24 hours to go
- Bob Brogan
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24 hours to go
16 years 3 months ago
The 2009 Cheltenham Festival, which begins on Tuesday, is the undoubted highlight of the National Hunt calendar.
Over the four days of racing, more than 200,000 people will travel to the Gloucestershire course to take in the top-class racing action and soak up the unique Festival atmosphere.
As well as the home raiders, there is also a strong Irish contingent with some French stars hoping to take the prizes across the English Channel.
Despite the economic gloom, more than £500m will be gambled on the outcome of the 26 races with owners and trainers chasing total prize money of £3.56m.
Although racegoers will flock to Prestbury Park for the four days of the Festival, the current economic climate is likely to have an impact on this year's meeting.
Thousands traditionally travel over from Ireland but there are estimates that numbers will be down this year, with many racing fans likely to reduce their stay in Cheltenham by a night or two, while hospitality bookings are down up to 15%.
Cheltenham's managing director Edward Gillespie is happy with the record prize money on offer, but he has warned it might not be the same next year.
"It's very possible that the downturn in business at the Festival will impact on prize money next season but it is too early to predict the impact the recession may have on some of our sponsors," he said.
The opening day's feature race is the Champion Hurdle with Binocular a red-hot favourite.
Owned by legendary punter JP McManus and trained by Nicky Henderson, the five-year-old is unbeaten this season and his pilot Tony McCoy is a big fan.
However, there are some concerns that last time he ran at Cheltenham, in last year's Supreme Novices' Hurdle, he found the hill up to the finish line too tough and faded to second.
At his pre-Festival open day, champion trainer Paul Nicholls was confident about the chances of Celestial Halo, last year's Triumph Hurdle winner, although he has lost twice to Binocular this season.
Nicholls has not enjoyed the best of fortunes in the Champion Hurdle but he will be confident of claiming victory this year.
Last year's Festival action was partly overshadowed by the storms which hit the course and forced the second day of racing to be called off.
Winds of over 50mph caused structural damage and made the tented hospitality area unsafe.
It forced organisers to abandon Wednesday's racing on safety grounds, spoiling the plans of race-goers and causing a logistical nightmare.
However, the weather improved and the card was run across Thursday and Friday, but organisers will be hoping to avoid a repeat this year.
In the Queen Mother Champion Chase, Wednesday's feature race, the imperious Master Minded will be hoping for back-to-back wins.
Last year, Paul Nicholls's star won by a massive 19 lengths over Voy Por Ustedes, becoming at only five, the youngest horse to win the race and putting in what proved to be one of the most dominant performances at the Festival.
Although he suffered a reversal at the hands of Voy Por Ustedes at Aintree in April, he has returned impressively this year and is a short-priced favourite to retain his crown.
With a 10-length win over Tidal Bay in the Tingle Creek at Sandown and then another impressive victory at a canter in the Victor Chandler Chase at Ascot in January, his form marks him out as a winner.
Nicholls describes the horse as the best he has ever trained and believes he has improved since last year, which is ominous news for the rest of the field.
With the retirement of three-time winner Inglis Drever, there will be a new name on the World Hurdle trophy, Thursday's feature race over three miles.
So far this season, Kasbah Bliss has looked the pick of the stayers. Second to Inglis Drever last year, Francois Doumen's charge triumphed on his reappearance at Haydock's Blue Square Hurdle last month.
The popular Doumen, who brings a touch of Gallic flair to Prestbury Park, will be hoping the seven-year-old can succeed where he failed last year.
But the charge will be led by the Paul Nicholls-trained Big Buck's and Punchestowns from the Nicky Henderson yard who were first and second respectively in the Cleeve Hurdle on Trials Day at Cheltenham in January.
The ground did not favour Punchestowns that day and he could be the one who benefits most from the Festival conditions.
The Queen has always been a staunch supporter of racing but she will have a special reason for cheering on one horse at the year's Festival.
Her Majesty owns the Gold Cup challenger Barbers Shop, trained by Nicky Henderson, and she will be at Cheltenham on Friday to support the horse in the blue riband race.
The promising seven-year-old chaser was victorious on his last start in the Future Stars Chase in December and has been second on his two previous visits to Cheltenham, including in the Jewson Novices Chase at the Festival last year.
On that occasion he looked strong up the hill and he looks certain to relish the three-and-a-quarter miles in the Gold Cup.
Henderson, who has enjoyed more Festival wins than any other current trainer, has already joked that he doesn't want to end up in the Tower if Barbers Shop disappoints at the Festival.
The famous Cheltenham Gold Cup is Friday's feature race, and the world of jump racing is braced for a mouth-watering rematch between champion Denman and his Paul Nicholls stablemate Kauto Star, the 2007 winner.
Last year young pretender Denman got the better of the defending champion in impressive style and many people were predicting the beginning of an era of domination.
But he was diagnosed with an irregular heartbeat late last summer which kept him off the track for 11 months.
He returned to action at Kempton in February but looked a shadow of the horse he was 12 months ago.
There are now serious questions as to whether he can reclaim his former glories at this year's Festival.
Kauto Star will benefit from the break after winning his third straight King George VI Chase on Boxing Day at Kempton while another Nicholls runner, Neptune Collonges, third last year, will also hope to improve.
The 2006 champion War of Attrition, the David Pipe-trained Madison du Berlais and Tony McCoy's mount Exotic Dancer are also challengers.
Whoever wins the 2009 Gold Cup will join a long and illustrious list of previous winners.
The Henrietta Knight-trained Best Mate is the most successful winner of recent times, claiming victory under Jim Culloty in 2002, 2003 and 2004.
Popular grey Desert Orchid triumphed in 1989 - just one of many high-profile victories for Dessie, who died aged 27 in 2006.
