MARCH 2015 FINISH LINE. Cheltenham & Three Counties Race Club magazine FAIRY TALES DO HAPPEN

Transcription

1 MARCH 2015 FINISH LINE Cheltenham & Three Counties Race Club magazine FAIRY TALES DO HAPPEN

2 Cover photo: Sara & Lily Bradstock pose with the Gold Cup and their hero Coneygree. Willie Mullins - AP McCoy - Kim Bailey - Chicky Oaksey - John Hales - Rich Ricci, it s the people in National Hunt racing that make it a sport to treasure. CONTENTS WELCOME Editors introduction 3 Lady Oaksey interview 4-5 Rich Ricci interview 6-10 Tipster competition 11 Cheltenham Festival review Mongol Derby Club trip to Martin Jones John Hales column Kim Bailey column Richard Hoiles column Club news & forthcoming events 31 Liam Treadwell column Richard Davis award 34 Win a day at Chepstow races competition 35 Jo Collinson column Members corner - John Clark Club trip to Phillip Hobbs Sport, what does it mean to you? I ve played and watched a wide variety of sports and National Hunt racing has found its way to the top of my what s your favourite sport to watch category. When searching for a reason why, you need look no further than the Cheltenham Festival. I thought the opening day of the Festival was the best days racing I have ever seen. Beautiful sunshine, coupled with perfect ground conditions had the crowds buzzing with the expectation of what lay ahead. They were not disappointed. Our early season guest Felix Francis would have had another best seller on his hands were he to have had the heady mix of ingredients we were witness to. The humility in victory of Willie Mullins four timer, the Annie Power drama, the bookmakers on their knees and breath taking performances from the hot favourites on the day. Wednesday and Thursday provided more drama with AP McCoy feted wherever he went, while giving his time selflessly to an endless stream of well wishers. There were smiles all round as our columnists, John Hales (Aux Ptits Soins) and Kim Bailey (Darna) both enjoyed the thrill of saddling a winner. And so to Friday... fairy tales do happen. A fragile novice, a tiny yard, a home bred horse and a performance by Coneygree of complete brilliance as he put all challengers to the sword. It was a never to be forgotten display of speed, allied with slick, accurate jumping and no amount of courage to win the Cheltenham Gold Cup for the Bradstock family and our very own Lady Oaksey. How her husband John, our founder Chairman, would have enjoyed the moment looking down on it all. Through the Gold Cup I m able to pin down the answer to the why National Hunt is my number one sport and the answer lies in the people who are involved in the game. In the last week it s been my privilege to speak directly to Lady Chicky Oaksey and learn how proud she was of the whole Bradstock family winning the Gold Cup. You can read Chicky s account of the race on pages 4-5, it is a story of such spectacular achievement that if you hadn t seen it yourself you wouldn t believe it were true. In my interview with Rich Ricci I learned of his generosity of spirit when his horse Djakadam ran his heart out to take second in the Gold Cup, yet he had nothing but praise and congratulations to offer the Bradstocks in victory. He provides wonderful testimony on pages 6-10 to the emotions ownership brings when winning and losing. If you take the canvas that is Cheltenham and overlay the courage of the horses with the people who are involved you more readily understand why this sport is my favourite. Bring on Aintree! Enjoy the racing Steve Ennis 2 3

3 LADY OAKSEY INTERVIEW It is with great delight that Lady Chicky Oaksey has been kind enough to give us an interview reflecting on the superb achievement of winning the Cheltenham Gold Cup as the owner/ breeder of Coneygree. We re all so proud of Coneygree s achievement in winning the Cheltenham Gold Cup. It s not just a brilliant win for Sara and Mark, but it s a victory for all those who pursue the dream of breeding horses that are good enough to compete against the powerhouse yards and owners that dominate the National Hunt racing scene. Coneygree really is an incredible horse, he s the first novice to win the Gold Cup since 1974 and the first British bred winner since Master Oats in With respect to the victory of Norton s Coin in 1990 at 100/1 this victory was no fluke. In his chase career he has had four races and never been John would be so proud of Mark and Sara headed. Coneygree is a deceptively quick horse, Nico (De Boinville) says you don t realise how fast he is, but there is a constant theme in his races that the horses he takes on come under severe pressure simply because of the speed at which he travels. At Kempton on Boxing Day he won the Kauto Star Novice Chase by forty lengths in a time only four seconds slower than the King George. He won that race being eased down and we felt he didn t get the credit he deserved. Then, when Coneygree ran again at Newbury in the Denman Chase he jumped and travelled beautifully to win by a comfortable seven lengths against more seasoned horses. After the Newbury win Sara and Mark were sure they had a horse that could compete in what looked like an open renewal of the Gold Cup. Sara and Mark decided to go for the Gold Cup as Coneygree is a very fragile horse and has This is a victory for all those small breeders trying to compete proved difficult to keep sound...such windows of opportunity might not come around again, so they decided to bypass the RSA route. Our thoughts were that if he finished in the first four we would be delighted. Coneygree s success has been a real team effort, Sara and Mark s son, Alfie, has schooled Coneygree intensely three days a week over cross poles and then jumping four foot fences. He s a long legged horse and his training has worked wonderfully in transitioning him from a hurdler, to a slick and quick jumper of a fence. Nico, is also a super horseman and rides out on Coneygree once a week, if you watch the horse in running you will see how aerobic he is. John would have been so proud of Sara and Mark, they held their nerve in the face of critics who suggested such a small operation couldn t win with a novice, but hindsight is a great thing and their decision has made a dream come true. All of a sudden the Gold Cup for 2016 looks very challenging with the outstanding horses, Vautour, Djakadam and Don Poli all likely to be targeted at the race. God willing Coneygree will stay sound and return to defend his crown, but Alfie Bradstock is a highly accomplished horseman who schooled Coneygree intensely that is a long way away and we are still trying to absorb his achievement in winning this years race. Sara said Coneygree doesn t even feel like he s Sara and Lily pose for the press with the Cheltenham Gold Cup and Coneygree even had a hard race as he was very fresh the following day, although I d imagine the race took more out of him than we might imagine. He ll be rested now for the new season and may well go for the Hennessy under top weight, then In his chase career he has had four races and never been headed the King George and fingers crossed back to Cheltenham. In a funny twist of fate, while Coneygree was winning on March 13 his half sister Maid Of Oaksey was being covered on the same afternoon by Carruthers sire Kayf Tara to continue our dreams of breeding another Gold Cup winner! Chicky Oaksey 4 5

4 RICH RICCI INTERVIEW CTCRC are delighted and grateful to have secured an exclusive interview with Rich Ricci, who along with his wife Susannah were the leading owners at this years Cheltenham Festival. Now you ve had time to reflect on the Festival, what are your thoughts on the success you enjoyed? It s amazing really, we were lucky enough to have three outstanding winners in Douvan, Faugheen and Vautour. Yet there s a part of me thinks what might have been were Annie Power to have stayed on her feet, were Champagne Fever, who I really fancied - had the chance to run, and Djakadam went one better and won the Gold Cup! What gave you the most pleasure from your winning trio at the Festival? It wasn t a winner, it was Annie Power getting up and coming back OK along with Alan Kings L Unique. Of the winners I have to say I was thrilled with Faugheen, it was a dream come true to win a Championship race, to do it in such style was perfect. Regarding Vautour, he just whetted my appetite for what lies ahead. If you think of Douvan I d ask any of your readers to watch the race again and see how hard he pulled for the first 1/2 mile. If he can settle better who knows what he can do? His hurdling was breathtaking, he reminded me of Master Minded where he seemed to just lift his shoulders and take the obstacle as if it wasn t there. Is Annie Power OK, and what s next for her? She s fine, better than she has a right to be. She ran as if she was right back to her best. She may go to Aintree, Punchestown or even France, but the good news is, she s in great nick. As for next season, she may go down the World Hurdle route or try for the Mares Hurdle again, we haven t made a decision yet. And the plans for your Cheltenham winners? Faugheen will go for the Punchestown Champion Hurdle, Vautour was harder on himself than might have been obvious at Cheltenham, so we ll wait and see, Aintree could be too soon so we may send him to Punchestown. Douvan may try for the 2m 4f Champion novice hurdle at Punchestown. Vautour is vying for favouritism in the They were the most emotional few minutes of racing in my whole life 2016 Gold Cup at around 6/1 while Djakadam is best priced at 14/1, does the book look right to you? Vautour was a much better hurdler than Djakadam and his display in the JLT was visibly very impressive. Djakadam showed us everything he had in training when coming second in the Gold Cup he s an honest staying chaser who gives his all. The plan is for both horses to go for the Gold Cup, I d love to win the race for Willie and I think Vautour has the touch of class to go further of the two. You had several placed horses during the Festival, which one s caught your eye? Dogora s performance in the Cross Country under Katie Walsh was full of promise, he s only six and was tackling those obstacles for the first time. That effort put a huge smile on my face and Katie Walsh gave him a superb ride. Arbe The best result of the week was seeing her (Annie Power) walk away safe A special moment - my nephew Peter Welch leads in the winner of the Supreme for the second year in a row 6 7

