The
Cheltenham Festival is dubbed “the greatest show on turf” and it
duly delivered on its nickname in 2017 by serving up thrills aplenty
for horse racing fans, punters, celebrities and royals alike. A
memorable four days of high-quality racing culminated in success for
Jessica Harrington and Robbie Power as Rock the World claimed the
Grand Annual. It was their third victory of the week and they will
look back fondly upon Cheltenham 2017, as will many trainers and
jockeys that sealed a place in the history books. Who were the big
winners and losers?
Legendary
trainer steals the show
The
2017 meeting belonged to Harrington, who became only the third female
trainer to win the Gold Cup in history. What made it all the more
remarkable was that it came at her maiden attempt: she waited until
the age of 70 to make her first entry into the most prestigious race
in the calendar as she wanted to make sure her charge could seriously
compete. A lifetime of hard work and perseverance paid off as Sizing
John romped to victory.
Harrington credited Power with the win after the jockey told her that
Sizing John was crying out for a stamina test. He stepped up to the
longer distance in style, overhauling Djakadam, the leading contender
in the horse racing spreads,
and winning by almost three lengths from Minella Rocco. The
seven-year-old has now won all three of his races at three miles or
more, a trifecta of Gold Cups, and is the one to watch going into the
new season. Harrington and Power capped a magnificent festival when
Rock the World seized the final race of the meeting, and they will be
full of confidence going into next year’s contest.
Mullins
and Walsh strike back
Willie
Mullins had generated tremendous momentum going into Cheltenham 2017
by winning such key tests as the County Hurdle and the Albert
Bartlett in the build-up to the Gold Cup, but could only watch as
Djakadam blundered in the big race, finishing fourth. There was talk
of a crisis for Mullins and Ruby Walsh after they failed to land a
winner in the first two days of the festival. Even Douvan, who had so
often beaten Sizing John over two miles, lost his unbeaten record as
a broken pelvis saw him finish seventh in the Queen Mother Champion
Chase. But Mullins and Walsh bounced back with aplomb by landing
sensational four-timer on the Thursday: favourite Yorkhill took the
JLT, Un De Sceaux romped to victory in the Ryanair Chase, Nichols’
Canyon took the Stayers’ Hurdle and Let’s Dance came in to make
Walsh the first jockey to ride four winners in a single day at the
Cheltenham festival. It was followed by the disappointment of
Djakadam, but overall it was a strong meeting for Mullins, who
saddled six winners, while Walsh took his fifth consecutive jockeys’
title.
Elation
for Elliott
Gordon
Elliott vanquished Mullins, his great rival, to be named the top trainer at the festival after landing a magnificent six winners of his own.
They were neck and neck but with no runner in the Grand Annual,
Elliott was crowned champion trainer with a race to spare. On the
first day Elliott scored a treble when Tiger Roll came in, and he
secured his sixth victory of the meeting when 12/1 shot Champagne
Classic took the Martin Pipe. He will be in with a chance of winning
the title again in 2018, but Mullins will be the one to beat and
could be a good option for that market.
Irish
assert their dominance
In
the same month that Ireland’s rugby team ended England’s world
record bid with a dramatic Six Nations victory at the Aviva Stadium,
Ireland also asserted its dominance over Great Britain at Cheltenham.
The Irish annihilated the British in the Bet Bright Cup, taking 19
winners out of 28 races to Britain’s nine. Sizing John’s victory
was the centrepiece as the cup went across the Irish Sea, but the
combined 12 winners from Mullins and Elliott sealed the deal. Britain
won the title, formerly known as the Prestbury Cup, in 2015 and it
finished all square in 2016, leading the British to go into 2017 as
the favourites. But the Irish made a mockery of that by claiming an
emphatic victory, and they are the frontrunners going into 2018.
Author bio
Martin
Green is an experienced horseracing correspondent and tipster.
