Back at Cheltenham - Forward to The Brocklesby!

EPISODE 17 – CHELTENHAM OVERVIEW & THE BROCKLESBY

The Cheltenham is now disappearing in the rear-view mirror – how did it all go for you? 

As a racing fan there’s always the temptation to move quickly on to the next race or meeting, without ever looking back at what there is to be learned and drunk in from the recent past. So with that mindset, here’s The WRAP’s few minutes in your ears with our take on Cheltenham 2022. Not just the racing but the whole epic, ‘gathering of the clans’ in our little corner of the Cotswolds.

On which note, as someone who turned up for each of the four days, it’s sad to underline the general feeling held by many racegoers, that this year Cheltenham really did feel like one gigantic rip off. Yes we love the Festival and the whole season still pretty much revolves around it. For anyone whose heart beats that much faster to Jumps racing, Cheltenham has the cure and we’re all sick, but there’s only so far price inelasticity can go, before even the most ardent jumps fan says, ‘enough is enough’.

If you didn’t go then you will certainly have heard about the sky-high cost of parking, drinks, food on top of your entry costs. Cheltenham can justify this however much they like comparing it with costs at other major sporting events and will point out that Thursday and Friday were sold out – the fact is, when a round of drinks for you and your 6 mates comes to over £50 then you feel deflated before a race is run. For me I left the course on the Friday feeling I was nothing more than an economic unit, to be exploited, not a customer or better still an advocate and a fan, to be cherished.

Cheltenham HAS to decide if it wants to be a driving force behind UK Horseracing PLC or behind UK Horseracing – The Sport. If it’s the former, then go introduce your fifth day….charge even more per day for less races and tell yourself you’re giving everyone a chance to attend. Hell, first year you do it you’ll probably smash all records with folks turning up for the novelty value of  the Cheltenham Festival on a Saturday…..until they realise they’re watching watered-down tat – a Gymkhana, where pretty much everyone that turns up gets a rosette and the now empty kudos of having a Cheltenham winner.

At which point, my guess is those attending will vote with their leisure £ and head for the Premier League or the Six Nations Rugby…or won’t bother turning out at all if the weather looks a bit ropey, because deep down they don’t appreciate what they’re watching and certainly don’t understand the culture and history of what the Cheltenham Festival once was.

Whilst we’re on the subject of the weather too, the decision to water on Tuesday evening, ahead of the monsoon on Wednesday that turned the course and areas around it into a re enactment of The Somme, has to be questioned. More importantly, so does the arrogance of the course executive in doubling down on their mistake, saying they would do exactly the same again next year if faced with similar circumstances.

So they wouldn’t take a wider sample of forecasts?

They wouldn’t wait slightly longer before turning on the taps?

They wouldn’t consult with a wider sample of trainers, jockeys and owners as to the course of action they should take?

They wouldn’t reconsider the strategy to produce so-called safer racing ground at the expense of horses that act on good ground or better?

And would accept the non-runners of Wednesday including Bravemansgame and, to all intents and purposes, Shishkin, two leading lights of the jumps season, to be merely ‘collateral damage’?

Like I said, that’s pure pig-headedness, when a ‘Sorry – we got it wrong on this occasion’ would have gone a long way to mollifying their core customer base – but as I’ve postulated, that particular demographic, can seemingly, go swivel.

Look, it gives me no pleasure to tear into Cheltenham Racecourse like this. I know they’re good hearted people and I hope it’s obvious through this and all the other WRAP episodes, that I love the Festival with my life and have had some of the finest times of my life there both at the course and during the week, meeting up with friends old and new and experiencing the sheer abandonment of being a racegoer talking and laughing with racegoers about race going and everything that goes with it.

Please. Cheltenham. Don’t take me for granted – and don’t take me for a fool.

Okay, onto the racing and before the Festival, the WRAP along with many others, thought the best race of the Festival could be over and done with by about 1.36 on Festival Tuesday. We probably weren’t wrong either because Jesus CONSTITUTION HILL was magnificent! For me, in pure ‘what the hell have I just witnessed’ terms, his performance was right up there with Master Minded’s first Champion Chase win. I’ve heard folks crabbing this already saying Sir Gerhard and Vauban and Uncle Tom Cobbley and all weren’t there but, he reduced quality opposition to also-rans basically and immediately bought up the prospect of a mouth-watering clash with HONEYSUCKLE (more of her shortly) either at Punchestown this season or back here in the Champion Hurdle next season assuming that’s the route Nicky Henderson goes down with Constitution Hill – JONBON surely will go Novice Chasing with the Arkle a gleam in his trainer’s eye?

Of those in behind him, DYSART DYNAMO lived to fight another day after his fall and KILCRUIT may be forced to be forever the bridesmaid over the next couple of seasons, if kept to hurdling.

The Arkle Chase did not look a vintage renewal, largely because there was no outstanding previous season novice hurdler in the field, not that that will have bothered Alan King one iota, after EDWARDSTONE returned to the winners enclosure. Next season will test his professionalism when going up against ENUGERMANE and SHISHKIN – but he’s an exciting addition to throw into that heady mix.

