F EATURE BARRY GERAGHTY
I think we’re spoiled this year, particularlywith the novice chasers, and I can’t wait to watch!
because of restrictions imposed due to the ongoing pandemic, but for Geraghty it will be the rst time in more than two decades he has not been in the saddle. His victories at last year’s event helped cement his place as the second most successful rider in the history of The Festival, with 43 wins – 16 behind RubyWalsh but 12 ahead of Sir AP McCoy. All three jockeys called time on their careers within ve years of each other. For racing fans that marks the end of an exceptional era, but for Geraghty it shuts the door on a thrill which simply cannot be replicated. He adds: “The whole build-up and the anticipation is a buzz. The season is just built around Cheltenham, and from the time that your winter horses come in after the summer, it’s all roads to that meeting. You’re always looking at whether your horses are good enough and
above their own peg, signing their own name underneath. In 2019 the great RubyWalsh discreetly autographed the wall and added the number ‘59’ to signal – privately at the time – the end of his Festival fairytale and to acknowledge his nal Cheltenhamwinner. Geraghty admits he considered doing the same last year, but wanted to see out the rest of the season before revealing to the world he was retiring. He explains: “I suppose at some stage through mid to late January I was kind of coming around to thinking that this was a good year to nish, and I knew going into Cheltenham that it was my nal one. “I probably showed more emotion riding winners at Cheltenham than I had done for a long time as a consequence, because I knew it was the last one.
which races they’ll go for, so everything is just geared to it, and your season is judged on your success there. “As a jockey you want to get there in one piece beforehand, and the roar you hear at the start of the rst race is just brilliant. All the big Spring festivals are wonderful, but I couldn’t tell you how many winners I’ve had at Aintree, Punchestown
I wanted to enjoy it and I wanted to celebrate, so to bag a big one with Epatante in my nal year, meant the world to me. “I was tempted to sign my name in the weighing room like Ruby did, but with people having copped onto it afterwards, I didn’t want to give the game away!” This year’s Festival will be very dierent. Not only
16 THE F E S T I VAL TM SUPPORT I NG WE L LCH I LD PREV I EW MAGAZ I NE
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