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2010 Quiet confidence of Twiston-Davies is well founded FOR three years Kauto Star and Denman, neighbours and rivals at Paul Nicholls’ all-conquering Ditcheat yard, had carved up the Cheltenham Gold Cup between them but not this time. Imperial Commander ( right ) broke the stranglehold with an impressive victory for trainer Nigel Twiston- Davies and jockey Paddy Brennan. In another high-class renewal in this golden age of steeplechasing, Kauto Star, sent off 8-11 favourite to repeat his wins of 2007 and 2009, fell four out. Denman, the 4-1 second favourite who had beaten Kauto Star into second in 2008 before the positions were reversed the following year, did his best to keep the prize at Ditcheat but had to settle for second again. Imperial Commander’s seven- length victory was thoroughly merited and Twiston-Davies said: “All of the publicity was about Kauto Star and Denman, but we knew we were going to win, so we stayed quiet. And now we’ve won.” If Twiston-Davies felt satisfaction at answering any
success, before returning the following year to take Big Zeb’s crown. An even more formidable record was being compiled by the Nicholls-trained Big Buck’s, who took the second of four straight wins in the Stayers’ Hurdle. This was a seventh victory in a row in what became an 18-race winning sequence over jumps, a record broken only by Altior last year. The Willie Mullins-trained Quevega also landed her second win of a record sequence, which in her case eventually stretched to six in a row in the Mares’ Hurdle. Other Festival specialists included Jonjo O’Neill’s Albertas Run, who added the Ryanair Chase to his 2008 RSA Chase victory before coming back the following year to win another Ryanair, and Buena Vista, who took the first of two Pertemps Final wins for David Pipe. A Cheltenham star was born when Cue Card, a 40-1 outsider, ran away with the Champion Bumper ( below ) by eight lengths, giving trainer Colin Tizzard his first Festival success. Cue Card became a Festival regular, winning the 2013 Ryanair Chase.
doubters, so too did the Binocular team after he finally reached the pinnacle in the Champion Hurdle Runner-up in the Supreme Novices’ Hurdle in 2008 and only third when 6-4 favourite for the 2009 Champion Hurdle, Binocular had been on the verge of being scratched with a muscle problem in the build-up but trainer Nicky Henderson had him cherry-ripe on the day. AP McCoy, who was able to bide his time on his strong- travelling mount,who sealed the
race with slick jumping over the last three hurdles and an irresistible turn of foot, scoring by three and a half lengths from Khyber Kim. Ireland secured its biggest prize when Big Zeb took the Queen Mother Champion Chase for trainer Colm Murphy and jockey Barry Geraghty, prising the title from odds-on favourite Master Minded, who was fourth as he attempted to complete a hat-trick. The Arkle also went to Ireland when Sizing Europe gave trainer Henry de Bromhead a first Festival
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