FAUGHEEN SET CHELTENHAM ALIGHT WITH IMPRESSIVE OPENING RACE WIN
Faugheen got day two of the Cheltenham Festival off to a flying start for the punters with an extremely impressive display in the Neptune Investments Hurdle.
Despite not jumping great throughout, Faugheen made mistakes at both the third last and second last but such was his superiority, he was cruised back to the lead in effortless fashion. By the time they got to the final flight, Faugheen and Ruby Walsh were well clear of the rest and sealed the win with a massive jump at the last to bound on up the hill to win easily.
This was a great way to start for the Irish as Faugheen made it number four and winner number three for Mullins and Walsh with the rider saying; ‘’ “He jumped super to the third-last and he took a look at the second-last and missed it. There’s a lot under the bonnet and when you ask it’s there. It was a smashing performance.”
In a day of close finishes for most the rest of the day, the RSA Chase provided the first head bobber on the line between O’Faolains Boy and Smad Place as they went neck and neck all the way up the hill. The judge had to be called but the Barry Geraghty ridden horse got his nose in front at the right time to win by a neck for Rebecca Curtis who was recording her second Cheltenham winner following on from At Fishers Cross last year.
Curtis said: “It’s amazing to get another winner at the Cheltenham Festival. Before Christmas things were not too great but we have peaked at the right time so we were quite hopeful, though we knew it was a very, very good race.”
We then moved onto the Coral Cup and after going off incredibly quick, they approached the last in a bunch with five or six looking like the winner as Whisper hit the front. However, from the back of the last, Whisper and Get Me Out Of Here broke clear and battled it out all the way to the line with Whisper just getting the better of the McCoy mount by a short head for Nico De Boinville. This was the third time that Get Me Out Of Here has been beaten in a photofinish at the Cheltenham Festival and many will feel for his connections today.
“He deserved it,” said Henderson of the winner, the 51st Cheltenham Festival of the trainer’s career.
“He got beaten a nose in the Welsh Champion Hurdle and that was frustrating. What’s more he went up six pounds and I thought we’d thrown this out of the window as well. If we had been beaten a nose today I would have cried.
“Andrew [Tinkler] often rides this horse but I had to claim and Nico is a good rider with a claim.”
The Cross Country race proved equally as exciting. After going quite early on, Ian Popham kicked clear on Any Currency about a mile from home. However, he was followed by a very patient Richard Johnson on Balthazar King and Paul Carberry on last year’s winner, Big Shu. The trio went clear coming around the final bend with the race appearing to be between Balthazar King and Big Shu, however, Big Shu found little off the bridle and Balthazar King looked set for victory. Any Currency on the other hand, kept finding more up the hill and the pair flashed past the post together to give the judge another conundrum but it was to be Balthazar King who’s head bobbed at the right time and he was called the winner for the second time.
The penultimate race proved to be an incident packed Fred Winter Juvenile Handicap Hurdle and the biggest priced winner of the day obliged with Hawk High getting up by half a length from Katgari. There will be several hard luck stories after this race but Brian Hughes managed to avoid all of it. Clarcam appeared to cause most trouble when falling two out and stopped several runners in their tracks including the favourite Dawalan. Approaching the last, Orgilgo Bay looked like he needed company and began to idle as Hawk High came through on the outside to run up the hill and win in another tight finish.
Winning trainer Tim Easterby said: “I’m delighted. It doesn’t matter where you go, this is the best place to win.
“You know, he’s a very decent horse and just needed a confident ride. He won on the testing ground at Warwick but he just didn’t perform at Haydock last time and I don’t know why.”
Gigginstown stable jockey, Bryan Cooper broke his leg in a fall at the second last in the race and it is thought that he will miss the rest of the season.
The day finished with amateur rider Robbie McNamara getting a well deserved first win at the Cheltenham Festival as he steered Silver Concorde to victory for his boss Dermot Weld. McNamara took the shortest route the whole way around on the son of Dansili in behind Ruby Walsh on the market leader, Shaneshill.
As they came around the bend, Walsh hit the front but he was watched all the way by McNamara who hit the front with less than a furlong to go and sprinted clear to win by two lengths.
Having finished third behind Jezki in a 2012 Leopardstown Bumper and subsequently third, Silver Concorde spent some time on the sidelines but gives Weld his second Cheltenham Festival winner, a first since Rare Holiday won the Triumph Hurdle in 1990. Weld said; ‘’We thought he’d beat Jezki first time out two years ago but he’s taken a long time to get right.’’
So that’s it for day two of the Cheltenham Festival. Thursday brings a fascinating clash between Annie Power and Big Buck’s along with a really good Ryanair Chase field.
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