Mike Cattermole column: Cheltenham Festival reflections including Native River and Might Bite

NATIVE RIVER AND MIGHT BITE WILL CROSS PATHS AGAIN

This year’s Cheltenham Gold Cup will go down as one of the most memorable. It was gripping to watch as Might Bite stalked Native River over two circuits of jumping’s greatest undulating course.

Both horses jumped well but in contrasting ways – Native River can be so spectacular, Might Bite so efficient. The outcome was in doubt until the last few strides when Might Bite was finally done. It was stirring stuff.

Richard Johnson gave Native River a copybook ride but I am sure that Nico De Boinville will consider his options carefully for Might Bite the next time they meet. It may not be until next year’s Gold Cup but it could happen in the King George in nine months’ time if Native River takes it on.

I reckon Nico (and it is pronounced as it is spelt, NOT Neeko as too many referred to him last week) would have learned much last Friday and my hunch is that Might Bite will be more patiently ridden next time. Of course, the ground will play a part too.

Let’s hope both stay sound as we lucky race fans could be in for a series of clashes between these two brilliant performers over the next couple of seasons. It will be chasing’s equivalent of Muhammad Ali-Joe Frazier; Ali lost his first fight to Smokin’ Joe but won the next two but there was never really much between them and, like these two chasers, they were two vastly different fighters.

Perhaps Presenting Percy can take on the Ken Norton part?

Speaking of special match-ups, what about Altior and Douvan? Setting eyes again on these two wonderful athletes in the parade ring revealed them to be so different. Altior is handsome and lithe, Douvan is a huge, angular brute of a horse and the Willie Mullins team must have been delighted with the way he was going before he crashed out. Thankfully, he is OK.

But given the way Altior was labouring for much of the race, it would have been some contest if Douvan had completed.

TIMES THEY ARE A CHANGIN'

Although the Irish were dominant at the Festival, the big three – the Champion Hurdle, the Champion Chase and the Gold Cup - all remained at home.

So, we’ve got nothing to worry about then!

I think not. It’s comforting to think that this stat can be used as an attempt at balancing the status quo but it would be foolish to believe it. There is no doubt that the Irish are going through a golden era of jump racing right now and the landscape is very different to what it was even just a few years ago.

The truth is that the Brits are being outperformed.

It is hard to believe that the Irish drew a blank from a then 18-race Festival in 1989 and had just five winners from a 27-race meeting as recently as 2012. This year, their 17-win tally fell two short of last year’s record of 19.

All hail Gordon Elliott and Willie Mullins who were responsible for 15 winners between them. Six of Elliott’s eight were owned by Gigginstown, of course, whose colours were also carried by the Henry De Bromhead-trained Balko Des Flos in the Ryanair Chase.

Mullins used to train Balko Des Flos for the O’Leary brothers as well as the Martin Pipe winner Blow By Blow, before their seismic parting of the ways a couple of years ago.

The Closutton trainer, who has long since moved on, would not have enjoyed being outpointed by Elliott, but he wouldn’t have been human if he hadn’t gained some quiet satisfaction at noting that all of his winners were trained for different connections. Yes, Susannah and Rich Ricci had just the one success – Benie Des Dieux in the Mares’ Hurdle.

Mullins and Elliott are in a class of their own right now and, arguably, they have the best raw materials to work with too, as it seems as though most of the best young produce is either staying in Ireland or soon heading over there. The skill is in identifying the potential, acquiring it and then bringing it out.

However, the prices being paid for jumping bloodstock continue to be eye-watering and well beyond most pockets. Indeed, the Tattersalls Ireland Cheltenham Festival Sale last Thursday evening emphasised this.

There were 20 lots sold, most of them four-year-olds, and 15 of them went for six figures. The cheapest lot was knocked down for 60,000gns (to Olly Murphy) and the two most expensive, both at 330,000gns, are heading over to, yes, Gordon Elliott. The next two most expensive were bought by Harold Kirk and Willie Mullins.

