The Cheltenham Festival is upon us and with it is time to have a quick look back at some of the most impressive performances over the last 25 years. BETDAQ’s JOHN SHERIDAN looks through the history books.
Most of the greatest names of National Hunt racing have graced Prestbury Park and gave a performance that has epitomised their class and set them apart from the rest. History has been made several times over the last 25 years with several multiple winners, a triple Gold Cup winner and five time winner.
The last 25 years has been vintage Cheltenham and as we fast approach the 2014 renewal of the Festival, we take a look at five of the most impressive Cheltenham performers. These are the horses that have made the headlines and won the hearts of so many across Ireland and United Kingdom.
ISTABRAQ
The only place to start, for me, is with the legendary Istabraq who began his domination of the Champion Hurdle in 1998 with a record winning distance of 12 lengths. Ridden expertly by Charlie Swan, trained by Aidan O’Brien and owned by JP McManus, Istabraq went on to equal the record of three Champion Hurdles and was potentially unlucky not to have scored a fourth win only for Foot and Mouth disease outbreak.
Widely regarded as the best Hurdler of all time, Istabraq was unbeaten in ten runs between December 1996 and the Champion Hurdle in 1998.
In winning the 1998 Champion Hurdle, Istabraq hammered a quality field which was headed by Theatreworld, twice a runner up in the Champion Hurdle. Third and fourth were I’m Supposin and Pridwell, going further back to the very decent Relkeel in 9th, Dato Star in 13th, Grimes could only finish 14th. These were all horses that would go on to bigger and better things over hurdles and fences.
In a total of 29 runs over hurdles, Istabraq won 23 and only finished outside of the top two on three occasions, falling at the last twice and when pulled up in his last race, the Champion Hurdle in 2001.
Like many that have gone before him, Istabraq appears to be the benchmark with which so many good hurdlers are compared and is one of the greatest Cheltenham winners in recent times.
SPRINTER SACRE
We cannot go much further without commenting on Sprinter Sacre and what he did in last year’s Champion Chase which was nothing short of astounding. He beat a dual Cheltenham winner, Sizing Europe with consummate ease and never came off the bridle to win by 19 lengths. He went from there to an even easier win over two and a half miles at Aintree before being put to the sword by Sizing Europe once again at Punchestown only to brush him aside in a very impressive performance.
It is one of the big disappointments of this year’s Festival that Sprinter Sacre will not be part of the field for the Wednesday highlight but what we can do is just remember how impressive he was last year.
Barry Geraghty had a dream spin around with Sprinter travelling through the race with any amount of ease that he wished. Running down the hill he loomed up alongside Sizing Europe and galloped past him approaching two out, as if he wasn’t even there. If it was any other race, you would say that it was a good performance but to put away Sizing Europe in that manner, was nothing short of exceptional.
Let’s hope Sprinter Sacre returns to full health in 12 months time to attack again and retain his crown.
MONSIGNOR
Monsignor was an extremely impressive winner of the 2000 running of the Royal and Sun Alliance Novice Hurdle (now the Neptune Investments Hurdle). Having won the Champion Bumper the previous year at odds of 50/1 with Brendan Powell senior on board, he went on to even greater success as a hurdler.
The son of Mister Lord only got the opportunity to run 10 times in his career with just two defeats in two of his four Bumpers.
He remained unbeaten over hurdles in six runs including two Grade 1 wins and a Grade 2 win. In one of those Grade 1’s, Monsignor beat none other than Best Mate by two and a half lengths in the Tolworth Hurdle at Sandown.
But it was Cheltenham the following March that race goers saw the horse’s true potential as he stormed to an 8 length win with Norman Williamson in the saddle. Having been held up early on throughout the race, Williamson moved to the front three out and rounding the turn for home, he was a long way clear and pushed out up the hill to beat No Discount.
From there, Monsignor’s career was not straightforward with several interruptions keeping him off the track and his win in Cheltenham was to be his last race.
Unfortunately, we will never get to know how good Monsignor could have been had he been injury free, but for the brief time that we saw him, he looked quite exceptional.
BEST MATE
Between 1966 and now only three horses are multiple winners of the Gold Cup. In 2004 however, Best Mate equalled Arkle by winning three consecutive Gold Cups with only Golden Miller standing ahead of them with a record five consecutive wins in the 1930’s. In fact, Golden Miller has the unique record of being the only horse to have won the Cheltenham Gold Cup and Aintree Grand National in the same year.
Best Mate however, was a celebrity in his own right. He was celebrated as a beautiful looking animal with plenty of gears to go with it. His jumping was always superb and rarely made an error. In 22 runs, he only finished outside of the top 2 once, when being pulled up at Exeter, which ultimately led to his demise on the track.
After spending one season over hurdles, where he finished second in two Grade 1 Novice’s, including at the Cheltenham Festival, Best Mate went on to excel quickly over fences in his second season. Having won his first three Chases, including a Grade 1 at Sandown, Best Mate reverted to hurdles at Aintree, finishing second behind Barton in the Liverpool Hurdle.
12 months later however, he would be celebrated as the Gold Cup hero at Cheltenham beating Commanche Court.
Of the three Gold Cup wins though, his most impressive was his second win in 2003 when he ran out a 10 length winner over Truckers Tavern. Regular pilot, Jim Cullotty, sat almost motionless all the way to take up the running after the fourth last and ran on down the hill and nothing got any closer to him. Decent performers such as Harbour Pilot, Valley Henry and Behrajan finished a long way behind him while former Gold Cup winner see More Business was eighth.
The tale of Best Mate was the stuff of dreams. He had a fantastically colourful owner in Jim Lewis who was also heavily invested in Aston Villa. His trainer Henrietta Knight and her husband Terry Biddlecombe were a combination to beat all combinations and provided some of the most memorable moments of the early noughties. His jockey Jim Culloty was provided with a horse of a lifetime in which to finish off his career.
Exeter on November 1st 2005 was not a deserving end for Best Mate having missed the previous Gold Cup due to injury. His comeback was billed as being the return of the king but unfortunately got no further than his first run.
Possibly one of the best chasers in history, Best Mate was a sight to behold and one that will not be forgotten.
QUEVEGA
Quevega has become the undisputed Queen of Cheltenham having recorded five consecutive wins at the track in the David Nicholson Mares Hurdle.
The French import has been expertly handled by Willie Mullins with very appearances each year and her seasonal debut for the last four years coming at Cheltenham. This shows how good a trainer Willie Mullins is but it also shows the constitution of Quevega that she is able to win this race at Cheltenham with no run.
Wins of 14 lengths, four and a half lengths, 10 lengths and four lengths were the distances for her first four triumphs but I think most will agree that her greatest moment came just 12 months when snatching victory from what looked like certain defeat.
Every gap or angle that Ruby Walsh tried to manoeuvre through between the second last and the last got closed and approaching the final flight, Quevega was only fifth with French raider Serene D’Ainey looking like the winner.
However, somehow, Ruby Walsh managed to find a gap and cajoled the mare up the hill with her closing in on the French mare all the way to finally win going away by a length and a half.
To further enhance her reputation, she then went on to Punchestown to win the Irish version of the World Hurdle without even breaking a sweat by five lengths.
There will be many eyes lying firmly set of Quevega next week as she bids to beat the long standing record held by Golden Miller of five wins. According to the markets, her sixth consecutive win looks nailed on but only time will tell. Either way, she has won her way into the history books already and that will not be taken away.
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