim victory.
What was a certainty were Shark Hanlon’s merry celebrations in the Kempton winner’s enclosure, that’s for sure.
Just slightly before this memorable moment, a horse called Constitution Hill looked effortless when winning the Christmas Hurdle at slim odds of 1/12. Little did we know that this would be latest run for a year.
As much as his well-being was a big talking point throughout the last 12 months, we’ll keep our mentions of his name to a minimum.
On the same day at Aintree, the Gordon Elliott-trained Farren Glory looked to have the first renewal of the new Formby Novices’ Hurdle under his belt before a premature departure at the second last. Jango Baie picked up the pieces to lead home the subsequent Scottish Champion Hurdle winner Favour And Fortune.
Although Paul Nicholls couldn’t reclaim his King George title, regular scheduled programming resumed four days later when Captain Teague won the Grade 1 Challow Novices’ Hurdle at Newbury.
The race has worked out rather well thanks to The Jukebox Man, Johnnywho, and Masaccio, so there’s an argument to suggest that Lookaway, the runner-up, is a well-handicapped horse off his current chase mark of 136.
True Trials day
In the new year, Shakem Up’arry kick-started a memorable 2024 Prestbury Park double with success in the valuable Paddy Power New Year’s Day Handicap Chase. He went on to win the Plate Handicap Chase at the Cheltenham Festival, giving his owner, Harry Redknapp, a t’riffic memory in the process.
Due to his requirement for better ground, Joseph O’Brien had to eagerly wait before he could unleash Banbridge for the first time in the 2023-24 season. His patience was rewarded in the Grade 2 Silviniaco Conti Chase when defeating the reigning champion Pic D’Orhy in a ding-dong battle up the Kempton home straight.
Cold weather caused abandonments across the country on January 20th, forcing British racing fans to do something else with their Saturday.
All was forgiven seven days later as Cheltenham Trials Day delivered a truly great day of action from the first flag fall to the proverbial lady singing.
Sir Gino delivered a performance that wowed onlookers in the JCB Triumph Trial Juvenile Hurdle, Ginny’s Destiny booked his place for the Turners Novices’ Chase, Ga Law claimed his first success since the 2022 Paddy Power Gold Cup, Elixir De Nutz capitalised from Jonbon’s near-race-ending mistake in the rearranged Grade 1 Clarence House Chase, and Gidleigh Park beat the subsequent Ascot Hurdle winner Lucky Place in the Classic Novices’ Hurdle.
Oozed class
However, as expected, Ireland’s finest were clinical on the day. Lossiemouth oozed class in the Grade 2 Unibet Hurdle, Noble Yeats came out on top in a blanket finish to the Cleeve Hurdle, and Capodanno made the trip to Gloucestershire worth it in the Grade 2 Cotswold Chase.
There was a sad post-script to the day with the loss of Datsalrightgino, the 2023 Coral Gold Cup winner. A horse of high class who is dearly missed.
One of the great rags-to-riches stories hit a tremendous peak at the start of February. Nickle Back, who started the season with an official rating of 126, won the Grade 1 Scilly Isles Novices’ Chase, and to be fair to the son of Mustameet, he didn’t just win, he bolted up by a winding seven lengths!
Every year, the final Grade 1 contest before the Cheltenham Festival is the Ascot Chase, and this season saw Pic D’Orhy dance in. For an animal who had been brandished with the ‘only a Grade 2 horse’ label for much of his career, seeing him succeed at the tip level brought a wry smile to my face.
AN interesting storyline developed towards the end of last season.
Having won four of the previous five British champion trainer titles, Paul Nicholls’ defence of his crown was under threat. His previous assistant trainer Dan Skelton and the formidable Willie Mullins were snapping at his heels.
This changed Aintree from your average spring festival into a battlefield between the sport’s heavyweights.
After multiple clashes in Liverpool, Ayr, and Sandown, the boss of Closutton emulated the great Vincent O’Brien in becoming the first Irish-based trainer to win the championship since 1954.
Of course, many elements contributed to his landmark success, but the big swing that changed it all came in the Grand National. This year’s renewal of the world’s most famous steeplechase was already a highly anticipated event, due to the new changes brought in ahead of the race.
It was a stark difference to see 19 horses, all with live chances, ahead of the second-last obstacle, but the classy Grade 1 winner I Am Maximus reigned supreme to give Mullins one hand on the title and J.P. McManus his third success in the National.
Sir, Yes Sir
Away from the main race, the Aintree Grand National Festival was big for Nicky Henderson.
The drama of his Cheltenham runners, centring around the lack of Constitution Hill, meant his team of Merseyside horses had a big task ahead of them.
Shishkin could only manage fourth in the Aintree Bowl behind the very game Gerri Colombe, but Sir Gino collected his first Grade 1 in the 4-Y-O Juvenile Hurdle, when defeating the Triumph Hurdle runner-up Kargese.
Jonbon looked like his classy self in the Melling Chase on day two, which saw the boss of Seven Barrows finish the meeting as the joint-top British trainer, alongside Dan Skelton. Nice recovery, Nicky.
But, on the topic of numbers, Strong Leader in the three-mile Liverpool Hurdle was the only other British-trained Grade 1 winner across the three-day showcase. Eight of the 11 Grade 1 contests went back over the Irish Sea. Business as usual, then.
Having successfully raided the Scottish Grand National with Macdermott, Willie Mullins secured that elusive British trainers’ title at Sandown’s season finale.
El Fabiolo, despite losing by four lengths to Jonbon in the Celebration Chase, was the horse who made it mathematically impossible for Skelton to chase him down. Minella Cocooner, again partnered by Danny Mullins, in the bet365 Gold Cup and Impaire Et Passe in the Select Hurdle put the icing on the cake. Bravo, Mr Mullins.
Golden era
After a chill summer watching the best the flat has to offer, the jumps naturally returned with the self-proclaimed ‘season opener’ at Chepstow in October. Good ground plagued UK racing throughout October and November, but that didn’t stop us from seeing some nice horses.
Potters Charm is one who sprang onto the scene after his Worcester maiden hurdle win in late September, but two subsequent wins at Cheltenham – one occurring in the Grade 2 Albert Bartlett Novices’ Hurdle – have put his name into the reckoning for the freshly-named Turners Novices’ Hurdle in March. If you’re a fan of his, it’s fair to say that you can’t be too scared of any horse at this stage.
But, a potential Cheltenham Gold Cup for the ages has filled much of the news so far this season.
The Grade 1 John Durkan Memorial Punchestown Chase was the watch that started all of our hopeful chatter for what could be an all-time classic. The Irish seem to have a stronghold on the division, and all British hopes lie on the shoulders of Dan Skelton’s Grey Dawning.
He finished second in a gruelling Betfair Chase to the serial Haydock winner, Royale Pagaille and, to put up a performance like that on his first start in open company is commendable. His true Gold Cup credentials are set to be tested once again in the King George.
With Sir Gino throwing his hat into the Champion Hurdle ring after winning the Grade 1 Fighting Fifth, the 2025 Cheltenham Festival is slowly moulding into the championship meeting that it should always be.
Where the best on both sides of the Irish Sea clash. Let’s hope this steady momentum continues.