5 Ruby s ride on Faugheen in the Champion Hurdle was a privilege to see JP is a remarkable man, what he does for racing is extraordinary Pink silks, green spots are you kidding me? De Vie s fourth in the Albert Bartlett made me think he has a bright future, while Adrianna Des Mottes fourth in the RSA was a great effort. Ruby gave a master class in riding with patience, where he kidded her into not even thinking she had been in the race. Sadly, she hurt herself which has resulted in her having to be retired to stud. She has black type against her name and did us proud. Excluding your own horses which horse impressed you most? Coneygree s win was unbelievably spectacular, Djakadam ran his heart out, but we had no excuses. I sent a note of congratulations to Mark and Sara Bradstock saying what a fantastic performance it was. Their victory typified the very reason I got involved in National Hunt racing in the first place. It s not like the flat which is almost wholly dependent on the breeding, in National Hunt it s also about the jumping, the jockey, the training programme and learning about your horse. The Bradstock s achievement with Coneygree couldn t have been a better result for National Hunt racing. I m so proud that John Oaksey, who founded your Club, had bred the horse and I send my warmest congratulations to all the connections with Coneygree. I can t stop with just one horse though, I thought Milsean s 1/2 length second in the Albert Bartlett was very special, along with Nicky Henderson taking the in the Triumph what an achievement. If I could have one horse that wasn t mine however, it would be David Pipe s Moon Racer, he ll make one heck of a novice hurdler next year. That said, I ll be trying my best to win a fourth Supreme Novices next year. Some of the tactical riding by Ruby Walsh was world class, how big a difference does he bring in your opinion? When discussing the Champion Hurdle Ruby said his plan was to do the fractions in his time from the front, then, if anything came alongside to challenge he was confident to take them on from two out as he felt sure he was on the best horse. The race developed 100% as Ruby anticipated and he executed his plan exactly as he had outlined. I think as a jockey he is hugely underrated, he doesn t get enough credit. He is an incredible judge of pace, he s no kid, he s 35, but he has real strength in a finish and is riding as well now as he ever has. Don t let onto Ruby what I think of him as he ll demand a retainer! Away from the racing for a moment, how did you arrive at your colours? That was Susannah s decision. When we first got into racing we were in a syndicate that had the opposite colours, green silks with pink spots. When Susannah and I decided to break out on our own she decided the reverse would be great. I remember the first time Ruby rode for us, he came out of the weighing room, looked down at the silks and asked are you kidding me? After a couple of big wins I asked Ruby if he had changed his mind, I m getting used to them came the deadpan reply. How did you find the reception from the racing public at Cheltenham? I m an ex banker with a silly name so I come racing with a little trepidation, but I was overwhelmed by the kindness The Bradstock s achievement with Coneygree couldn t have been a better result for National Hunt racing involved in the sport. and courtesy of the racing public. Racing is a great leveller and I was in awe of the generosity people extend to you. I would encourage anyone to follow National Hunt racing because there are so many great people Willie Mullins broke lots of records at Cheltenham, what do you most admire about him? Willie was ecstatic to have eight wins. I ve been 8 9

6 involved with Willie for around ten years, he has developed his own style with the mixture of gallops he trains the horses on. He has an unbelievable eye for a horse and knows how to improve them. That s a big deal for an owner. He knows by the way a horse moves and walks what it is he can work on and develop. Susannah and I regard ourselves very lucky just to be involved with the man. JP McManus has horses trained with a variety of owners, might you do the same in the future? JP is a remarkable man, what he does for racing is extraordinary. His contribution to the game is without parallel. Personally I don t want the hassle of bouncing around different trainers and Willie ticks all the boxes for me as an owner. That said, I m a big admirer of many other trainers too and of course would consider having horses elsewhere in the future. We would love to see more of your horses during the season, might you target more big races in the UK in ? In we have ventured over to the UK more than ever before. Before the Festival we were sixth in the owners league table and afterwards we had moved up to second. We ve sent horses to Ascot, Kempton, Haydock and Warwick and we anticipate stepping up the number of visits we do next season. I m lucky to be involved with men like Willie Mullins and Ruby Walsh Susannah and I thought Coneygree s win was unbelievably spectacular If the Festival could be improved in 2016, what would you like to see? Ian Renton and his team did a world class job, the redevelopment work is wonderful and the space they ve created is excellent. I think capping the crowd numbers on Friday has worked and I hope they keep it that way. I hear they re planning to do away with the charity race, I hope that the week has some form of charity focus, as it s an important element of the meeting. I d welcome some form of charity giving by winning owners. If the charity race were to disappear I d favour the introduction of a novice mares chase. What s your abiding memory of the Festival? They were the most emotional few minutes of racing in my life. I m too superstitious to watch my horses run and box walk while my friend, Joe Chambers, talks me through the race. In the Mares hurdle I went from extremes of high low high in a matter of moments... Joe s words were she s gone clear she s down she s OK and the range of emotions were almost overwhelming. As I said earlier, the best result of the week was seeing her walk away safe. One other magical moment I ll always treasure is seeing my nephew Peter Welch leading in the winner of the Supreme Novices (Douvan) for the second year in a row, that was very special. Rich Ricci TIPSTER COMPETITION UPDATE Up to the end of February the top of the Leaderboard has been rather dominated by Paul Jones and Tony Coleman and it is Tony this time who regains pole position with 255pts. The chasing group maintain close contact with the leaders, with just 60pts separating the Top Twenty. As ever, so much will depend, initially, on the outcome of the Festival at Prestbury Park to determine who enters the final stages with a claim to the eventual Outright Prize. Our congratulations go to Tony, who wins the 10 Monthly Prize. Please note: ALL prizes will be paid out at the end of the competition. COMPETITION LEADER BOARD SCORES TO END FEBRUARY TONY COLEMAN B PAUL JONES A DAVID SHEPHERD-CROSS B 232 4= PAUL SMITH F 225 4= STEVE TAYLOR G TONY COLEMAN A 215 7= JOHN HANCOCK A 210 7= JAMIE SHARP D 210 7= GILLIAN WALKER D 210 7= MARTIN WITHINSHAW C 210 So far as the Monthly Prize goes it seems the pressure must be telling on the leaders as most of the overall Leaderboard s Top Ten failed to score more than 25pts. Consequently long-time supporter, Lynn Temperley managed to grab the 10 Highest Score in the Month Prize by scoring 65pts in February, closely followed by Jenny Cheshire and Duncan Sherwood both with 60pts. Our congratulations go to Lynn. COMPETITION LEADER BOARD SCORES FEBRUARY 1 LYNN TEMPERLEY A 65 2= JENNY CHESHIRE B 60 2= DUNCAN SHERWOOD A 60 4= JACKIE BAYLISS B 50 4= JEAN PITTOCK B 50 4= PAUL SMITH A 50 POST CHELTENHAM UPDATE The Festival results turned out to be very disappointing for those who included any or all of The New One, King s Palace, Sprinter Sacre or Sire De Grugy in their lists since none of these horses managed to reach a place in their race. A total of 384 points were scored at the Festival with the leader managing to score 200pts by finding four of the six winners and two runners-up from has B entry. As a consequence Tony Coleman has extended his lead to 70pts over the nearest challenger with his A entry moving into 2nd place and his H entry into 5th position. COMPETITION LEADER BOARD SCORES TO 14 MARCH TONY COLEMAN B TONY COLEMAN A = PAUL JONES A = GILLIAN WALKER B = TONY COLEMAN H = DAVID HART A = ROGER SOLLIS A = DAVID BATEMAN C = JOHN HANCOCK A = KEN UNSWORTH G Please don t forget that you can track the status of your entries on-line by accessing If you have any questions about your entry, or its status, please contact Tony Coleman either on or by at tonyandles@aol.com 10 11

