Ben Linfoot reflects on four fantastic days of the 2022 Cheltenham Festival by dishing out his awards for the best human and equine participants of the week.
🏆 RACE OF THE WEEK
GOLD CUP. All the talk pre-Festival was about the Shishkin v Energumene rematch in the Champion Chase, but, while that sequel disappointed, the Henry De Bromhead Cheltenham Gold Cup one-two follow-up delivered in style, only this time with last year’s best-supporting actor playing the leading role.
A Plus Tard might’ve won by an astonishing 15 lengths, but this was compelling stuff deep into the contest as stablemate and last year’s winner Minella Indo put his best foot forward at the Festival, once again, when hitting the front just when the screw was being turned.
Robbie Power nicked a couple of lengths on the field approaching the second last and at that point it looked as though Rachael Blackmore had run into a pocket of trouble in behind on A Plus Tard, with Minella Indo going well with the hill to climb.
Blackmore didn’t panic, though, and when she switched to the outside on A Plus Tard, who was full of running, he made his ground up easily, with Minella Indo suddenly looking like a sitting duck. A wonderful leap at the last sealed it, before A Plus Tard put 15 lengths between himself and last year’s winner with a late burst that defies logic after 3m2f of galloping at this highest level.
The first woman to win the Grand National last season, Blackmore has the same accolade for the Gold Cup now with her confidence in the Gold Cup winner shining through.
It was also another amazing feat for De Bromhead, another incredible Gold Cup one-two, another massive race double after Honeysuckle’s second Champion Hurdle earlier in the week. More on her later.
🏆 RIDE OF THE WEEK
DANNY MULLINS. Plenty to choose from in this category.
For brute strength it has to be Mark Walsh on Brazil in the Fred Winter, a never-say-die ride in the mould of what we used to see from AP McCoy in the same silks. Well placed in a prominent position in a steadily run race, Walsh demanded a strong finishing effort from Brazil as he showed guts and willing to wear down Gaelic Warrior up the hill.
For nerve look no further than Derek Fox on Corach Rambler in the Ultima. He still had loads to do three out and he had plenty to do two out, but Fox timed a winning run to perfection, the pair scything through Gericault Roque and Oscar Elite late in the day to underline the panache.
They were the handicap standouts, but the ride of the week came in the Grade One Paddy Power Stayers’ Hurdle, Danny Mullins delivering another textbook ride from the front on reigning champion Flooring Porter. Beforehand all the chat was about the start, with the last thing on anyone’s mind being the possibility of Mullins getting a freebie on the front end again.
Somehow he quickly established a five-length lead, he dictated the race from an early stage and filled his mount’s lungs up at the top of the hill, where he stacked them up in behind. In control the whole way, Mullins kept a check on what was happening in behind him on the big screen up the hill, the result never in doubt thanks to a perfectly timed challenge from the front. Lovely stuff.
🏆 JOCKEY OF THE WEEK
PAUL TOWNEND. A rollercoaster of a week for Paul Townend, but five winners thanks to Sir Gerhard, Energumene, Allaho, Vauban and State Man helped him to the top jockey title.
It was a difficult first day for the Closutton number one, as Dysart Dynamo fell three out in the Sky Bet Supreme Novices’ Hurdle, Appreciate It disappointed in the Unibet Champion Hurdle and then Gaelic Warrior, who looked home for all money in the Fred Winter, got mugged by a surging Brazil in the Tuesday closer.
That collective made the ride on Sir Gerhard an important one for Townend in the day two opener - and he duly delivered after being dropped in in the Ballymore, a switch in tactics over the longer trip paying dividends on the ever-softening ground.
With one on the board that gave him confidence and, even allowing for the unexpected early exits of Shishkin and Chacun Pour Soi in the Betway Queen Mother Champion Chase, his ride on Energumene worked out perfectly after he took everyone by surprise by holding him up in the rear.
There was no such shock over his execution of Allaho’s Ryanair charge, another exemplary from-the-front display from the awesome galloper, while he had the pleasure of steering exceptional juvenile Vauban to Triumph Hurdle victory on Gold Cup day, before handicap good thing, State Man, in the County.
