THE F E S T I VAL™ 15-18 MARCH 2022
“TOBEATCHELTENHAM, RIDINGAWINNEROFA CHAMPIONHURDLE – IT’S JUSTSOFARREMOVED FROM ANYTHING I EVERTHOUGHTCOULDBE POSSIBLE”
finishes. The Close Brothers Mares’ Hurdle made headlines around the world back in 2015, when Annie Power’s unthinkable final flight fall saved bookmakers a pay-out in the region of £50 million. One final flight spill at The Festival is enough for any of us to endure, but in the same colours of Rich Ricci and representing trainer Willie Mullins, Ruby Walsh parted company with Benie Des Dieux in almost identical circumstances four years later in 2019. By 5pm on Tuesday it is time to take stock at the end of a breathtaking day’s racing… and to get ready to do it all again on Wednesday.
riding those horses and that’s a massive part of any jockey’s career; being in the right place at the right time and getting linked up with the right yard.” Run over the same distance as the Champion Hurdle, the Sky Bet Supreme Novices’ Hurdle is the race which kicks the whole week off, prompting that spine-tingling roar. And the top class action comes thick and fast, with the Sporting Life Arkle Novices’ Chase regularly serving as an express route to the following year’s Betway Queen Mother Champion Chase. The final Grade One contest of the day is a race that famously has the knack for producing some dramatic
Mother Champion Chase and the WellChild Cheltenham Gold Cup later in the week. Barely able to comprehend what had just happened, Blackmore said after the race: “To me, this was never even a dream. It was so far from what I ever thought could happen in my life. To be at Cheltenham, riding a winner of a Champion Hurdle – it’s just so far removed from anything I ever thought could be possible, so maybe there’s a lesson in that for everyone out there. “You can’t do it without getting on the right horses and I’ve been extremely lucky in that sense, getting linked up with a yard like Henry de Bromhead’s. You need to be
THE JOCKEYCLUB . CO . UK 49
Made with FlippingBook flipbook maker