7 CHELTENHAM FESTIVAL REVIEW Tuesday March 10 th I always think day one of the Festival is the best and this years edition demonstrated emphatically why. In glorious sunshine Douvan got things started with Ruby Walsh dictating the race like only he can from the front, a Mullins 1-2 provided an indication of the total domination that was to follow. Un De Sceaux stood up, not only that, he travelled beautifully and didn t touch a twig in taking the Arkle, a six length victory hardly demonstrated the gulf in class. By now the crowd were sensing the big four; Douvan, Un De Sceaux, Faugheen and Annie Power, may actually go and do the impossible? The bookies took little respite in the three mile handicap chase as second favourite The Druids Nephew gave Neil Mulholland his first Festival Jamie Codd receives congratulations from Gordon Elliott and JP McManus winner. The anticipation built as Faugheen set a true gallop at the head of the field in the Champion hurdle. Two out, The New One was first to crack, then Jezki threw down his challenge only for Ruby to press the button as they turned into the straight to go five lengths clear in a matter of seconds. Arctic Fire and the brave Hurricane Fly stayed on the best to take the places, but it was always Faugheen and Mullins had a unique in the blue ribbon 2 mile race. So to the Mares race and Annie Power was sent off as the 1/2 favourite, from two out she came to the head of affairs and then took the race by the scruff of the neck approaching the last only for her to take a crashing fall at the last to audible gasps in the crowd. Horse and rider were fine and Glens Melody took the victory in near total silence. The bookies looked to the sky and said a prayer of thanks. In the four miler Jamie Codd gave a masterful ride on Cause of Causes to provide JP McManus with the perfect birthday present, while Irish Cavalier gave Rebecca Curtis her fourth Festival winner in four years with his first win over fences. GOING: GOOD TO SOFT Weather conditions: Sent from the heavens sunny 1:30 - Sky Bet Supreme Novices Hurdle 1 Douvan 2/1F 2 Shaneshill 9/1 3 Sizing John 25/1 Jockey: R Walsh Trainer: W P Mullins 2:05 - Racing Post Arkle Chase 1 Un De Sceaux 4/6F 2 God s Own 33/1 3 Josses Hill 12/1 Jockey: R Walsh Trainer: W P Mullins 2:40 - Ultima Business Solutions Handicap Chase 1 The Druids Nephew 8/1 2 Grand Jesture 25/1 3 Gallant Oscar 9/1 4 Indian Castle 16/1 Jockey: Barry Geraghty Trainer: Neil Mulholland A stunned Ruby Walsh after departing Annie Power at the last in the Mares hurdle 3:20 - Stan James Champion Hurdle 1 Faugheen 4/5F 2 Arctic Fire 20/1 3 Hurricane Fly 8/1 Jockey: R Walsh Trainer: W P Mullins 4:00 - OLBG Mares Hurdle 1 Glens Melody 6/1 2 Polly Peachum 9/1 3 Bitofapuzzle 16/1 Jockey: Paul Townend Trainer: W P Mullins 4:40 - Toby Balding National Hunt Chase 1 Cause Of Causes 8/1 2 Broadway Buffalo 12/1 3 The Job Is Right 10/1 Jockey: Mr J J Codd Trainer: Gordon Elliott 5:15 - CHAPS Restaurants Barbados Novices Chase 1 Irish Cavalier 11/1 2 Thomas Crapper 6/1F 3 Generous Ransom 8/1 4 Horizontal Speed 12/1 Jockey: Paul Townend Trainer: Rebecca Curtis 12 13

8 Windsor Park under Davy Russell was a powerful winner of the Neptune to open day two CHELTENHAM FESTIVAL REVIEW Wednesday March 11 th Wednesday brought a significant chill in the air and a hat trick for Paul Nicholls. He scored with Aux Ptits Soins in the Coral Cup which you can hear more about in John Hales column on page 24. Then he landed the Champion Chase with Dodging Bullets in comfortable style and closed by taking the Fred Winter with his third string Qualando, he also saddled the second and fifth in the same race. The Champion Chase disappointed as Sprinter Sacre and Sire De Grugy were unable to rekindle the glories of past victories in 2013 and However, praise should go to Somersby who was making his seventh consecutive Festival appearance. I remember backing him in 2009 when he took third in the Supreme Novices, his Festival record is outstanding and reads 3, 2, 5, 7, UR, 2, 2. Quantitativeeasing crashes out of the Cross Country in dramatic style The performance of day two came from Giggintowns Don Poli as he powered up the hill to take the RSA by six lengths. Davy Russell had two wins on the day, which made it five consecutive wins at the Festival to follow up on his last day hat trick in 2014 with Tiger Roll, Lord Windermere and Savello, surely a record at the Festival? His ride aboard Rivage D Or was simultaneously brilliant and somewhat fortunate as Nina Carberry was unlucky to crash out when going well close home on Quantitativeeasing. Patrick McCann of the Racing Post suffered a badly broken leg but surely got the close up action photo of the week. Somersby chases Dodging Bullets home while Barry Geraghty nurses Sprinter Sacre GOING: GOOD (Good to soft in places; 7.1) 1:30 - Neptune Investment Management Novices Hurdle 1 Windsor Park 9/2 2 Parlour Games 13/2 3 Nichols Canyon 7/2F Jockey: Davy Russell Trainer: D K Weld 2:05 - RSA Chase 1 Don Poli 13/8F 2 Southfield Theatre 13/2 3 Wounded Warrior 12/1 Jockey: Bryan Cooper Trainer: W P Mullins 2:40 - Coral Cup (Handicap Hurdle) 1 Aux Ptits Soins 9/1 2 Zabana 25/1 3 Activial 17/2F 4 Taglietelle 14/1 Jockey: Sam Twiston-Davies Trainer: Paul Nicholls 3:20 - Queen Mother Champion Chase 1 Dodging Bullets 9/2 2 Somersby 33/1 3 Special Tiara 18/1 Jockey: Sam Twiston-Davies Trainer: Paul Nicholls A stunned Ruby Walsh after departing Annie Power at the Don Poli proved a very last impressive in the Mares winner hurdle of the RSA Weather conditions: Overcast, chilly. 4:00 - Glenfarclas Cross Country Chase 1 Rivage D Or 16/1 2 Any Currency 7/1 3 Uncle Junior 20/1 4 Dogora 20/1 Jockey: Davy Russell Trainer: A J Martin 4:40 - Fred Winter Juvenile Handicap Hurdle 1 Qualando 25/1 2 Bouvreuil 14/1 3 The Saint James 33/1 4 Starchitect 16/1 Jockey: Nick Scholfield Trainer: Paul Nicholls 5:15 - Weatherbys Champion Bumper 1 Moon Racer 9/2F 2 Modus 33/1 3 Wait For Me 9/1 Jockey: Tom Scudamore Trainer: David Pipe 14 15

9 Above: James Collins takes the applause after winning the Charity Race Right: Vautour is simply beautiful to look at Uxizandre gives AP McCoy his final Festival win in the Ryanair on Thursday March 12 and the reception in the winners enclosure was the loudest of the week. CHELTENHAM FESTIVAL REVIEW Thursday March 12 th Perhaps the best looking horse in racing took the opener on day three. Vautour is simply beautiful to look at, in addition he s also a highly talented chaser who won the JLT Novices with such ease that he is now a best priced 6/1 for next years Gold Cup. Call The Cops then showed a real turn of foot to give Nicky Henderson his first winner of this years Festival as he stayed on strongly up the hill to land the Pertemps. Race three treated us to the sight of AP McCoy winning what was to be his last ever Festival winner when Uxizandre led from pillar to post in the Ryanair. He had jumped badly last time out at Newbury and the application of a visor really sharpened up his jumping as the horse bounced off the better ground and won comfortably. The cheers that welcomed McCoy back down into the winners enclosure were by some distance the loudest of the week. Cole Harden, post a wind operation, improved markedly to take the World Hurdle, a race weakened this year by the absence of More Of That and Annie Power. Darna gave Kim Bailey the biggest thrill of the week, as the Pricewise pick, won the oddly titled Brown Advisory & Merriebelle Stable Plate at the largest odds of the week at 33/1, you can read more about this in Kim s article on page 26 The Package delivered another win for the indomitable amateur Jamie Codd, while James Collins showed he was the best jockey on show when winning the Charity Race on Gordon Elliott s nap of the week, Knights Parade. GOING: Hurdle course - GOOD; Chase course - GOOD (Good to soft in places) (7.2). 1:30 - JLT Novices Chase 1 Vautour 6/4F 2 Apache Stronghold 7/1 3 Valseur Lido 9/2 Jockey: R Walsh Trainer: W P Mullins 2:05 - Pertemps Final Handicap Hurdle 1 Call The Cops 9/1 2 Unique De Cotte 14/1 3 The Tourard Man 20/1 4 Henryville 50/1 Jockey: Andrew Tinkler Trainer: Nicky Henderson 2:40 - Ryanair Chase 1 Uxizandre 16/1 2 Ma Filleule 5/1 3 Don Cossack 5/2F Jockey: A P McCoy Trainer: Alan King 3:20 - Ladbrokes World Hurdle 1 Cole Harden 14/1 2 Saphir Du Rheu 5/1F 3 Zarkandar 6/1 Jockey: Gavin Sheehan Trainer: Warren Greatrex Weather conditions: Cloudy. 4:00 - Brown Advisory & Merriebelle Stable Plate 1 Darna 33/1 2 Monetaire 11/2F 3 Rawnaq 25/1 4 Buywise 5/2 Jockey: David Bass Trainer: Kim Bailey 4:40 - Fulke Walwyn Kim Muir Challenge Cup Handicap Chase 1 The Package 9/1 2 Bless The Wings 28/1 3 Buddy Bolero 20/1 4 Grand Vision 11/1 Jockey: Mr J J Codd Trainer: David Pipe St Patricks Charity Race 1st Knights Parade Evens 2nd Hurricane Ridge 14/1 3rd Monarch s Way 12/1 Jockey: James Collins Trainer: Gordon Elliott 16 17

