Cheltenham Festival reaction: Novice hurdles paint clear picture

Stay Away Fay’s win in the fifth and final Grade One novice hurdle of the Cheltenham Festival was a notable one. He was the second British-trained winner – and the first male to strike – among the fledgling hurdlers.

Prior to that Marble Sands’ fifth in the Ballymore was the best the boys from the home ranks could muster.

And what a depressing snap-shot that is of the state of the sport in Britain right now.

That’s nothing against Fergal O’Brien’s charge – he again ran to a Timeform rating of 133 to lead the leg-weary home contingent up the hill, trailing in the wake of Impaire Et Passe et al.

But one place behind him was Hermes Allen – our big hope for the week in the division. He was beaten before the turn for home.

There’ll be other days for Nicholls’ charge – but that remark also applies to the winner, Gaelic Warrior, Champ Kiely and Good Lad who were long gone by the time the British boys hit the line.

In the Sky Bet Supreme Ireland had the first eight home. And while connections of Marine Nationale and Facile Vega plot which Grade One route they take next year, Strong Leader (ninth), Tahmuras (tenth) and Chasing Fire (12th) will look to make hay while the sun shines on the domestic front – long before it actually does come when March again comes around.

The Boodles is a handicap of course. Ireland – despite the savage treatment of so many of their horses at the hands of the British assessor – had six of the first seven home.

The Triumph was a bit of a struggle – just the first ten in that – but then came Stay Away Fay, a sure-footed winner of the Albert Bartlett for the Ditcheat maestro. Can you guess where his five nearest pursuers hailed from though?

Nicky Henderson didn’t have a runner in the Supreme or Triumph. His best juvenile hurdler was balloted out of the Boodles and his one representative in the Ballymore pulled up at 150/1.

Only Pauling (two) and Gary Moore could muster a home representative in the Triumph. Nicholls, Olly Murphy (two), O’Brien (a 200/1 chance) and Charlie Longsdon flew the flag in the Supreme.

Joining Marble Sands and Hermes Allen in the Ballymore were Master Chewy (200/1) and Henderson’s Persian Time.

It was better in the Albert Bartlett – seven of the 20-strong field were trained in Britain but the 18/1 winner was the shortest in the betting. The rest of the septet returned 66/1, 50/1, 66/1, 250/1, 33/1 and 100/1.

And these are the seedcorn, next year’s Arkle, Turners and Brown Advisory horses.

The 2024 novice hurdlers were in the Weatherbys Champion Bumper and Ireland saddled ten of the first 11 home, Willie Mullins responsible for seven of them.

Thank goodness for Captain Teague, a very exciting prospect for Nicholls who still looked raw in finishing third.

And thank goodness for You Wear it Well – who denied Magical Zoe a memorable win in the Jack De Bromhead Mares' Novices' Hurdle – but did at least strike a blow for the young Brits. Four of the first six home were trained in Ireland to continue the theme.

At the Tattersalls Sale after racing on Thursday Gordon Elliott twice went to 420,000 guineas to snare the top lots. Mullins’ recruitment is already firmly under way for next term across France and Ireland too.

British trainers are playing catch-up. By and large the Irish point-to-point fields are where the future stars are learning their trade and they’re very hard to buy right now. Certainly, the ones the big guns in Ireland want.

The odd one will slip through the net. Henderson got Constitution Hill at the Goffs UK Spring Sale in 2021. He went for 120,000 guineas but this was a horse on everyone’s radar who didn’t sell himself on the day to those who made their way to his box for a pre-sale inspection.

For meaningful change to occur, for the sport in Britain to flourish, the trickle has to become if not a flood then at least a steady stream.

And for that to happen we have to make it more attractive for the big owners to have their big-money purchases trained here.

Now Cheltenham’s over the attention turns back – for a few weeks at least – to the problems we face. We’re not talking the whip here but small fields, poor prize-money, bloated fixture lists, lack of strong leadership... you could go on.

And until they start to be addressed, Phil Tufnell posing next to the Prestbury Cup scoreboard with a glass of champagne will be as much a part of Cheltenham history as Best Mate, Kauto Star and Big Buck’s.

These are halcyon days for Irish racing. Brilliant horses in the right hands and carrying all before them. It only seems to be gathering momentum too.

They say these things are cyclical, the wheel will turn full circle again, but not without a firm push so for now celebrating an Albert Bartlett win like it’s a Gold Cup might be as good as it gets for the best of British.

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