The Fesitval’s highs and lows
WINNERS ENCLOSURE
What’s been good at Cheltenham…
- The pulsating battle for two circuits between Native River, never headed, and Might Bite in the Gold Cup
- Altior recovering from lameness and adding the Queen Mother Chase to previous Festival victories in the Supreme Novices and Arkle
- Buveur D’Air showing fighting determination to score back-to-back victories in the Champion Hurdle
- Samco remaining unbeaten over hurdles after winning the Ballymore Novices’ Hurdle
- Footpads’s 14-length victory in the Arkle and Laurina’s 18-length win in the Trull House Stud Mares’ Novices Hurdles were the biggest margin wins but, despite the going, the Festival threw up many close finishes
- For the Irish, Gordon Elliott taking the trainers’ title with eight winners including a treble, with Willie Mullins one win behind and also getting a three-timer
- Nicky Henderson achieving a Grade 1 double with the Champion Hurdle (his seventh) and Queen Mother Chase; Paul Nicholls and Colin Tizzard with a brace of day-four winners including the Gold Cup for Tizzard
- Jack Kennedy and Davy Russell taking the jockey honours, with four winners apiece, including a treble for Russell
- Victories for Bridget Andrews, Lizzie Kelly, Harriet Tucker and Katie Walsh
- Cheers for Cue Card
- Michael O’Leary finally winning the Ryanair Chase with Balko Des Flos
- ITV Racing coverage, especially Gold Cup day
- BBC Radio 2 Chris Evans breakfast programme broadcast on Friday from Jonjo O’Neill’s Jackdaws Castle
- 18-years-old jockey Jack Kennedy meeting 109-years-old Festival racegoer Ralph Hoare
- Record attendances on Wednesday and Thursday, Tuesday the second-best attendance on record, and a sell-out again for Friday
- Tickets go on sale at 9.00 am Monday for the 2019 Festival
STEWARDS ROOM
…and what hasn’t been so good
- Ruby Walsh, having ridden two Festival winners, aggravating a tibia fracture after a heavy fall on Al Boum Photo in the RSA Chase and being side-lined again
- Five equine fatalities
- British bred horses coming a long-way second-best to Irish raiders
- Some speculative on-course commentating
- References to Thursday as St Patrick’s Day
- Car parking problems at Prestbury Park due to the weather
