Cheltenham Festival – your best memories
Last week, The Racing Hub asked its 12,000+ Twitter followers to share with us their Cheltenham Festival memories. We said we’d post the best on the website and then, with such a great response, we decided to award the best reply with a copy of Richard Austen’s At The Festival: Racing to Glory at Cheltenham in March.
Here’s our selection of the best, from simple mentions of iconic winners and the ones that got away, to multiple uses of exclamation marks and those which still bring a tear to the eye.
Thank you everyone who participated, and our choice of the best is the very last Tweet listed.
Lukas @WrightsonLuke
Had a serious bet on Denman for his Gold Cup win. Remember being in the pub and half the pub was on Kauto and half was on Denman. Still gives me goose bumps to this day
Tom Graham @mimonty13
Backing Pacha Du Polder the last two Foxhunters – what a horse
Luke @lukechesh8
Sprinter Sacre coming back and winning the Queen Mother in 2016
daniel lawrence @d0ublecarpet
The Drever powering up the hill for the third Stayers title… “What’s that coming over The Hill? Is it The Drever? it’s Inglis Drever” on repeat all night long!
Craig Mc @filthyewpunter
2005: Inglis Drever’s first Stayers. First visit to Cheltenham and first winner. Loved the way he would hit early flat spots and keep battling. 2008: Denman vs Kauto Star. Was having a great week punting but witnessing what The Tank did that day, money can’t buy
Matt Rennie @Matt_Rennie13
Even though it was last year, Summerville Boy trying to eat the last two hurdles and still powering to victory was pretty spine-tingling
Wayward Lad @wayward_lad
Thursday 2009, backed Kayf Aramis at 25/1 (won at 16/1), then Big Bucks at 13/2; finished off with Character Building at 25/1 (SP 16/1), given a masterful ride by J J Codd
James Hollands @JamesOlympics
One of my earliest festival memories was the Gold Cup in the snow in 1987. If memory serves me right, the race went off 80 minutes late after the snow, during which time The Thinker was backed off the boards and Forgive n Forget drifted like a barge!
Jason Budd @JasonBudd70
Denman is probably the best Gold Cup winner I’ve ever seen. But, from a speed point of view, would never have beat Kauto in King George
Ian McQuat @eyemacue
Make A Stand in 1997. Had backed him in his previous two handicap wins. Despite not being a strong field, this in-form front-runner on fast ground was available at 7/1. A young AP got him an early lead at the start and they didn’t see which way he went
Aaron @azzz_11
Quevega coming around that final bend in third, and going on to win six Mares Hurdles in a row
FGZ @wrighty_84
2008 Gold Cup, Denman. Heroic effort. Never the same after that
mr butty @mrgarethbutler
Butlers Cabin 33/1 in 2007 in the lucky last. Best Mate three Gold Cups. Sprinter Sacre in the 2013 Queen Mother and his comeback in 2016. Imperial Commander 2010 Gold Cup. Some great days over the years
Paul Hackett @Hackett_MUFC
Best Mate’s three Gold Cups
Nick Walmsley @NickW1982
Snap Tie in the Supreme. Was chucking money at it for about four months between 50’s and 25’s. Most I’ve won at Cheltenham and only placed
ian ford @IanEenyford
Istabraq. Baracouda. Kauto Star v Denman. Privileged to have watched them
barry @Blueboybaz
Each-way Patent and each-way Treble – Space Trucker, Stormyfairweather and sweating on Sir Talbot in the County Hurdle!!!!
Brian McEnery @mceneb71
The second day of the 2009 Festival. Backed Mikael D’Hageunet, Cooldine, 90th minute and Dunquib to cap off a memorable day. Most enjoyable day at the track ever. Dunguib was the easiest winner I have ever seen of what looked a competitive race
Christopher Gaffney @ChrisJGaffney
2014 Grand Annual winner, Savello. Backed from 40’s into 16’s. A J Martin plot with Davy Russell on board. The Irish knew
Gary McKenzie @ItisNotCricket
From a purely financial point of view it has to be the four-timer I had on Azertyioup, Moscow Flyer, Baracouda, and Best Mate In 2003. But, as a romantic, seeing Denman galloping his rivals silly in 2008 was special
Peter Boyne @PeterBoyne
I got a tip for Montbazon six months before the 2014 supreme. Backed him at 66/1 early doors, morning price was 12/1. Waited for the race to come, and he finished fourth. Not even a place
PiB @PiBMcGinty
Thistlecrack in the World Hurdle. I built up my ante-post book for months and ended up with my biggest single I’ve placed on him. He obliged magnificently
JordanS @Shukes014
Dodging Bullets Champion Chase. More to it than the result for me
Paul Bartlett @thepaulbartlett
Witchita Lineman!!!!!!!!
Matthew Rodenby @MatthewRodenby
Inglis Drever being walked back in by Ginni
Corey Scott @corey scott
Our Conor Triumph Hurdle 2013
Smithy @georgeryan1995
Un Temp Pour Tout in the Ultima 2017
Gary Morgan @gmhuyton
Most memorable for me was getting ready to collect my winnings when Harchibald cruised alongside Hardy Eustace in Champion Hurdle. Doh!
And here’s our winner:
Anne Taylor @BrandyandLovage
Kauto Star’s second Gold Cup and Coneygree’s Gold Cup. I had a bet on the latter and it bought me a terrific hat for my daughter’s wedding