The Ultima should be more than a footnote to Tuesday’s racing, highlighting as it did one of the best rides of the Festival (beaten only by Patrick Mullins piloting of FLOORING PORTER in the Stayers Hurdle), with Derek Fox’ ‘ice-for-blood’ hold up ride on CORACH RAMBLER. Tom Scudamore once again underlined his ability in Cheltenham Festival handicap races steering the gambled-on GERCAULT ROQUE into second, but was powerless against Fox’ late thrust on the winner.

What can you say about HONEYSUCKLE that hasn’t already been said? It was good that jockey Rachel Blackmore got her day in the (metaphorical) sunshine on-board the popular Irish champion mare, after winning in front of empty stands last year. A great event in its own right, never mind underlining her claims in a face off with Constitution Hill if and when that happens.

Finishing ff with my thoughts on the Tuesday, it was great that hot favourite GAELIC WARRIOR got beaten in the Juvenile Handicap Hurdle. I’ve no beef with the horse or its connections, but a win for a horse, sent off the warm favourite, that had never seen a UK racecourse until this race, would have been a victory for those ‘in the know’ and in the inner circle close to trainer Willie Mullins and those who simply follow the money when such a ‘those in the know’ punt develops momentum. This is a major turn off for a form-driven punter like myself, so hats off to BRAZIL and his connections for spoiling that particular party – not that, ultimately, it would have ruffled Willie Mullins’ feathers a bit, given what was to come for him and his team.

Wednesday, as we’ve already highlighted, blew in with rain, followed by, ummm, rain with a side order of rain turning Prestbury Park into a sea of beastly mud and ooomska.

SIR GERHARD took the opening Ballymore Novice Hurdle in straightforward enough fashion for an odds-on shot, tanking throughout the race and showing great acceleration to settle matters at the final flight. This wasn’t particularly flashy but did underline the gelding’s chances back over two miles next season, where a potential clash (or hopefully, clashes) with either or both of Constitution Hill and Honeysuckle await.

Robbed of favourite BRAVEMANSGAME, withdrawn due to the heavy ground, the 3 mile Novice Chase fell into the lap of L’HOMME PRESSE, who gave jockey Charlie Deutsch his firs festival winner. My immediate thought after the winner crossed the line was ‘Next season’s King George Chase winner’ as a quick 3 miles around Kempton looks tailor made for him. 3 ¼ miles round here in the Gold Cup though next year – hmmmm, right now I have my doubts

I’ve got a well-weird bucket list, I’m fully prepared to admit. Top of it is ‘to back the winner of the Coral Cup just once’. 26 years I’ve been taking a swing at this one and 26 years I’ve been about as much use as a condom in a nunnery in this race. Needles to say my pokes GANPATHI and DROP THE ANCHOR ran like drains and are still strolling round Somerset probably for all the impact they made. COMMANDER IN FLEET won at 50/1 underlining (I would argue) the poor week Gordon Elliott had, considering the quote ‘savage’ team he sent over to Gloucestershire this time around. Two winners from his battalions of greatness – and re-iterating, Commander Of Fleet was an unconsidered 50/1 shot, so was hardly one of these ‘savage’ types based on market sentiment – was hardly what he would have been expecting and must sit badly with him next to Willie Mullins’ 10 gold medallists.

Speaking of which – ENUGERMENE!

What a great call this was by our friend Wayward Lad. Go back and give the last episode of the WRAP a listen and read his blog, for a balls-out, nailing of colours to the mast take on how Energumene would win the Champion Chase and precisely the tactics he would employ to do so. Shishkin as we know, never turned up and though Nicky Henderson was quick to blame the ground which of Shishkin and Energumene had the tougher race at Ascot in January? Makes you think that just maybe, Shishkin left the Champion Chase in Berkshire in January.

I’ve gone on record at great and tedious length about my loathing of the Cross Country Chase. Nonetheless I’m a sucker for an emotional story – aren’t all true racing fans? – and TIGER ROLL oh so nearly gave is the tear-jerking finish to his career we all wanted to see. In hindsight, with our flinty-eyed punters hats on, eventual winner DELTA WORK was probably the best bet of the week – a horse who had been plying his trade in Grade one races for three years, now fetching up in an egg and spoon race. It was a shame Delta Work’s jockey Jack Kennedy got booed for ruining the fairy-tale but was big of Davy Russell recognise what was happening to walk into the winners’ enclosure beside him, the Tiger and The Winner both, quite rightly, sharing what applause there was.

The concluding Champion Bumper was all but called off with standing water on the track at this point and the monsoon showing no signs of abating (it was still trickling down when I left the Prince of India Curry House at Stow on the Wold at 10.00 that night). For me, the one to take out of the race was third place JAMES’ GATE for whom this was only his second racecourse outing. He’ll be aimed at the Ballymore Hurdle (since he’s owned by the race sponsors) which bookends Festival Wednesday next year and at this stage looks a sound bet for that race at around 14/1.

Onto Thursday then where the weather couldn’t have been more different and the ground was already drying out to ‘Soft, good to soft in places’ after a morning of sun and a stiff breeze.