But arguably the greatest all-time winner is the mighty Arkle, who won three in a row from 1964-66 for jockey Pat Taaffe.
Over the four days of racing, more than 200,000 people will travel to the Gloucestershire course to take in the top-class racing action and soak up the unique Festival atmosphere.
As well as the home raiders, there is also a strong Irish contingent with some French stars hoping to take the prizes across the English Channel.
Despite the economic gloom, more than £500m will be gambled on the outcome of the 26 races with owners and trainers chasing total prize money of £3.56m.
Although racegoers will flock to Prestbury Park for the four days of the Festival, the current economic climate is likely to have an impact on this year's meeting.
Thousands traditionally travel over from Ireland but there are estimates that numbers will be down this year, with many racing fans likely to reduce their stay in Cheltenham by a night or two, while hospitality bookings are down up to 15%.
Cheltenham's managing director Edward Gillespie is happy with the record prize money on offer, but he has warned it might not be the same next year.
"It's very possible that the downturn in business at the Festival will impact on prize money next season but it is too early to predict the impact the recession may have on some of our sponsors," he said.
The opening day's feature race is the Champion Hurdle with Binocular a red-hot favourite.
Owned by legendary punter JP McManus and trained by Nicky Henderson, the five-year-old is unbeaten this season and his pilot Tony McCoy is a big fan.
However, there are some concerns that last time he ran at Cheltenham, in last year's Supreme Novices' Hurdle, he found the hill up to the finish line too tough and faded to second.
At his pre-Festival open day, champion trainer Paul Nicholls was confident about the chances of Celestial Halo, last year's Triumph Hurdle winner, although he has lost twice to Binocular this season.
Nicholls has not enjoyed the best of fortunes in the Champion Hurdle but he will be confident of claiming victory this year.
Last year's Festival action was partly overshadowed by the storms which hit the course and forced the second day of racing to be called off.
Winds of over 50mph caused structural damage and made the tented hospitality area unsafe.
It forced organisers to abandon Wednesday's racing on safety grounds, spoiling the plans of race-goers and causing a logistical nightmare.
However, the weather improved and the card was run across Thursday and Friday, but organisers will be hoping to avoid a repeat this year.
In the Queen Mother Champion Chase, Wednesday's feature race, the imperious Master Minded will be hoping for back-to-back wins.
Last year, Paul Nicholls's star won by a massive 19 lengths over Voy Por Ustedes, becoming at only five, the youngest horse to win the race and putting in what proved to be one of the most dominant performances at the Festival.
Although he suffered a reversal at the hands of Voy Por Ustedes at Aintree in April, he has returned impressively this year and is a short-priced favourite to retain his crown.
With a 10-length win over Tidal Bay in the Tingle Creek at Sandown and then another impressive victory at a canter in the Victor Chandler Chase at Ascot in January, his form marks him out as a winner.
Nicholls describes the horse as the best he has ever trained and believes he has improved since last year, which is ominous news for the rest of the field.
With the retirement of three-time winner Inglis Drever, there will be a new name on the World Hurdle trophy, Thursday's feature race over three miles.
So far this season, Kasbah Bliss has looked the pick of the stayers. Second to Inglis Drever last year, Francois Doumen's charge triumphed on his reappearance at Haydock's Blue Square Hurdle last month.
The popular Doumen, who brings a touch of Gallic flair to Prestbury Park, will be hoping the seven-year-old can succeed where he failed last year.
But the charge will be led by the Paul Nicholls-trained Big Buck's and Punchestowns from the Nicky Henderson yard who were first and second respectively in the Cleeve Hurdle on Trials Day at Cheltenham in January.
The ground did not favour Punchestowns that day and he could be the one who benefits most from the Festival conditions.
The Queen has always been a staunch supporter of racing but she will have a special reason for cheering on one horse at the year's Festival.
Her Majesty owns the Gold Cup challenger Barbers Shop, trained by Nicky Henderson, and she will be at Cheltenham on Friday to support the horse in the blue riband race.
The promising seven-year-old chaser was victorious on his last start in the Future Stars Chase in December and has been second on his two previous visits to Cheltenham, including in the Jewson Novices Chase at the Festival last year.
On that occasion he looked strong up the hill and he looks certain to relish the three-and-a-quarter miles in the Gold Cup.
Henderson, who has enjoyed more Festival wins than any other current trainer, has already joked that he doesn't want to end up in the Tower if Barbers Shop disappoints at the Festival.
The famous Cheltenham Gold Cup is Friday's feature race, and the world of jump racing is braced for a mouth-watering rematch between champion Denman and his Paul Nicholls stablemate Kauto Star, the 2007 winner.
Last year young pretender Denman got the better of the defending champion in impressive style and many people were predicting the beginning of an era of domination.
But he was diagnosed with an irregular heartbeat late last summer which kept him off the track for 11 months.
He returned to action at Kempton in February but looked a shadow of the horse he was 12 months ago.
There are now serious questions as to whether he can reclaim his former glories at this year's Festival.
Kauto Star will benefit from the break after winning his third straight King George VI Chase on Boxing Day at Kempton while another Nicholls runner, Neptune Collonges, third last year, will also hope to improve.
The 2006 champion War of Attrition, the David Pipe-trained Madison du Berlais and Tony McCoy's mount Exotic Dancer are also challengers.
Whoever wins the 2009 Gold Cup will join a long and illustrious list of previous winners.
The Henrietta Knight-trained Best Mate is the most successful winner of recent times, claiming victory under Jim Culloty in 2002, 2003 and 2004.
Popular grey Desert Orchid triumphed in 1989 - just one of many high-profile victories for Dessie, who died aged 27 in 2006.
But arguably the greatest all-time winner is the mighty Arkle, who won three in a row from 1964-66 for jockey Pat Taaffe.
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