10 Coneygree set a pace the field couldn t live with in the Gold Cup CHELTENHAM FESTIVAL REVIEW Friday March 13 th Day four had more twists and turns than a PD. James thriller. Nicky Henderson trained the first three home in the Triumph Hurdle, they were separated by four lengths and all look very exciting prospects. Hargam in third beat the fourth home by ten lengths so this was very strong form. The Irish had the first six home in the County hurdle, along with the first four home in the Martin Pipe later in the day, surely some revision of the handicapping is needed? Having found Wicklow Brave expensive to follow he duly hacked up at 25/1 in the County...write down 100 times... never ignore previous Festival form. Killultagh Vic s win in the Martin Pipe gave Willie Mullins a record eight trained winners at the Festival. On The Fringe gave Nina Carberry compensation for crashing out of the Cross Country in unlucky circumstances earlier in the week, she continues to be a rider of the highest order among the amateurs and judged her run to perfection. You can read all about Coneygree s epic win in the Gold Cup in Chicky Oaksey s guest column on page 4. Rich Ricci our guest columnist on page 6 was also Big crowds, fine weather, great racing - the best four days on planet earth the most successful owner during the week with three winners and a further six horses in the prize money placing s. Willie Mullins had an incredible 28 horses who finished in the prize money - top six placing s. The UK just shaded the Prestbury Cup 14 v 13, but somehow the Irish felt like the dominant force. In my view the standout performances during the week came from Faugheen, Vautour, Don Poli and Coneygree. From a Club perspective it was great to see our columnists John Hales and Kim Bailey have winners. Our early season Club night guests, Tom and Michael Scudamore, also scored in the Grand Annual as Next Sensation tore up the script on a fairytale ending for AP McCoy, but that hardly seemed to register with the crowd who applauded AP out of the parade ring and all the way back after his final race. Finally, Cheltenham Racecourse should be congratulated the redevelopment is progressing at great speed and increased crowds, 248,000 over four days, were not inconvenienced by the on going work. The weather was kind to us and the ground conditions were perfect for good racing. A few early nights are now needed before our minds turn to Aintree. Steve Ennis A jubilant Tom Scudamore shows what it means to give his brother Michael a Festival winner GOING: SOFT (Good to soft in places; 6.3). 1:30 - JCB Triumph Hurdle 1 Peace And Co 2/1F 2 Top Notch 7/1 3 Hargam 8/1 Jockey: Barry Geraghty Trainer: Nicky Henderson 2:05 - Vincent O Brien County Handicap Hurdle 1 Wicklow Brave 25/1 2 Sort It Out 17/2 3 Quick Jack 8/1 4 Max Dynamite 14/1 Jockey: Paul Townend Trainer: W P Mullins 2:40 - Albert Bartlett Novices Hurdle 1 Martello Tower 14/1 2 Milsean 33/1 3 No More Heroes 6/1 Jockey: A P Heskin Trainer: Ms Margaret Mullins 3:20 - Betfred Cheltenham Gold Cup Chase 1 Coneygree 7/1 2 Djakadam 10/1 3 Road To Riches 8/1 Jockey: Nico de Boinville Trainer: Mark Bradstock The big screen caught the sentiment of all as AP was cheered fondly on his last race Weather conditions: It stopped raining just in time 4:00 - St. James s Place Foxhunter Chase 1 On The Fringe 6/1 2 Following Dreams 50/1 3 Paint The Clouds 11/4F Jockey: Ms N Carberry Trainer: E Bolger 4:40 - Martin Pipe Conditional Jockeys Handicap Hurdle 1 Killultagh Vic 7/1 2 Noble Endeavor 14/1 3 Roi Des Francs 3/1F 4 Kauto Grand Mogol 33/1 Jockey: Luke Dempsey Trainer: W P Mullins 5:15 - A.P. McCoy Grand Annual Chase 1 Next Sensation 16/1 2 Eastlake 12/1 3 Croco Bay 14/1 4 Ned Buntline 4/1J Jockey: Tom Scudamore Trainer: Michael Scudamore 18 19

11 MONGOL DERBY 2014 It is billed as The World s Toughest Horse Race. By the close of our February club evening being entertained by Chris Maude, Jamie Peel and Rob Skinner the audience felt saddle sore just listening to the incredible tales of hardship and endurance the boys went through. Let s begin with the details: The Mongol Derby miles of riding on three horses a day for around 25 miles each over hours per day. To suggest the eight days are unrelenting in their test of your physical and mental fortitude doesn t really begin to explain the sheer extremes to which the riders were pushed. Chris had a career as a jockey turned valet, Jamie was a guy who grew up in the Pony Club scene and is a keen polo rider, while comedian Rob has a military background, had horses since childhood but was perhaps the least experienced rider. What he lacked in riding experience was more than made up for in determination. Even the trip to Ulan Bator wasn t without incident as Jamie forgot his passport. By the end of day one Rob contemplated it may be better to break his own leg, in order to be excused continuing. After 70 miles in the saddle, the boys arrived at their first stage closing station, soaking wet, with no heating equipment and no mattresses even to rest on. The food was abysmal and of the 47 riders taking part in the challenge all wore a haunted look as the reality of what they had got into fully dawned upon them. Their accommodation was bleak, gers or yurts as we may know them were used at the end of each day - they stank to high heaven, but after a few days, the boys didn t notice as they stank even more! Mongolia is a barren land, hot by day cold by night, bugs are everywhere and illness awaits. Chris fell ill on day two and couldn t eat and the horses were invariably untamed beasts who either refused to move or bolted for 20 miles, you re only hope being the 20 miles were in the right direction. Chris acknowledged that Rob never complained, Chris and Jamie by contrast never stopped complaining. The horses were checked out throughout by vets, if the heart rate exceeded 100, the rider was given time penalties. By the end of day two the boys lay in fifth place, however on day four they were advised to go around a mountain range, instead they followed a local herder over the mountains which helped them into second place, the competitive side of their characters were in full flow. GPS tracking systems were used and the boys committed early on to ride and stay together whatever the circumstances. Day five provided spectacular highs where they saw wolves, but they received a poor reception from the organising crew when doubts were expressed about a route taken, that caused tensions and motivation hit a low point. The landscape was littered in endless carcasses and The World s Toughest Horse Race hordes of vultures... I checked, it s actually a committee of vultures, either way things were very bleak especially when the event organisers stopped the race on day six as the field were too thinly spread, there was a 200 mile gap from riders in first to last place. With the race on hold, it was a chance to take stock and the boys knew they were too far behind Aussie girl Sam Jones. Horse choices seemed Left to right: Chris Maude, Jamie Peel and Rob Skinner Mongol Derby 2014 Runners Up. 47 riders set off, only 16 would complete. Sam Jones a deserving 2014 winner from Australia 610 miles across the Mongol Steppes It s not for the faint hearted to be getting fewer. On the final day even the indefatigable Rob cracked - which in Chris and Jamie s mind was a relief as they feared he might not be human! After Rob s meltdown the guys regrouped and stuck to their original commitment of finishing the race together. In eight days, Chris went from 11st 8lb to 10st 2lb, on completing the race considerable volumes of vodka and chocolate were consumed. Rob claimed 30% of his body weight was vodka within four hours of the finish. Of the 47 participants only 16 finished. And so to the why of it all. Thousands were raised for charity, the boys had found a bond they all acknowledged will stay forever and they left with an appreciation that the Mongol people place their values of success in complete contrast to the Western perspective. In Mongolia, the nomadic lifestyle is aspired to, moving to the city is regarded as missing out on life s great purpose. Would any of you do it again? Blank expressions great the question before an unequivocal NO comes back from each of the boys. Steve Ennis 20 21

