Cheltenham Festival 2007: Tastes Like Chocolate

Robert ‘Chocolate’ Thornton proved the jockey to follow at the Festival in 2007. His four winners – My Way De Solzen in the Irish Independent Arkle Chase, Voy Por Ustedes in the Queen Mother Champion Chase, Katchit in the JCB Triumph Hurdle and Andreas in the Johnny Henderson Grand Annual Chase – were sufficient to make him leading jockey for the one and only time.

Aside from Andreas, Paul Nicholls saddled Denman in the Royal & SunAlliance Chase, Taranis in the Ryanair Chase and Kauto Star in the Totesport Cheltenham Gold Cup to become leading trainer for the second year running and the fourth time in all.

Other notable winners included Sublimity in the Champion Hurdle, Cork All Star in the Weatherbys Champion Bumper and Inglis Drever in the Ladbrokes World Hurdle. Drombeag, in the Christies Foxhunter Chase, provided a first Festival winning for leading Irish amateur rider John Thomas ‘J.T.’ McNamara, who was paralysed after a fall at the Festival six years later and died in 2016 at the age of just 41.

Cheltenham Festival 2006: Nicholls and Walsh Dominate

Ruby Walsh topped and tailed the week with a winner, making up fully 7 lengths on the run-in to win the opening Anglo Irish Bank Supreme Novices’ Hurdle on Noland, but having to work much less hard on Desert Quest, who drew clear for an impressive 2½-length win in the closing Vincent O’Brien County Hurdle. In between, the Irishman also took the William Hill Trophy Handicap Chase on Dun Doire, trained by Tony Martin, and three winners were sufficient to make him leading jockey at the Cheltenham Festival for the second time.

Along with Noland and Desert Quest, Paul Nicholls also saddled Star De Mohaison, ridden by Barry Geraghty, to win the Royal & SunAlliance Chase and picked up a second trainers’ title.

Other notable winners during the week were Brave Inca in the Champion Hurdle, Newmill in the Queen Mother Champion Chase, Hairy Molly, who sprang a 33/1 surprise in the Weatherbys Champion Bumper, My Way De Solzen in the Ladbrokes World Hurdle and War Of Attrition in the Totesport Cheltenham Gold Cup. All bar My Way De Solzen, who was trained in Wiltshire by Alan King, were trained in Ireland and contributed to a record-breaking nine wins at the Cheltenham Festival for Irish trainers.

Cheltenham Festival 2005: Three Become Four

The National Hunt Festival at Cheltenham had been a three-day spectacle since 1923 but, in 2005, was extended from three to four days. Four new races – namely, the Fred Winter Juvenile Novices' Handicap Hurdle, the Glenfarclas Cross Country Chase, the Festival Trophy, or Ryanair Chase and the Spa Novices’ Hurdle, or Albert Bartlett Novices’ Hurdle – were added to the programme, along with an additional £500,000 in prize money.

The first Cheltenham Gold Cup to be run on a Friday was won by Kicking King, trained by Tom Taafe and ridden by Barry Geraghty, in front of a sell-out crowd of 50,000 spectators. Hardy Eustace completed a double in the Smurfit Champion Hurdle and Moscow Flyer made amends for his fall the previous year by winning the Queen Mother Champion Chase. Missed That, in the Weatherbys Champion Bumper, was one of two winners for Ruby Walsh and Inglis Drever, in the renamed Ladbrokes World Hurdle, was one of three for Graham Lee.

Lee also won the Letherby & Christopher Supreme Novices’ Hurdle on Arcalis and the Royal & Sun Alliance Novices’ Hurdle on No Refuge to claim the leading jockey title for himself and the leading trainer title for his boss, Howard Johnson.

Cheltenham Festival 2004: Time for Rupert

With all due respect to Paul Webber’s charge, Time For Rupert, who ran in the Ladbrokes World Hurdle, the RSA Chase and the Cheltenham Gold Cup in his time, the titular Rupert, in this case, is Rupert ‘Ruby’ Walsh. In his second full season as stable jockey to Paul Nicholls – who was to become leading trainer at the Cheltenham Festival for the second time – Walsh announced his arrival on the Festival stage by winning the Queen Mother Champion Chase on Azetyuiop, the Grand Annual Chase on St. Pirran and the Vincent O’Brien County Hurdle on Sporazene. Three winners were enough to make the Irishman top jockey for the first time.

Elsewhere, Hardy Eustace sprang a surprise in the Smurfit Champion Hurdle, seeing off the reigning champion Rooster Booster by 5 lengths. The ill-fated Total Enjoyment was a ready winner of the Weatherbys Champion Bumper and Iris’s Gift reversed the previous year’s form with Baracouda when winning the Bonusprint Stayers’ Hurdle, but the Festival is probably best remembered for Best Mate, who made history by becoming the first horse since the legendary Arkle to win the Cheltenham Gold Cup three years running.

Cheltenham Festival 2003: Nap Hand for Geraghty

The Smurfit Champion Hurdle featured a showdown between Rooster Booster, winner of the Vincent O’Brien County Hurdle the previous year and Rhinestone Cowboy, narrowly touched off by Pizarro in the Weatherbys Champion Bumper in 2002, but unbeaten in four subsequent starts over hurdles. However, the showdown never really materialised because Rooster Booster quickened clear in the closing stages to win, impressively, by 11 lengths from Westender, with Rhinestone Cowboy a further 3 lengths back in third.

Moscow Flyer, trained by Mrs. John Harrington, in the Queen Mother Champion Chase was one of five winners for leading jockey Barry Geraghty, while other notable winners included Liberman in the Weatherbys Champion Bumper, Baracouda in the Bonusprint Stayers’ Hurdle and Best Mate in the Tote Cheltenham Gold Cup.

Master of Jackdaws Castle, Jonjo O’Neill, saddled three winners, Inching Closer in the Pertemps Final, Sudden Shock in the National Hunt Chase and Spectroscope in the JCB Triumph Hurdle, to become leading trainer at the Festival for the one and only time to date.