Money doesn’t guarantee any success at this game of course but it helps and the big bucks continue to be channelled across the Irish Sea. There was almost an air of resignation about this from Phillip Hobbs when we chatted briefly in the parade ring on Friday. Not that he was complaining, as he is not like that.

Hobbs isn’t the only one of our leading trainers who found it tough going last week. A veteran of 19 Festivals wins, the Minehead trainer’s 11 runners all struggled to land a blow as did most of those sent out by Jonjo O’Neill (26 winners, four runners), Nigel Twiston-Davies (17, 17), Alan King (15, 13) and David Pipe (15, nine).

Nicky Henderson, Colin Tizzard and Paul Nicholls continued to fly the flag and can look back on a satisfying Festival, for different reasons. The Henderson stars all performed well and Tizzard has been a revelation.

While Nicholls is missing an A-lister at the moment, his double from Le Prezien and Pacha Du Polder and super runs in the handicaps from Topofthegame and Connetable confirmed that the Ditcheat team remain a force to be reckoned with.

But where are the big owners that once paved the trail down to deepest Somerset? Andy Stewart is not as prolific as he once was, and both Graham and Andrea Wylie, along with Jared Sullivan, have been sending their horses across the Irish Sea. Clive Smith? Well, we know what happened there.

After Le Prezien’s success in the Grand Annual, perhaps JP McManus may be tempted to send more down to Manor Farm. At least Nicholls welcomed the Ricci’s as new owners this week.

But it is the Irish who are dominating and the Brits need to respond.

PLEASE DON’T DISRESPECT THE LEGENDS OF OUR GAME

The dust had barely settled on a brilliant Festival when the news emerged that next year’s Boodles Fred Winter Juvenile Hurdle would be run without the great trainer and jockey’s name being used in the race title.

This is the second time that Cheltenham has ceded to the demands of a sponsor following the introduction of Randox Health as backers of the County Hurdle, which resulted in the loss of acknowledgement to the incredible achievements of Vincent O’Brien.

I recall that I touched on this subject before in this column and I was taken aback that an Irish company would be so short sighted and disrespectful as to remove one of the greatest names in Irish sport from 'their' race name. It made no sense to me.

I fully understand that sponsors are worth their weight in gold to the sport and we are all grateful for their support. But a racecourse like Cheltenham, in particular, should be guarded about ceding ground when it comes to history and heritage and, in short, should not have allowed this to happen.

I note that Martin Pipe’s name is retained but that race doesn’t have a sponsor and, thankfully, Mr Pipe is still very much alive. I doubt Boodles would have got their way if Mr Winter had still been around, although it is worth noting that neither Kim Muir nor Fulke Walwyn have been taken off the amateur riders chase – yet.

If Boodles were miffed about their name being overlooked, then entertain the media, stage a Boodles-sponsored preview night, do anything and just get out there and spread the word.

It is not as if Boodles do not know how to do this. The company, much-admired and which has been around since the late 18th century, is synonymous with fine jewels. It dips into lots of high-profile sporting occasions and on their website they say: “events are very much part of our DNA”.

It will also know that racing is also very proud of its own DNA - and its own jewels, of which Fred Winter was definitely one.

Sponsors come and go. Please don’t disrespect our legends.

LOST HORSES - CAN THE BHA CAN DO ANYTHING ABOUT IT?

Of course, last week had many highlights but we can’t ignore the fact that six horses paid the ultimate price. That hurts.

The BHA has said it will be looking into this and that is good. But what will they find that will explain these deaths?

Probably nothing. It certainly can’t be blamed on going too fast on quick ground. They may conclude that the Grand Annual, where three died, is not suitable as a last chance saloon race.

Of course we have to be sensitive to this issue but it remains a fact that racing is a dangerous sport and there are going to be equine fatalities. It is a most unfortunate side effect and one that none of us finds easy to stomach.

We all understand that horses can fatally injure themselves absolutely anywhere and there is precious little we can do to change that.

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