The day got off to the unedifying spectacle of a four-runner Championship race for 2 ½ mile novice chasers. You’ll have seen the race and you know what happened racing-wise, so my comments are reserved, though unbroadcastable, for those racegoers who cheered GALOPIN DES CHAMPS fall at the last, with the race seemingly won. If you take nothing else away from this podcast, please, never, ever cheer a faller – period.

The Ryanair Chase was once again turned into ALLAHO first, fresh air second for the second year in a row. In the ante-post market the horse had either convincingly beaten all his market rivals several times or those rivals were likely to run in a different race. All Allaho had to do was stroll round, jump economically and that would be that and so it proved, and it’ll take a brave punter to go in against him doing the ‘threepeat’ in this race in 2023, such is his dominance at this intermediate trip.

The second championship race of the day, The Stayers Hurdle, saw Danny Mullins get his timings spot on to the second, setting off in front and bever seeing another rival until the unsaddling enclosure – where Mullins and the horse experienced THE reception of the week from his boisterous and good natured owners and, seemingly, half of Ireland that had blagged their way in. THYME HILL and PAISLEY PARK both delivered their usual strong finishes but had given the winner too much rope, whilst CHAMP, now aged 10, simply didn’t have the firepower of old to get on the podium. Ditto favourite KLASSICAL DREAM, who pulled away his chances with another headstrong display, fighting his jockey for much of the race and consequently having nothing to give at the finish.

The Plate Handicap Chase  delivered one of the stories of the Festival, with Cheltenham perennial COOLE CODY another one to make all the running for victory. Presumably it was his age – he’s a veteran of 11 years now – that put punters off his chances, meaning he went off at an unconsidered 22/1. He loves the course though and is a standing dish in these 2 ½ mile handicap chases throughout the season, where he gives his running, popping away out front, irrespective of ground conditions or quality of opposition.

Onto Friday then, with he ground now riding Good to Soft, Soft in places, after a further drying day.

VAUBAN took the Triumph Hurdle and in doing so, gave the form a strong look, beating second and third favourites FIL D’OR and PIED PIPER into second and third place. As to the future, Triumph Hurdle winners generally have a tough time of it as five year olds, when realistically, their aim is the Champion Hurdle. VAUBAN may go down this route, with a clash with Honeysuckle and Constitution Hill a thought to keep us tumescent over the next 12 months – but before that there’s the small matter of a potential tilt at The Melbourne Cup, on the flat in Australia later this year, as a shorter-term target.

The County Hurdle saw STATE MAN run like a Graded horse in a Handicap and in winning the race, became yet another, though slightly further left-field, candidate for next years Champion Hurdle, I tell you, if all the horses I’ve mentioned do go for this race and remain fit, it’ll be one of the races of a lifetime, never mind the 2023 Festival.

Personally, on a purely punting level, The Albert Bartlett Novices Hurdle was the race of the festival for me, since I’d been not only crapping on about the chances of BARDENSTOWN LAD but had been backing him, each way, since January and then went in again on the place only markets on the Tote and on Betfair on the day of the race. THE NICE GUY and MINELLA COCOONER ran away with the Exacta lacings but my lad stayed on well from the back, like his breeding and grinding ‘never-say-die’ racing style said he would, to take an easy third place. Better ground will see him to better effect and he could be a Grand National horse in a couple of years’ time.

And so on to the Gold Cup.

It might seem churlish for my first comment on the race is that surely ASTEION FORLONGE would have been the only horse capable of giving Allaho a race if it had taken its chance in the Ryanair Chase on the Thursday? Jumping exuberantly (for a change) out in front, if occasionally to the right, it was simply a question of the race distance beating him as he ran out of stamina at the bottom of the hill. Wayward Lad commented afterwards that he may have been in the race to ensure a strong gallop for joint-owned stablemate AL BOUM PHOTO – who knows? 

You have to hand it to Henry De Bromhead, Rachel Blackmore and winner A PLUS TARD, their victory was thoroughly deserved and took you back to their romp in the Betfair Chase at Haydock last November in terms of the manner in which the horse travelled throughout the race and then put it to bed after the last fence. It could hardly be described as a blip, his short-head second place to GALVIN at Christmas in the Savills Chase – simply a better horse on the day beat him by the narrowest of margins, but A PLUS TARD had his revenge here, reversing 2021 placings with stablemate MINELLA INDO, who seems to come alight at Cheltenham in March. PROTEKTORAT remains a young. Lightly-raced competitor for whom next season will be geared entirely around this race in 12 months time – but meanwhile the Betfair Bowl at Aintree beckons provided he comes out of this race with no ill-effects. If that plan does come off it will be a proper hurrah for owner John Hales who had his dreams of Gold Cup glory with his fantastic horse ONE MAN scuppered on two occasions back in the 1990’s.

Well that was a not-so-brief overview of Cheltenham 2022. It’s all there now in the form-book and on the replay section on Racing TV. I hope it was good for you and here’s to us meeting up again in 2023 the racing gods’ willing.