In its quest to draw back audiences and boost attendance numbers, there has been a real push from the Cheltenham Festival to look to the past and repeat previous successes.
Whether that is reducing the price of a pint of Guinness by 30p, bringing back the Ladies Day moniker for the first time in seven years or making fan-favourite retired jockey Rachael Blackmore the face of the day, these initiatives are having a positive impact. But they pale in comparison to the draw of watching the best horses race at this most splendid of racecourses.
As so often is the case around here, we must start with Willie Mullins, who made it two wins from two in the champion races this week when Il Etait Temps eased to victory in the Queen Mother Champion Chase on Wednesday.
Mullins was always likely to score victory having trained the two favourites, with Majborough entering the two-mile race at 5/6, with his nearest rival Il Etait Temps at 11/4.
It proved to be a testing race for the jockey pairing of Paul Townend, riding Il Etait Temps, and Mark Walsh atop Majborough, as they attempted to outdo each other on the Cheltenham old course.
Thirteen fences hindered the horses, especially Majborough who burst out front early on but had to be pulled up following several heavy hits on the jumps. That opened the way for Il Etait Temps who swept forward from the middle of the pack as Quilixios looked to capitalise on Majborough’s exit. Mullins’ boy forced his way ahead yet almost lost it at the final hurdle when clipping the fence and stumbling on the good to soft turf. But Townend held on and guided him to the finish with ease.
Also of note was L'Eau du Sud. Owned by Alex Ferguson, trained in the Skelton yard by Dan and ridden by brother Harry, he was the British hopeful set to challenge Mullins’ coterie of quality. He ran well and stayed on for a third-place finish behind Sean Bowen on 50/1 shot Libberty Hunter, who made a late charge.
Perhaps more pertinent than the re-emergence of Mullins’ dominance was a glimpse into the future of the sport earlier in the day. The Brown Advisory Novices’ Chase gave us the clearest vision of what is to come once the older generation of legends hand over the reins. The 29-year-old Irish trainer, Connor King, pitted himself against the might of Mullins, Gordon Elliott and Henry de Bromhead with his charge Oscars Brother.
King hails from Cork and has a small yard outside the village of Golden in Tipperary where he trains just two racehorses. One of them is Oscars Brother, who entered the race on the back of three consecutive Grade 2 wins and is being lined up for a stint in the Grand National this April.
At 14/1, he wasn’t expected to win the second race of the day, and didn’t. That honour went to Kitzbuhel and trainer-jockey duo of Mullins and Harry Cobden. Yet the showing of Oscars Brother, who finished fourth and impressed in a field of 16, highlights the potential of this up-and-coming trainer.
King, whose 21-year-old brother Daniel rode atop Oscars Brother in the race and marshalled him up the final stretch from near the back of the pack, explained what a big step competing in a Grade 1 at the Cheltenham Festival is for the smaller stables.
“It’s massive for us to be at Cheltenham with a fancied runner. It’s hard to believe we are here really. If someone had said to me this time last year that I’d be at Cheltenham training a horse for [JP] McManus I’d have said they were mad,” King admitted on Tuesday.
Of facing off against some of the industry greats, King added: “If you train in Ireland that’s what you sign up for. You get used to it. If you are coming to Cheltenham, you know you are going to be taking on the best.
“I’ve been here before, but only as a spectator. It’s nice to be back properly, with a runner. It’s great having JP in your corner and having a runner here in his colours.”
Elsewhere, the Glenfarclas Cross Country Chase also provided a window into the potential future. The Glenfarclas is said to be a prelude to the Grand National next month and, indeed, it featured a whole stack of experienced runners who have also jumped the high fences at Aintree.
Elliott’s Favori De Champdou and Gavin Cromwell’s Stumptown were pegged as the main competitors with Martin Brassil’s Desertmore House also favoured in the betting. But it was a different Cromwell horse who took the limelight as Final Orders romped home at 7/1 odds.
The 10-year-old is named in the prospective field for Aintree in April and his owners will be optimistic of his chances after a near-perfect ride from Conor Stone-Walsh. He nudged Final Orders out in front and held him there at a consistent speed. At the turn on the final circuit, with competitors jostling behind him, Final Orders kicked up a gear and made his move to distance the field. Favori De Champdou – who could also be at the Grand National – went with him for a time but there was only going to be one winner.
Yet amid the thrills and the revelry, the future of the industry will continue to be questioned as long as horses die due to racing. A second horse in as many days was put down at the Festival after HMS Seahorse fell in the BetMGM Cup Handicap Hurdle and suffered a fatal injury.
In a statement, Cheltenham Racecourse said the Paul Nolan-trained eight-year-old was “immediately attended to by a team of expert vets, but sadly sustained an injury at the final hurdle and could not be saved. Our heartfelt condolences are with connections.” A sad note on an otherwise exciting day.
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