12 CLUB TRIP TO MARTIN JONES Phil Whitehouse was joined by 20 club members on a recent Club trip to the stables of Martin Jones at Redmarley, and submitted this article on the visit Martin concentrates on the breaking of young horses and in some instances, re-educating older horses. As a jockey Martin rode 40 winners under National Hunt rules, riding primarily for Robin Dickin. As I introduced Martin to members I reminded him that almost to the day 26 years ago he had ridden Mount Oliver to victory over fences at Lingfield for myself and my partner Dennis Smith; who at that time was the licensee of The Arkle Inn at Ashleworth, not far from Gloucester. The pub has now returned to its former name of the Queens Arms. Martin confirmed that the win was his first over the larger obstacles. Martin has a staff of four with Martin and Meg doing all the riding and two female and one male staff doing the other jobs required such as mucking out. Martin explained that while all are capable of riding it is better with the young horses in their care to only have experienced riders on board. Throughout the morning where Martin introduced us to all the horses currently in his care he stressed the importance of attention to detail and time when teaching young horses how to become racehorses. New horses arrive at any time of the day or night, indeed the usual arrival time for Irish imports is 4 or 5 in the morning. Martin s day starts at 5.30 with feeding. The staff arrive about 7 which is when the real work of the day begins. The routine of a racing stable is followed in that most of the work is done in the morning with the staff leaving at 1. With horses arriving at any time and each wanting personal attention, however, there is really no routine. The aim is to keep horses tidy but not groomed as much as probably they would be in a racing yard. Clipping, is, of course, a fairly new experience for some of the horses so can take a bit of getting used to. The task of education is crafted individually. All new horses do, however have an M.O.T when they arrive including a good look at their teeth. Martin mentioned quite a few who had dental issues; which, if not rectified would cause problems and make their task of learning so much more difficult. The schooling ring at Martin Jones yard We were then introduced to the horses in Martins care and told which trainers they were heading for. Many remain un-named so I have detailed the sire and dame for clarification. Shirrocco Society Rose. Society Rose won a Newcastle maiden for Michael Stoute. Dam of 4 winners on the flat but yet to have a jumps winner. David Pipe. Lord Emerson, placed on the flat for Richard Fahey, going to David Pipe. Medicien -Hymnsheet,(Pivotal) Dam won a Yarmouth maiden from 4 starts for Michael Stoute, half sister to 7 winners on the flat incl Chorist (over 4000,000 in prize money) Chestnut colt bought at October sales 48,000 gns. 2 year old now, going to David Simcock. Martin broke Trade Storm for David Simcock. Winner of 3 races in GB, 2 in Meydan and Woodbine Mile (Turf) in Canada, Oct 14. Earnings over 1m 2 Big Bad Bob Passarelle (In the wings) bt 13,000gns to go to Venetia Williams. Half brother to Coffee House, unplaced in 2 all weather bumpers, half brother to Ajmany, winner of 3 races up to 10f for Luca Cumani last win over 10f at Salisbury in October 14.. Super horse according to Martin, the dam won 1 race, mile and a half maiden at Downpatrick. Martin also had Zamdy Man for Venetia Williams, winner of 4 hurdles, Won Rosington Main Hurdle at Haydock last year and 2nd to The New One at Haydock in November. Milan Flow (Over the river). This horse is to go to Caroline Keevil. The breeder is Mrs Dunn who has already bred half brothers and sisters River Indus, Over the Flow, Regal Flow and Arctic Flow to win 10 races. My Lad Percy, winner of a nhf and 2 hurdles for Rebecca Curtis, UR and fallen out of 4 chases for Martin Keighley, was at the yard having a break away from Martin Keighley before being returned to him. Some of the horses we saw were owned by Diana and Grahame Wheatley and previous graduates from Moat Stables include Planet of Sound, nhf, 2 hurdles, 5 chases, Haldon Gold Cup and Punchestown Guinness Gold Cup and From Dawn to Dusk, a winner of 9 races. Battle Group is the winner of 9 races, 7 over hurdles, a chase and a national hunt flat race for Lucinda Russell, David Pipe and Kevin Bishop but last season seriously lost his way.beng pulled up twice, refusing to race at Newbury and in the Grand National and virtually doing the same in the Scottish equivalent. Two tailed off runs on the all weather during the Summer and now a spell at the Martin Jones nursery are being tried to rekindle his appetite for racing. Martin did describe him as a bit of a lad likening him to a teenager going out on the town on a Saturday night! Martin would like to take him out hunting before he is returned to Johnny Farrelly to try again at this year s Grand National. Another potential star we saw was the sister to Kings Palace. When all the horses had been seen we were invited into the kitchen where Martin and his daughter Sami entertained us with tea, coffee and biscuits, with even the brandy bottle being brought out should we wish to warm up! During this wind down Martin and I relayed the story, not so good written as being told live, when Mount Oliver was late into the paddock at Nottingham because the girl taking him to the races had got the race time wrong. The upshot was that Robin Dickin had to run to the racecourse stables, run back with the horse and saddle him while the other runners were on their way to the start. The race did result in a victory at I swear to this day that racegoers will have thought some coup was afoot in that he was extra fit and we didn t want other racegoers to realise. It was the only season that Mount Oliver won on his seasonal reappearance. A thoroughly entertaining two or three hours in very hospitable and professional company. Phil Whitehouse 22 23

13 Column header picture courtesy of John Grossick. JOHN HALES COLUMN The build up to The Cheltenham Festival is quite intense and the expectation is high and highlighted by the number of Cheltenham previews. I was able to attend the preview at the Cheltenham racecourse on the Sunday prior to the first day on the following Tuesday. I took my son and daughter and we found it very interesting particularly having Tony McCoy Aux Ptits Soins powers up the hill to win the Coral Cup on the panel. I think it was not too difficult to forecast the potential winners on the first day. I remember on the Morning Line on the Tuesday Ted Walsh saying all four of Willie Mullins fancied horses would not win as this was Cheltenham and not Disneyland. I decided like many others to have a Yankee Bet on the four Mullins horses and to see the first three all win. I was getting quite excited and before Annie Power s race I spoke to Ted Walsh and said it looks like it is going to be Disneyland. When Annie Power came to the last it seemed all over and I was about to win the full Yankee bet. What happened next came as a complete surprise and it looked a very bad fall. The great thing about losing a bet in these circumstances was that the horse and rider were OK. During the evening in the Pub where we stay with friends I started to get an attack of nerves The GiGi Partnership still hope Vivaldi Collonges may prove to be a Grand National horse and questioning the wisdom of giving Aux Ptits Sions his debut in England at the Cheltenham Festival even though it was a joint decision by Paul and myself. The pressure increases when you have had a disappointing run on the first day. The GiGi partnership made up of Margaret Moody, David Stevenson and myself were disappointed with the run of Vivaldi Collonges in the four mile amateur race. I still believe he will make a very good staying chaser and maybe Paul Nicholls said the Aux Ptits Soins could be the best horse he had trained since Kauto Star The Grand National will be his race one day. Prior to the the Coral Cup the pressure increases when you start to get bullish comments resulting from his preparation in Ditcheat. The horse was taken to Wincanton for a race course gallop ridden by Nick Scholfield who afterwards said he was the best horse he had ever sat on. In his preparation Paul Nicholls said the Aux Ptits Soins could be the best horse he had trained since Kauto Star. This was praise Indeed and added further pressure on the expectancy level we hoped to achieve in the race. We were very lucky to survive the novice mistake at the second hurdle and Sam did a great job to stay on him. At times he made novice errors, which was understandable given that he had previously only had two novice hurdle races, which he both won. His speed and stamina against seasoned handicappers combined with his jumping potential was impressive. The plan now is to school him over fences ready for a novice chase campaign next season then turn him away for the summer grass. We now look to Aintree where Al Ferof will have entries in the 2.5 mile and 3 mile Chases and Unioniste will be in the Grand National. If he can avoid any mishaps particularly on the first circuit I am confident he can run a good race. It is possible that Al Ferof may finish the season at the Punchestown Festival. After having a great week at Cheltenham we ran Rob Robin in a Bumper at Kempton. Unfortunately he bled which must put a question mark against his future prospects. We still have much to enjoy and we will be at both Aintree and Ayr after which I can enjoy watching the horses enjoy their summer at grass. John Hales Nick Scholfield said Aux Ptits Soins was the best horse he had ever sat on 24 25