🏆 TRAINER OF THE WEEK
WILLIE MULLINS. Last year we crowned Henry De Bromhead as the trainer of the meeting even though Willie Mullins edged the official title on countback, but this time around it was sheer domination from Ireland’s champion handler, who had 10 winners.
It took Team Mullins until the seventh race of the meeting to get one on the board, surprisingly, Stattler’s National Hunt Chase victory under Patrick Mullins ensuring the opening day didn’t end with a frustrating blank.
The deluge of rain on the Wednesday didn’t stop the Mullins train from getting into full gear, with Sir Gerhard, Energumene and Facile Vega – a tremendous prospect who seems to go on any ground, even waterlogged – completing a Champion Chase day treble.
Allaho did an Allaho on Thursday and the week was completed with Vauban’s brilliant Triumph win, State Man’s County romp, an Albert Bartlett one-two led home by The Nice Guy, Billaway’s Hunter Chase and Elimay’s last-gasp Mrs Paddy Power Mares’ Chase win. Phew.
🏆 NOVICE HURDLER OF THE WEEK
CONSTITUTION HILL. Never mind novice hurdler of the week. Timeform rated Constitution Hill 177p following his Sky Bet Supreme Novices’ romp, making him the highest-rated novice hurdler in their 74-year history.
There were gasps amongst the clock-watchers when the official time came through, the strong early pace, set by Dysart Dynamo and helped along by Jonbon, contributing to a stunning overall time and one that was almost six seconds quicker than the subsequently-run Champion Hurdle over the same course and distance.
Constitution Hill tanked off the fierce gallop and just kept on going as the others cried off, with stablemate Jonbon’s 22-length second ensuring trainer Nicky Henderson entered into a state of wide-eyed disbelief in the winner’s enclosure.
He’d just seen a perfect performance from his Constitution Hill on ground riding quicker than the official description of Good to Soft, and the question now is whether he can kick on from this and do it again.
The way he powered up the hill was simply awesome and it’s no surprise to see him 3/1 for the 2023 Champion Hurdle, so it is with hope this most exciting novice gets the chance to breathe fresh life into the two-mile hurdling division next season.
🏆 NOVICE CHASER OF THE WEEK
GALOPIN DES CHAMPS. Edwardstone and L’Homme Presse went a little way to silencing the doom and gloom surrounding the state of British jumps racing with excellent victories in the Sporting Life Arkle and Brown Advisory novice chases, while Stattler won a second consecutive National Hunt Chase for owner Ronnie Bartlett.
However, the wow performance of the week from the novice chasing division came in the Turners Novices’ Chase when Galopin Des Champs tore the heart out of Bob Olinger with a breathtaking display before a real unlucky fall at the last when 12 lengths clear.
It wasn’t a perfect performance from Galopin Des Champs even before the final fence drama, as he gave the first couple of obstacles plenty of air and there was a real worry that his uneconomical jumping would cost him in the latter stages of the race. Then he took off early and reached for one down the back, brave but bold.
But as he got into his groove he was pouring it on up front and he started jumping much more slickly, forcing main rival Bob Olinger into mistakes in behind before the turn for home.
Such was his rhythm by the last there wasn’t really a heart in the mouth moment and he jumped it well, before slipping on landing sending Townend out of the side door.
Thankfully he was fine as Bob Olinger took advantage in unconvincing fashion, only one of the big two looking like a future steeplechasing star - and it wasn’t the winner.
🏆 CONTROVERSY OF THE WEEK
WATER-GATE 2. A first Festival for new clerk of the course Jon Pullin and a real baptism of fire following a dry winter and a mixed forecast heading into the meeting.
The problems arose in between days one and two, when a combination of factors conspired against the new clerk. Firstly, Constitution Hill’s course record time in the Supreme raised eyebrows over the accuracy of the ‘Good to Soft’ description and secondly, Wednesday looked either wet and wild (to the tune of around 11mm of rain) or dry as a bone depending on your weather source.
With the safety of participants paramount the decision to water the Old Course with 5mm of irrigation was taken and at 8am Wednesday morning it looked a good one with the skies bright and the weather relatively mild.
