Cheltenham 2004: A Festival to remember

Cheltenham memories: David Ord remembers the 2004 Cheltenham Festival

By David Ord

Horse Racing

Sun February 12, 2023 · 3y ago

Our man on why a Red Gurnard failed to hit the spot at Cheltenham 2004 - but the racing certainly did.

People tend to have an idyllic view of Cotswolds pubs.

You know the ones, the place Cameron Diaz walks into in The Holiday for example. Wooden beams, roaring fires and well-to-do locals perusing The Times crossword as they pick at their evening meal of pheasant or grouse.

Good job they didn’t film during race week. The beams and roaring fires are still there but so are men and women bearing the battle scars of a day at Prestbury Park. Some are short-runners, soon destined for bed, but others have the sort of stamina that carried Tiger Roll to three cross-country chase wins. ‘I’ll sleep when I die’ they’d say as you slumped off to your quarters at around 2am, fearing the grim reaper was indeed preparing to tap on the shoulder.

In 2004 I was staying in one such fine establishment, The Corner Cupboard in Winchcombe. A quite magnificent pub even if the car park requires a driver to have the reversing skills of the Stig and the understanding of angles that would have a mathematician with a masters degree scratching their head.

They all came through the doors over the four nights we were there. It was magical.

One guy would appear in the snug bar on the hour, every hour, cradling a pint of Hookey and pronouncing ‘it doesn’t get better than this’ before disappearing into the ether. He wasn’t wrong.

One of the highlights of the evening was the entire pub cramming around a small TV to watch the Channel 4 highlights programme. The groan when Moscow Flyer fell four out in the Champion Chase was nearly as loud then – some eight hours later – as it was on the course during the afternoon.

One Irish racegoer was struggling to come to terms with it. “I’d still back him now at evens if someone chalked him up”.

Quick as a flash, while trying to find some way to rewind the action, a local offered to lay an even £500. Thankfully the man from Cork hadn’t drunk quite enough to wade in again.

I do wonder if the desperate would-be layer went on to develop the next generation of Sky boxes.

I had my own little win too. A member of my party had decided to go rogue and order from the specials menu on the Wednesday night – or Gold Cup eve it was then – and I managed to persuade him that a Red Gurnard was in fact a bigger cousin of the cod which the chef would struggle to fit on a plate.

When it was brought to the table – and the size of fish you usually associate with a child’s glass bowl – the look of horror matched that on the face of any Moscow Flyer backer. I think it’s the only time in Winchcombe dining history that a steak and ale pie has been ordered for dessert.

That Gurnard-fuelled racegoer was to witness racing history the next afternoon too as Best Mate became the first horse since Arkle to win three Gold Cups (I can hear Simon Holt roaring it as I type the words).

Yes Himself would have eaten him alive, yes it was a shallow division, yes he was campaigned conservatively (compared to those who went before – not those that came after) – but who cared on that damp Thursday afternoon?

It capped a wonderful Festival.

Tuesday was for the street-fighters. Brave Inca showed the first signs of his remarkable inner resolve when getting the better of War Of Attrition in an epic battle for the Supreme.

Hardy Eustace raised the bravery bar even higher when eyeballing the freewheeling Rooster Booster after the last in the Champion Hurdle before fighting him off to score by a widening five lengths. Two tough hombres who were to engage in many a slugfest in the subsequent seasons.

Well Chief parked his tank on the Azertyuiop (impressive winner of the Champion Chase) and Moscow Flyer lawns when holding off Kicking King to win the Arkle and set up a golden spell for two-mile chasing. I distinctly remember saying afterwards that the runner-up would win a King George and Gold Cup, I’m sure I remember that.

Baracouda at Cheltenham in 2004

Baracouda had to hand over the stayers’ hurdle belt to Iris’s Gift after a two-year reign, unable to get past his rival as he had 12 months earlier despite being upsides shortly after the last.

However, I distinctly remember saying afterwards that Inglis Drever, second to Fundamentalist when sent off a 7/4 favourite for the artist then known as the Sun Alliance Novices’ Hurdle, was going to emerge as the leading light among the stayers and Iris’s Gift’s reign would be a brief one. Yes, I’m sure I remember that.

I do vividly remember Ruby Walsh and Paul Nicholls combining to win the Grand Annual and County Hurdle with favourites St Pirran (4/1) and Sporazene (7/1) to send punters into the Cotswolds hostelries with change for the game. Red Gurnard sales must have gone through the roof.

Yes Cheltenham 2004 was one to remember for far more than Best Mate. I often think about the Corner Cupboard regular and his upbeat attitude to Festival week. We need reminding of it at times. It indeed doesn’t get better than this.

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