14 KIM BAILEY COLUMN What a week the Cheltenham Festival was this year, was it the best ever? Obviously I thought so! We had perfect ground conditions and hats off to Simon Claisse and his team for producing the track in such perfect condition for last week s racing. The week started on Tuesday with Willie Mullins winning the first with Douvan, the second race with Un De Sceaux, he did not have a runner in the third which meant an English winner in The Druids Nephew, but he was then back in the winners enclosure with Faugheen in the Champion Hurdle, and then in the Mares race Annie Power looked the certainty of the meeting. The bookmakers by then were shaking in their boots as nearly everybody I knew who had a betting account had done the four timer with Annie as the last. Bloody hell how the Darna, ridden by David Bass, gave us our first Festival winner in some time sore heads greeted us all on Friday morning bookmakers must have been feeling when Annie Powered to the last well clear and still on the bridle. Fate took hold and the bookmakers were saved as Annie fell, how can life be so cruel you wonder? Anyway, don t feel too sorry for the trainer as his second string Glens Melody won the race instead. Thankfully Annie Power was fine after her fall, although pride was seriously dented especially her jockey Ruby Walsh s. Those leaving the racecourse on Tuesday night were wondering whether Paul Nicholls or Nicky Henderson would even have a winner at the meeting such was the Mullins domination. Wednesdays racing started with another Irish winner in Windsor Park trained by Dermot Weld but Willie Mullins struck back with Don Poli in the second and it looked like the winning trend had recovered. At last Paul Nicholls struck back with three winners including the Champion Chase winner Dodging Bullets. Thursday and was the tide turning in favour of English based horses? Not sure as Willie Mullins started by winning the first with the hugely impressive Vautour but then the tide turned big time as the rest of the days winners were all trained by English trainers including one in Gloucestershire! Warren Greatrex won the Stayers Hurdle with Cole Harden while King, Henderson and Pipe added their names to the score sheet. Friday and Gold Cup day..henderson who regularly dominates the JCB Triumph hurdle made sure that nothing had changed with a one, two, three and then Mullins struck again, and again later. The Cheltenham Gold Cup as usual had all the drama needed to keep its audience happy. Coneygree trained by Mark and Sara Bradstock just jumped and ran the opposition into the ground. It was the most spectacular performance by a novice and one we will remember for years to come. The Amphitheatre that is Cheltenham needed the great AP McCoy to win the last race. It was named after him and the whole racing world so wanted him to go out on a high so much so that his mount Ned Buntline was backed down to favourite. Sadly it was not to be as the Scudamore family ruined our day although not theirs by winning well. Anyway by now the stands were full and we all stood still and applauded AP back to the winners enclosure as we said goodbye to the greatest jockey we are ever likely to see. It was a wonderful week and one that showed that the racecourse has moved forward. The new stand is not ready but the new tented village had space as never before and the owners and trainers with runners were looked after like royalty. The food in the owners Hats off to Simon Claisse and his team for producing the track in such perfect condition is only one winner per race! Brightwells were the generous sponsors of five star standards in the owners and trainers restaurant and trainers tent sponsored by Brightwells was as good as any five star restaurant. Managing disappointment is important as there Highlights of the week..willie Mullins three novice chase winners and his Champion hurdle winner, how is he going to keep them all apart next year? Coneygree winning the Gold Cup was just magical and a fairytale, John Oaskey would have looked down with pride. The last word goes to Cheltenham themselves for staging the best jump racing in the world. Yes it was a special week and we here at Thorndale tasted success and my we enjoyed it, sore heads on Friday morning and my office was full of cans of Red Bull! Onwards and upwards to next year. Kim Bailey Kim Bailey Racing Ltd, Thorndale Farm, Andoversford, Cheltenham, Glos. GL54 4LL T: F: M:

15 RICHARD HOILES COLUMN For me the pivotal moment of the Festival came as the chasing group bunched up behind Coneygree approaching four out in the Gold Cup. A hundred yards later and we had witnessed a complete changing of the guard as those who had fought out the bumper car finish of twelve months earlier were left trailing in the wake of the new kids on the block. A novice beating a six year old bodes well for the future, especially as even before the Gold Cup the novices had very much been the stars of the Festival. The efforts of Un De Sceaux, Vautour and Don Poli really set the imagination racing, as with the exception of the Champion Hurdle, the Championship Races this Festival had been far from vintage. Coneygree, Road to Riches and Djakadam signal a changing of the guard Enter Coneygree, whom almost everyone at Festival previews I attended, myself included, would have run in the RSA. Sometimes it takes a maverick to expose the flaws in perceived wisdom and in the Bradstocks, Coneygree had the ideal disciples. The ghost of Gloria Victis, the novice killed in the 2000 Gold Cup, had haunted any trainer daring to speak of a tilt at a Gold Cup with a first season chaser and there are very few who would have shown the steadfast belief to take the Gold Cup route. In pursuing that dream, at least for a while, the romance was restored to the Festival. The pyramid at the top National Hunt racing has been getting ever narrower in recent seasons, as few can compete with the buying power of the major players. Couple that with the training skills of Willie Mullins and Paul Nicholls and it was easy to believe at the end of day two that the Festival was going to be one of where money rather than dreams had fuelled success. Every owner has the right to spend as much as they want to indulge their passion, but with such dizzying prices that can never reasonably be recouped it is increasingly difficult for others to compete. The paucity of runners that has bedevilled this National Hunt season, had even extended to the likes of the twelve runner Supreme and the Neptune where just ten lined up. Handy for commentators but not the spectacle the first race Cheltenham Roar was meant to herald. Southfield Theatre could be one to watch for the Hennessy in November In beating a trio of horses owned by three of racing s power house owners, Coneygree s connections will hopefully encourage others that fortune can favour the brave. Top three performances of the week outside the Gold Cup I had doubts about Un De Sceaux s ability to cope with the buzz of Cheltenham and hence conserve his energy sufficiently. Having set a decent pace the way he picked up when challenged by God s Own dispelled them completely. He concentrated on his fences and in a division that looks very weak will be hard to beat in next year s Queen Mother if avoiding the injuries which have plagued the division. The thought of him turning down the back straight in the Tingle Creek is spine tingling. I could see Thomas Crapper being aimed at the Paddy Power In the aftermath of last year s Festival Willie Mullins made it clear that Vautour was thought superior to Faugheen. By last Tuesday that looked fanciful but there is every chance that will prove to be the case. Whilst Faugheen s Champion Hurdle victory was comfortable enough, he was very much given the run of things, whilst the mistake two out showed the errors of last year had not Coneygree s connections will hopefully encourage others that fortune can favour the brave completely been eradicated. By contrast Vautour jumped impeccably, travelling with zest and panache. The King George looks the obvious target for him as the Gold Cup trip would be a query given how strongly he travels. There will be no doubts about Don Poli s stamina which looks his strong suit. Best quote of the week came from Willie Mullins who described the way the horse travels early on like 28 29

16 he has a misfiring carburettor. There is always the danger with this type of horse that one day he drops the lot but the benefit is there is plenty If it is best to start the race walking in first time, why should it be any different second time around? of petrol left for the business end. He again impressed with the way he hit the line and it is difficult to determine how much there is still left under the bonnet. Three for the future Thomas Crapper, runner up to Don Poli in last season s Martin Pipe, again finished runner up in the novice handicap chase after a pretty brutal trip. Several riders were guilty of covering excessive ground over the first three days when The new starting procedures remains a work in progress the better ground meant shortest was best. Watching the replays most of those involved in the finishes raced closer to or on the rail and any involved in finishes who travelled wide deserve extra credit. He stuck to his task admirably and with his love of Cheltenham looks a player for something like the Paddy Power. Southfield Theatre was also no match for Don Poli but would have been closer but for banking four out when he took off at the same time as Kings Palace who was just ahead of him. The Hennessy looks ideal given that is one race that Willie Mullins does not seem to target. How did Djakadam get so well beaten this season given his Gold Cup exploits?! The Hennessy always represents the best chance for second season novices to lower the colours of their higher rated more exposed rivals. Next season of course a second season novice could be top weight in Coneygree. The last is not a horse but a procedural change. The flag raised, walk in starting procedures have been an improvement with one notable exception, the standing starts used after a false start. To be fair to the BHA, the jockeys have been supportive that this is the way to go but it seems every time a couple are badly inconvenienced, notably Monetaire on Thursday. If it is best to start the race walking in first time, why should it be any different second time around? Hopefully by the next Festival such attempts to line up big fields in perfect lines will be a thing of the past. Richard Hoiles CLUB NEWS & FORTHCOMING EVENTS Racing Calendar March 28 March 30 April 1 April 2 April 6 April, 9, 10, 11 April 15, 16 April 15 Club Night Stratford Chepstow and Warwick Towcester Ludlow Chepstow Aintree Cheltenham Don t miss a special evening of conversation at the Victory Club where Edward Gillespie OBE poses questions to our vice President, Alastair Down. 8.00pm start, please bring your membership badges, 6.00 for visiting guests May 22 Worcester Races Club Night Our tradition of closing the season at Worcester continues, we will hopefully be able to present the Richard Davis award Kirtlington Stud visit Sarah Matthews has secured a visit to Kirtlington Stud between May July. We will provide details of the trip in next months magazine and give details online on the club website when we have them. April 25 Michael Scudamore stable visit September 26 Venetia Williams stable visit Can anyone wishing to go on either of these visits get in touch with Sarah Matthews on for members, for non members Club trips to Ireland Peter Collier is planning more trips to Ireland with Listowel added to existing trips to Galway and Punchestown Festivals. Any member wishing to join Peter should give him a call on , if you haven t been why not give it a try, it s a great craic! Festival Preview The Centaur Our Chairman, Doug Miles, would like to thank all members who supported the Festival preview evening on March 8. The AP factor meant we had a full house who generously contributed 3,100 to the raffle and a further 2,035 to the silent auction