What happened next wasn’t in any of the forecasts, with 10 hours of persistent precipitation causing 23mm of rain to fall on the course, which had turned ‘Soft’ before the opener, ‘Heavy’ later in the afternoon and then almost ‘Unraceable’ when they called an impromptu inspection before the Champion Bumper.
Paul Nicholls pulled out Bravemansgame and berated Pullin for not watching Countryfile, while Facile Vega splashed his way to the bumper after it was belatedly given the green light.
The verdict? I had a degree of sympathy for the beleaguered Pullin, as my Met Office app didn’t have a splash of rain falling on Wednesday until it began, at which point it switched to a 90% chance of rain for the next eight hours.
He’ll have access to more sophisticated weather information than that, but, while it was clearly the wrong decision to water in hindsight, imagine the other side of the coin. Not watering on quick ground followed by a dry day would have been a much bigger mistake from a safety point of view.
🏆 QUOTE OF THE WEEK
HUGHIE MORRISON. “I don’t trust people.”
The stewards’ inquiry after Third Wind’s win in the Pertemps Final was a 1.01 job.
Even Paddy Brennan, the supposed sufferer, said he felt no interference in the stewards’ room, leaving a clearly nervous Tom O’Brien to shrug his shoulders as he waited for confirmation of his second Festival win, 13 years on from the last (Silk Affair in the ’09 Fred Winter).
Meanwhile, in the winners’ enclosure, Hughie Morrison was being interviewed by Lydia Hislop on Racing TV, who played a blinder in delaying the conversation so it including the bing-bong.
“You must be confident you’ll keep it?” asked Hislop, to which Morrison replied “if it’s reversed we’ll appeal. I don’t trust people,” which is a fair comment at the best of times.
Seconds later the placings remained unaltered, prompting a relieved chuckle from Morrison who said: “Well I always knew we’d keep it,” his faith in humanity temporarily restored.
🏆 NATIONAL HUNT STALLION(S) OF THE WEEK
JEREMY and FAME AND GLORY
The prizes were spread around this week but two National Hunt stallions notched up a double with Jeremy the first to the feat thanks to a star novice hurdler and an up-and-coming staying novice chaser who landed a handicap.
Corach Rambler was his first to go in in the Ultima Handicap Chase for Lucinda Russell, before Sir Gerhard landed the Ballymore Novices’ Hurdle in very different ground conditions the following day.
Fame And Glory was the other stallion to get two winners, Commander Of Fleet causing at 50/1 shocker in the Coral Cup before The Nice Guy prevailed in the Albert Bartlett on the final day.
🏆 HORSE OF THE WEEK
HONEYSUCKLE. If the opposition had been better it could’ve been Allaho. If he’d managed to get his head in front it could’ve been Tiger Roll. If he’d done what he did in a novice against open company it probably would’ve been Constitution Hill. If Shishkin and Chacun Pour Soi had finished the Champion Chase beaten it definitely would’ve been Energumene.
But the horse of the week title goes to Honeysuckle, her second Unibet Champion Hurdle coming against a few new rivals who were swatted away as easily as all the others. Appreciate It, last year’s dominant 24-length winner of the Supreme, couldn’t handle this speed test – and it was a speed test in an unusually slowly run renewal of the championship event on what was ‘Good’ ground according to Timeform.
There was a time when Honeysuckle might’ve been vulnerable in such a situation, but over the last two years she’s got faster and her trademark quickening between the last two hurdles was in evidence yet again, an authoritative surge of speed at a crucial point in the race proving decisive for the umpteenth time.
Things might get tougher for Honeysuckle in the future judging by the novices if one or more of Constitution Hill, Sir Gerhard and Vauban stay over hurdles. It’s extremely hard to continue winning runs, seeing off new generations. But she’s unbeaten, 15 from 15, 10 Grade Ones in a row, two Champion Hurdles in a row and she’s closing in on Altior’s record of 19 consecutive victories now.
If she goes to Punchestown and wins and things go to plan next season, she could end up back at the 2023 Cheltenham Festival going for a hat-trick of Champion Hurdles and a record-equalling 19th consecutive success. There’s a long way to go until then, but this is the Honeysuckle story and it ain’t over yet…
