the festival | wednesday
Special Tiara and Noel Fehily return after winning The Betway Queen Mother Champion Steeple Chase
LADIES DAY SPORTING GRACE 14 MARCH 2018
Crowning glory
h e secured the feature two-mile championship over hurdles on day one of The Festival and just 24 hours later, Noel Fehily was back again to win the equivalent race over fences as Special Tiara made all the running in the Betway Queen Mother Champion Chase. Having been third in the previous two renewals, the Irish-trained 11-year-old was a deserving winner as he clung on in the closing stages from the fast-finishing Fox Norton – who went on to frank the form with wins at the Aintree and Punchestown Festivals. Henry De Bromhead was a proud man as his Special
winner could be a fascinating addition to the Timicio Cheltenham Gold Cup picture in 2018. Elliott’s winners came later on the card and both were ridden by 2017 Irish champion amateur jockey Jamie Codd. Codd had ridden Cause Of Causes twice before to victory at The Festival and was back aboard his old friend in the Glenfarclas Chase, winning by nine lengths. Codds’s other winner Fayonagh blew the start of the Weatherbys Champion Bumper but overcame trouble for a comprehensive victory.The win was all the sweeter for her winning jockey as he had recommended and bought the mare for her current owners. A Cheltenham win is always an emotional experience and trainer Ben Pauling put in a huge celebratory effort after his Willoughby Court made all the running in the Neptune Investment Management Novices’ Hurdle. A huge roar bounced around the stands when the favourite Neon Wolf loomed large under Fehily but he fluffed the final flight and found Willoughby Court too strong. Even better was to come for trainer Jessica Harrington later in the week but Supasundae provided her with the first of three winners at The Festival with a strong staying performance in the Coral Cup.
L a d i e s ’ D a y s a w w i n s f o r s p e c i a l t i a r a a n d m i g h t b i t e
Gordon Elliott and Nicky Henderson had both been successful on the opening day and were to saddle three winners between them, with Henderson responsible for the finish of the week as his pair of Might Bite and Whisper fought out the finish to the RSA Novices’ Chase. For some reason many had been sceptical of Might Bite’s chances after he fell when clear at Kempton over Christmas, but he had got his career back on track with a win at Doncaster and started as 7/2 favourite. The giant eight-year-old set out to make all and was successfully doing so until veering violently to his right having jumped the final fence. He looked to have thrown away a winning chance as his stablemate Whisper came flying along his left-hand side, only for Might Bite to pick up again and poke his nose ahead right on the line. The result was the same again when the pair later clashed at Aintree and the
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Tiara returned to the winner’s enclosure but much of the post-race focus turned to Willie Mullins as he again drew a blank and had to suffer the disappointment of Douvan flopping as the red-hot 2/9
favourite in the Champion Chase. Ruby Walsh eased him off and the pair finished a poor seventh. A pelvic stress fracture was to emerge as the reason, but his downfall was to prove costly to one punter who reportedly staked £500,000 on Douvan to win.
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