17 LIAM TREADWELL COLUMN Steve Ennis writes; I did my monthly catch up with Liam Treadwell in our local pub where I was able to catch Liam s reflections on the Festival and hopes for the remainder of the season. You singled out a special mention for Next Sensation in the Grand Annual in last months magazine, his win must have pleased you? I m especially pleased for Michael Scudamore as a first Festival win is always a big deal. I rode out at Michael s on the morning of the race and they were very anxious that the heavy rain may spoil Next Sensation s chances. However, he ran Next Sensation gives Michael Scudamore a first Festival success and jumped superbly and appeared to enjoy the benefit of a recent wind operation. It was well documented that last years race was unfortunate as he was all buzzed up at the delayed start, this time around he settled really well and travelled strongly throughout the race. All credit to Michael who showed considerable patience in the horse and had him 100% on the day. It was nice also for his brother Tom to be on top as the Pipes happened to have no runner in the race, enabling him to take the ride. How were the rides you had in the week? I only had two at the Festival this year, Shangani ran really well in the 3m handicap on Tuesday. He lit up with the application of blinkers, they worked in getting his blood up and he jumped and travelled well, only for his stamina to give out. There were lots of positives to take from the race and good ground and 2m 4f should prove to be a distance in which he can become really competitive. Vivaccio was my Shangani will benefit with a drop in trip and spring ground other ride and gave his owners a good day out, while never really getting competitive. What about those who didn t feature? Desilvano had a tough race a couple of weeks before the Festival and was just balloted out of the Albert Bartlett. That may prove a blessing in disguise as I m sure he ll be better on good ground. He will go to Aintree fresh, he s had a I won the Byrne Plate on Carrickboy who had a standing start, so it s no problem for me. long season so the break before Aintree will do him the world of good. Which horses impressed you the most at this years Festival? No surprises really, but I d say Don Poli. He was idling down the back straight but came alive at the top of the hill and really took off from there. He finished looking like he might fancy another circuit. Douvan was another very eye catching winner. The rest of the field couldn t live with the pace of his crisp hurdling, where he never broke his stride. Faugheen would be my third pick of the week. Commentators have crabbed the fact that Douvan and Faugheen may have been given soft leads, but I d encourage anyone to look again at the Champion Hurdle. From the second last The New One and then Jezki both tried to take Faugheen on before reaching the final bend on the turn for home. Both these challengers were flat to the boards in trying to break Faugheen, they didn t succeed and when Ruby hit the bend he simply turned the afterburners on and left them in his wake. I d argue that because Jezki had a real go at beating Faugheen down the hill it cost him second place. He finished an exhausted fourth. In the meantime, Arctic Fire and Hurricane Fly who didn t take Faugheen on were able to pick up second and third without really threatening to win. If Cheltenham introduce another race on the Thursday to replace the charity race what would you go for? I think a veterans three mile chase would be a real crowd pleaser. Imagine the scene if a few former Gold Cup winners turned out or popular horses like The Giant Bolster, Vino Griego or Carruthers were to take their place in a 16 runner line up, it would make for a great story before and after the race and could capture the imagination of the racing public. Did you find the new starting procedures an improvement? Yes, and I know that s contrary to many other people s point of view. From my perspective as a jockey I think the communication with the starter has improved greatly. Personally I have no problem whatsoever with standing starts, after all, I won on Carrickboy in the Byrne Plate a 32 33

18 couple of years ago from a standing start. As long as the horses are in a line I think jig jogging in or standing starts are fine. How was the rest of your month? I ve continued to enjoy riding winners. I got on the board for Venetia, despite the yard hitting a quiet spell. I had a winner at Towcester with Cash And Go and the crowds were super where they enjoyed big screen recordings of the Cheltenham races in between the action at Towcester. I also rode a winner for Michael Scudamore and I had Seymour Legend for Jim Wilson on the eve of the Festival at Taunton where he was backed from an opening show of 33/1 into 10/1, it must have been the Irish who thought he was a good thing, because we had no idea! I m hopeful of getting a ride in this years Grand National RICHARD DAVIS AWARD For the Top Conditional Jockey riding at Cheltenham, Chepstow, Ludlow, Stratford, Towcester, Warwick and Worcester during the period 27th April th April 2015 (Sponsored by the Cheltenham and Three Counties Race Club & Midlands Racing Club) Scoring: a Winner 10 points, a Second 7 points, a Third 4 points, a Fourth 2 points. 1st Sean Bowen 199 pts 2nd= Peter Carberry 142 pts 2nd= Nico De Boinville 142 pts 4th Trevor Whelan 136 pts Latest placings (up to and including 17th March 2015) Richard Davis was a talented jump jockey tragically killed in a fall over fences in This award is named in his memory. WIN A DAY AT THE RACES COMPETITION This month s question for the chance to win two Premier Enclosure Badges for any meeting of your choice (except the Welsh Grand National) at Chepstow racecourse is given below. Each month the first correct entry drawn from those received in time will be awarded a voucher which can be redeemed for the Premier Badges direct with the racecourse office. The winner of the February Competition was Dianne Weston, who correctly answered that the date of the Irish Raceday is Saturday 7th March Our congratulations, along with a voucher for two Premier Enclosure Badges to Chepstow, have been sent to Dianne. The question for March is: Up to what age is free entry to Chepstow Racecourse allowed? Please post your entries to reach Tony Coleman by Friday 3rd April 2015 at: 14 Ridge Green, Shaw, West Swindon, SN5 5PU alternatively, him at tonyandles@aol.com NB: Please remember to include your current membership number and postal address with your entry Looking ahead, will you have a ride in the Grand National? I m hopeful that I may get a ride, but plans aren t yet fully mapped out. However, if I don t, I m happy to go to Chepstow again where I enjoyed one of my best days of last season on Grand National day. As long as I keep getting winners and rides I m pretty relaxed about wherever I go. Liam Treadwell 34 35

19 JO COLLINSON COLUMN The media hype surrounding the movie Fifty Shades of Grey even reached the Cotswolds. Despite conditional jockey Paddy Cowley s assurances that he could be our Christian Grey, a group of girls trooped to Cineworld. Realistically, the only whips we use are the ones riding out and methods of restraint include headcollars and bridles, and are only used on the horses. When I write my steamy novel set in horseracing, one possible title is Fifty Shades of Jewson Blue! I am forever storing up tales in my mind and scribbling words down. Yet, I often deliberate if readers would believe the raunchy goings on in this sport. On St Valentine s Day, up at Haydock, I led up Sunnyhillboy for what turned out to be his retirement run. He finished tenth under Paddy in the Pertemps Qualifier, showing none of his former sparkle. I felt a lot of pride leading him up the little horse with a great big heart. There were a lot of spectators calling his name, highlighting his large public following. Sunny may not have won his final race, but he was smart enough to win the best turned out. When news came through of his retirement, I felt happy that he will grow old and fat in a field in J.P McManus estate, Martinstown. Alan Berry was always a massive part of Sunny not only did they win at the Festival together, but Alan rode him out every morning. He never moved when Sunny would do huge, vertical bucks at the bottom of the gallops, kicking the white rails. Later that day, my Oscar Fortune won his first novices chase. I had started to ride Ozzie three weeks before and realised he was rather lazy watching crows, the boss Watching Faugheen bolt up in the Champion Hurdle made my heart nearly skip with wonder jeep and the hedgerows, instead of concentrating on his work! On his final swinger up the long gallop, I was told to wake him up. Using a borrow whip, I slapped him a couple of times down the shoulder as we jumped off. Ozzie shot off, never leaving Champagne Present s hindquarters. To be honest, I was not in much control! It must have done the trick as he won by under a length for Dougie Costello. Dougie had finished second on him in November and, once again, he led and Ozzie battled to keep his nose in front. The blinkers worn for the first time definitely helped. Above: Dursey Sound, me, Denisa Vackova and Lost Legend at Cheltenham Right: Dursey Sound and me in the glorious sunshine on day 1 of the Festival. I felt really chuffed as I had not only ridden him at home but have always looked after him. He has won a bumper, two hurdles and now a chase. He is a stocky type with a wide chest and a chunky head. He is owned by the Jackdaws Strangers three different owners, including Sir and Lady Broughton of Taquin du Seuil, Mr. and Mrs. Richard Seed and Mr. Stephen Killalea. Each January, Ozzie s colours swap round and this was the first win in Mr Killalea s green and yellow silks. On February 18, Bara Ponická had a memorable day s racing when Milan Bound won at Doncaster. A.P McCoy gave him an amazing ride to come from the back to win by just over a length. On the same day, at Ludlow, Bara s Communicator finished second and Twirling Magnet won the Hunter Chase. Bara rides Twirly every day and has looked after Communicator since he arrived at the yard. Bara is 21 and came here last summer from the Czech Republic, where she had worked in racing. She also looks after recent winner Hedley Lamarr, the unraced Above Board, Saint Lucy and Young Mr Gorksy. Two years ago, Bara worked for Donald McCain for a season, where she led up 2012 Chester Cup winner Ile De Re. Our Assistant Trainer s wife Sophie Upton is in training for the London Marathon in April. Once a successful jockey, Sophie fits riding out two lots daily round the school run for her boys Richard and Patrick, as well as looking after husband Guy and the rest of the staff. Sophie is running in aid of Racing Welfare. Through a lifetime in this sport, Sophie has seen directly how the charity had been available to support those people who work in racing. On February 8, Sophie completed the Gloucester 20 Race twenty miles in 3 hours and 5 minutes, and runs about thirty-five miles a week. We will all be wishing her a clear round and lots of staying power

