the festival | thursday
w i l l i e m u l l i n s a n d r u b y wa l s h n o t c h e d u p a m a g n i f i c e n t f o u r w i n s , m a k i n g s t pa t r i c k ’ s t h u r s d a y a m e m o r a b l e d a y roar back irish favourites
Davy Russell celebrates winning the Pertemps Network Final Handicap Hurdle
ST PATRICK’S THURSDAY MAY LUCK BE EVER IN YOUR FAVOUR 15 MARCH 2018
n oel Fehily could rightly have arrived at Cheltenham on day three of The Festival with high expectations. After all, he had ridden the winner of the championship races on the first two days and was to partner odds-on favourite Unowhatimeanharry in the feature Sun Bets Stayers’ Hurdle. But Fehily’s party was to come to a halt and the day would be remembered for the resurrection of the Willie Mullins-Ruby Walsh partnership as they combined for a magnificent 179/1 four-timer. The Irish duo have come to be the punters’ friend at the meeting in recent years with a high rate of success, but they had drawn a blank over the first two afternoons only to come roaring back on day three. First up was the talented but highly-strung Yorkhill, who Walsh was to try to steer to victory as the 6/4 favourite in the opening JLT Novices’ Chase. And for all that the seven-year- old can be a tearaway, he was brilliant that afternoon and defeat never really looked likely as he stayed on strongly to beat Top Notch. The second of the four wins came as Un De Sceaux – second 12 months earlier to the brilliant Sprinter Sacre in the Queen Mother – returned to the track to carry off the Ryanair Chase.
He himself had been somewhat of a runaway hero in his younger days, and there was almost a more controlled version of that young horse in evidence as he made all, jumping bravely and boldly, to be a 7/4 winning favourite. Mullins and Walsh then aligned themselves to crash Fehily’s party as Nichols Canyon proved his doubters wrong to beat popular Lil Rockerfeller and Unowhatimeanharry in the feature race.This was a fine demonstration of Walsh’s talents as he smuggled the 10/1 winner around the track at the rear before pouncing between the final two flights and taking top honours. With three winners already on the board, Let’s Dance
Yorkhill, ridden by Ruby Walsh
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was always going to be a warm order in the Trull House Stud Mares Novices’ Hurdle and the five- year-old had little trouble continuing her five-race winning spree as the 11/8
A number of bands play at Cheltenham during The Festival, with Irish music the highlight in the Guinness Village on St Patrick’s Day. Go to thefestival.co.uk for further details
Un De Sceaux and Ruby Walsh charge ahead
favourite. Davy Russell and Patrick Kelly combined once again to win the Pertemps Final, with Presenting Percy, while Noel Meade captured the Brown Advisory & Merriebelle Stable Plate courtesy of Road To Respect. And the afternoon will live long in the memory of Gina Andrews as she outgunned leading amateurs Derek O’Connor and Sam Waley-Cohen to land the Fulke Walwyn Kim Muir Challenge Cup on the Newport Pagnell-trained Domesday Book of Stuart Edmunds.
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Kalendar 49
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