Review of the day

Where do you begin on a day like today..?

I’ve been watching racing for many years (more than I care to remember !) and I can honestly say that I don’t think I’ve ever witnessed a day quite like it – unbelievable.

From flag fall in the first race, to the end of the finale there was drama heaped upon drama…

And that was just the racing – the tips seemed almost inconsequential by comparison !

It seemed that every race had a story of its own – which if had been told and not witnessed, nobody would have believed…

It all started as early as the second flight in the very first race.

Ruby Walsh took a horrible looking fall on the Willie Mullins trained Abbyssial, resulting in a bad break to his upper arm.

His stable mate, Adriana Des Mottes was brought down in the incident, leaving her jockey Paul Townend, with injuries that meant he was unable to ride for the rest of the day.

The tip, Calipto, was also interfered with - and quite lucky not to be brought down himself.

He then travelled beautifully through the race until the approach to the second last hurdle, where his stirrup leather promptly broke !

This meant that his jockey, Daryl Jacob, had to ride a finish with both feet out of the stirrups !

He did well to hang on for fourth place – and whilst it was impossible to say for sure, the feeling was that he was an unlucky loser…

Further irony was added to the whole race, by the fact that Davy Russell rode the winner for the Gigginstown operation. They had replaced him with Bryan Cooper just a few months back – only for Cooper to badly break his left leg in a fall on Wednesday…

And remember, this is only race 1 !

Race two, saw Daryl Jacob finally get a winner.

After his agony of yesterday – and his bad fortune in the first - he must have felt that this wasn’t going to be his festival. But he was wrong – or so it briefly appeared…

All 3 tips in the race ran very solid races.

Montbazon led over the last but was collared up the hill; whilst Alaivan got caught for room in a couple of occasions and couldn’t find any extra in the closing stages. Thomas Edison travelled well to the home turn, but then faded.

The drama for the third race began before the race had even got under way…

Port Melon, with Daryl Jacob onboard, inexplicably decided to try and jump into the spectators enclosure.

He crashed through the fence and threw the jockey to the ground.

For a few moments things looked desperate – and whilst a break to an arm, a leg and a knee could never be considered good – at least there was no danger to life.

Quite how Daryl Jacob will recall, the 2014 festival, I can only imagine…

But that wasn’t the end of the drama in race 3, as hot favourite Briar Hill, with new jockey David Casey on board, took a crashing fall around half way.

This should have left the race at the mercy of Kings Palace (whom Tom Scudamore had ridden with admirable constraint) – but he tired rounding the home turn.

At which point, Barry Geraghty on Apache Jack looked like he might pull off a shock win. However it was not to be – and instead the race was won by Very Wood, giving Gigginstown its second winner of the afternoon. 

It was a bit ironic that Very Wood had finished third of three on his previous outing as Naas - behind Briar Hill – and Apache Jack…

Obviously after such a dramatic start to the day, the Gold Cup had to be a let down – wrong !

In truth, it all looked very predictable as Silviniaco Conti jumped the last in the lead, with Bobs Worth bearing down on him – but then, for what ever reason, Silviniaco veered to his right, spooking Bobs Worth (whom Barry Geraghty did well to stay on board).

This handed the initiative to the 3 fast finishing outsiders, Lord Windermere, On His Own - and The Giant Bolster. And despite veering to his right, it was the first named who hung on for apparent victory.

Unbelievably, the winner was ridden by Davy Russell – and the runner up by David Casey (deputising for Ruby Walsh & Paul Townend).

A long stewards enquiry followed – before the decision to leave the placings unaltered came through…

There was lots of debate about the rights and wrongs of it on the TV – but in my opinion, the stewards made the right call.

Lord Windermere ran off a straight line because he was spooked by Silviniaco Conti.

To take the race way from him for something that was effectively out of his control, would have felt wrong.

Finally then, race 5, surely no more drama…

Well, for most that would be true – but for followers of TVB, there was superb ride from amateur Mr J J Smyth who steered home Tammys Hill to a comfortable victory.

The only thing that baffled me, was how he was allowed to go off at 15/2, when his form was there for all to see…

In fairness, race 6 was quite dull (relatively speaking !).

A third win of the day for Gigginstown – but little to report on the performances of either of the tips: The Skyfarmer and Shantou Magic.

I clearly need to trade in my lucky pin J

And so on to the final race of the 2014 festival.

It was delayed for a good ten minutes, as potential front runner, Oscar Hill charge around the cross country course. He was eventually withdrawn, leaving Next Sensation without competition for the lead.

And how he enjoyed that !

10 lengths clear after 2 fences, it was double that by half way.

It seemed so obvious that he had gone off too fast that I expect him to fade to nothing as he was challenged round the home turn.
But Dickie had saved a bit and kicked again !

It would have been great if somehow he had got up the hill in front, but alas it was not to be.

Instead, Savello came sailing by to give Davy Russell his third win of the day – and an incredible fourth for Gigginstown.

The whole afternoon was truly unreal !

Anyway, now the dust has settled, its time to do a bit of accounting…

A winner and 2 placings on the afternoon, mean that it was a profitable day for TVB – and on the back of yesterday, a profitable festival.

Quite how I managed to pull that off, after the luck we endured on the first 2 days, I’ve no idea - but I did…

That said, I’m not going to get carried way with numbers - because at the end of the day, they were trivial in the grand scheme of things.

Once again Cheltenham has delivered the most astonishing weeks entertainment.

No other sporting event can get close to its relentless roller-coaster of highs and lows: no stage production can match its continuous display of drama and raw emotion.

It is truly unique.

I can only hope that you have all enjoyed it as much as I have.

I would like to think that my ‘commentary’ has added just a little to the occasion for you – though in truth, it is an occasion quite capable of causing awe without any involvement from me.

I’ve already started counting down the days to Cheltenham 2015 – just 361 to go ;)

TVB.