20 Left: Sunnyhillboy ahead of his last ride at Haydock Right: Dursey Sound and me head for the parade ring on day 1 of the Festival. After a trio of Festival winners last year, we failed get any this year. The Saint James finished a fine third in the Fred Winter Juvenile Hurdle and Box Office was fifth. In the Ryanair, Johns Spirit was a gallant fifth and was so smart he won groom Coral Eastment the best turned out prize. In the same race, Taquin du Seuil was unplaced and did not jump with much fluency. On the last day, Holywell ran a great race to finish fourth in the Gold Cup on ground too soft for his liking and also won his groom Kate Hanson the best turned out. Coneygree was a worthy winner a big brave galloper who jumped faultlessly to victory. Our final chance, Eastlake was a fast-finishing second in the Grand Annual under Paul Carberry we all wished A.P had been on him! Eastlake s groom Petra Kopecká had a brilliant day leading him up and had never been to racing as spectacular as Cheltenham before. A few of my colleagues were disappointed not to have a winner and, whilst it is disappointing, I feel more philosophical. I have worked in other yard s that, one year, will send out lots of winners and then do not get a winner for a couple of years. I am not sure there are many yards out there with the equine ammunition of Willie Mullins. On a personal level, I had a great day on the Tuesday with my two boys Dursey Sound and Lost Legend running in the same handicap Sunnyhillboy almost lands the Grand National, narrowly denied by a perfectly timed run chase. I had a terrible time deciding which one to lead up as I have looked after them both since September 2012 and do love them both. In the end, I opted for my beloved and favourite Dursey. Denisa Vackova led up Ledgy as she has worked here for four seasons and had never been to the Festival, she was excited all day. Dursey arched his sleek neck and loved the sunshine mixed with the electric atmosphere. Ledgy was much more excited and dragged Denisa around the parade ring. Dursey finished last (not bad for a summer jumper) and Ledgy ran a blinder to finish sixth. I was so chuffed with Ledgy; in fact, both of them did me proud. In the stable yard, watching Faugheen bolt up in the Champion Hurdle made my heart nearly skip with wonder. Denisa s bottom jaw dropped and, around us, there was an amazed silence. In contrast, in the canteen where we were having a late lunch, there was a loud and shocked groan when Annie Power fell at the last. There are always rolling emotions at any race day, but more so at the Festival than most. As we queued to get out of the racecourse, the drunken revellers were entertaining. Staggering, wobbling off the kerb, rebounding Petra Kopecká had a brilliant day leading him up and had never been to racing as spectacular as Cheltenham before off car after car, knocking into wing mirrors. They wave at our horse lorry as it is covered in logos, mostly asking for tips. One swaying man knocked on the window and, on seeing our four faces, wolf whistled and slurred, I ve heard what you horsey girls are like. He fell back onto the pavement to our haranguing and amusement. Jo Collinson 38 39

21 MEMBERS CORNER JOHN CLARK John Clark, one of the longest serving members of CTCRC, has kindly submitted this months members corner feature. Racecourse at which you are an Annual member? Stratford, I ve been a member there for over 50 years! My earliest racing memory is... Going to Buckfastleigh Races with my Father, many years ago when they had National Buckfastleigh Races are my earliest racing memory Hunt racing. My all time racing heroes are... Sir Peter O Sullevan I ll always remember him calling home his wonderful horse Attivo, again many years ago. My favourite race horse of all time is... A horse named Sandwilan trained by the late Stan Wright and then by my good friend Gerald Ham. He was ridden by Ron Hyatt and Jenny Hembrow. He won his last race, a point to point, aged 12 years and then had a wonderful retirement with my friends Pat and John Baker at Nether Stowey. He died aged 27 and is buried beneath his favourite tree on their farm. My favourite Jockey is... Richard Johnson, he deserves to be champion jockey. My all time and current favourite trainers are... Jonjo O Neill, Ian Williams and the late John Webber. My favourite racecourse. Stratford and also Newton Abbot. Best Days Racing.. Sandwilan winning the Teign Chase at Newton Abbot in September What I would most like to see improve in racing is... Increased guidance and control over the correct use of the whip. What I m most looking forward to in the season is... The Cheltenham Festival and continued excellent racing at Stratford. I m a member of the CTCRC because... Friendly members, excellent stable visits and interesting Finish Line. Funniest moment I ve had in racing was... At Warwick I d had a 2 bet at 8/1 and was cheering my horse very loudly home. A fellow racegoer whose horse was almost last became quite annoyed, repeatedly saying there s no need to shout. My horse won and I said to him, you d shout if you stood to win 850 wouldn t you? He apologised profusely and I took care to make sure he was nowhere around when I collected 16! Buckfastleigh Point to Point is still a great day out When I win the scoop six I will... I d ask Ian Williams to buy me a potential 2 mile hurdler/chaser. Other interests include... Most sport, not formula one, classic cars and travel. Other Sporting Heroes are... Sir Stirling Moss, he and I were racing cars at very different levels during the same period. Four people I would like to invite to dinner are... Sir Peter O Sullevan, Sir Stirling Moss, Nicky Henderson and Paddy Gwen Jukes who has looked after the members tea room at Stratford for so many years. If you would like to feature in this column next month just answers to the questions above to Steve Ennis at kate. ennis@tiscali.co.uk 40 41

22 CLUB TRIP TO PHILLIP HOBBS Around 30 Club members paid a visit to Sandhill Racing Stables, the yard of Philip Hobbs situated near Minehead on the North Somerset coast. The weather was beautiful and we were all treated to bacon sandwiches with coffee on arrival in the 400 year old house that is the family home on land that is part of the Queens Estate. Philip has over 100 horses at the yard and we watched third lot going through their paces Horses go through their paces on the gallops they re steeper than they look but the setting and weather were gorgeous on the gallops. The setting is outstanding with superb views of the Bristol Channel a couple of miles to the north. Philip was fairly reserved in terms of his fancies for Cheltenham (suggesting Cheltenian was a strong fancy for the County Hurdle). We were given the freedom to walk around the yard and see the horses in their boxes. Wishfull Thinking enjoyed the polo mints he was given as demonstrated in the picture opposite. The days visit coincided with the weights announcement for the Grand National, Balthazar King was given 11st 2lb, which should allow him to have a fair crack at the big race in April. The many staff in the yard were all happy in their work and the whole place had a buzz that comes with having such a great Philip Hobbs was a very gracious host season Philip is currently sitting in second place in the Trainers Championship with 82 winners on the board and a strike rate of 19%. Trickaway, caught the eye of many as he travelled very sweetly on the gallops. His next time out came at Ludlow on February 26, he ran and jumped very well only to finish second to Gallery Exhibition, owned by club member Elizabeth Parker-Jervis and trained by our columnist Kim Bailey - perhaps Elizabeth was on a spying mission? After two or three hours of engaging chat and watching the horses being put through their paces many of the Club members went on to watch an enjoyable afternoons racing at the nearby Taunton Racecourse. Steve Ennis Caption Competition: A bottle of wine will be given to the funniest entry detailing what Wishfull Thinking had to say for himself on our visit to Philip Hobbs yard Just Steve Ennis at kate.ennis@tiscali.co.uk with your suggestions