Considerable Cheltenhamsuccess for Irish raiders

The 2023 Cheltenham Festival once again yielded terrific Irish success with a total of 18 Irish-trained winner across the four days.

From a Tipperary point of view, there was a Cheltenham Festival firsts for Cashel trainer Sam Curling and amateur rider Pa King from Holycross as Angels Dawn won the Fulke Walwyn Kim Muir Challenge Cup Handicap Chase on Thursday, owned by Alfie Sweetnam from Mullinahone.

Willie Mullins and Paul Townend dominated the week, with champion trainer Mullins sending out six winners to take the leading trainer award and Townend becoming the festival’s leading jockey for the third time with a five-winner haul.

Their success was highlighted by a Cheltenham Gold Cup win for Galopin Des Champs on Friday and Tuesday’s win for El Fabiolo in the Arkle Chase, a 100th Grade 1 success for Townend who ended the week with an overall Cheltenham Festival tally of 28 winners. He also won on Lossiemouth in the Triumph Hurdle, on Energumene in the Queen Mother Champion Chase and on Impaire Et Passe in the Ballymore Novices’ Hurdle. His winners were all trained by Mullins who also saw his son Patrick partner Gaillard Du Mesnil to success in the National Hunt Chase. Mullins’ Cheltenham Festival score stands at 94, a record.

Henry de Bromhead saddled three Cheltenham winners with Rachael Blackmore on board two of them. Honeysuckle was once again their star as she rounded off her career with success in the Mares’ Hurdle on Tuesday while the partnership also landed the Ryanair Chase with Envoi Allen. Darragh O'Keeffe enjoyed his first Cheltenham Festival win on the de Bromhead-trained Maskada in the Grand Annual Handicap Chase.

Gordon Elliott was another to record a trio of Cheltenham Festival wins. Michael O'Sullivan was in the saddle as Jazzy Matty took the Boodles Juvenile Hurdle, Keith Donoghue maintained his fine Festival strike-rate when again winning the Cross Country Chase on Delta Work while Mark Walsh partnered Sire Du Berlais to win the Stayers’ Hurdle with the stable’s Teahupoo promoted a place by the stewards to give Elliott a 1-2 in the race.

Michael O'Sullivan had secured a first Cheltenham Festival success as Marine Nationale won the opening Supreme Novices’ Hurdle on Tuesday in the colours of owner/trainer Barry Connell. Connell has been a winning Cheltenham Festival owner in the past, but this was his first winner as a trainer. 18-year-old amateur rider John Gleeson also rode his first winner at Cheltenham when taking the Champion Bumper on A Dream To Share, trained by 85-year-old John Kiely.

Tony Martin was back in the Festival winners’ enclosure following Good Time Johnny’s success in the Pertemps Network Handicap Hurdle. It was Martin’s seventh Cheltenham Festival winner and a first for jockey Liam McKenna. There was a Cheltenham Festival first for trainer John McConnell and Ben Harvey who took the Magners Plate Handicap Chase with Seddon.

Impervious gave Colm Murphy his fifth Cheltenham Festival winner when taking the Mares’ Chase on Friday. While she was the final Irish-trained winner of the week, she was also a first winner at the Festival for Brian Hayes.

Local Scene

Local trainer Tim Doyle and Gortnahoe’s Niall Moore combined to win the two-mile five-furlong handicap hurdle with No Fussing at Thurles on Monday week last.

The Moyne trainer landed a 1-2 in the race, the first of his training career, as the one and a half-length winner was chased home by Monza Man and Ambrose McCurtin. Both horses are owned by the trainer’s wife Claire and among those in attendance was their first grandchild Ella, daughter of Niamh and her husband Ambrose who partnered the runner-up.

Andy Slattery and his son Andrew combined to win the six-furlong conditions’ race with 3/1 shot Almendares at Dundalk on Thursday. The three-year-old had won his maiden over the same course and distance just last month and he followed up with a half-length win over the Kevin Coleman-trained Catherine Of Siena.

Joey Sheridan was next into the winners’ enclosure as the James McAuley-trained Tai Sing Yeh easily landed the six-furlong handicap. The 13/2 chance made all the running to beat his own stable companion Inflection Point by two and a quarter lengths.

Kevin Coleman enjoyed a winning turn as Fleetfootsoldier scored a narrow success in the eight-furlong handicap to give South African apprentice Mpumelelo Mjoka his first victory in Ireland. The South African apprentice got the 12/1 chance home by a neck from the Dylan Browne McMonagle-ridden favourite Knockmore Prince for his 89th career success in the saddle.

John Ryan and Littleton conditional jockey Liam Quinlan won the first race at Down Royal on St Patrick's Day. They combined to take the maiden hurdle with the Chasers & Pints Syndicate-owned Western Comandor which led at the second-last hurdle and held off the Tom Gibney-trained Flamborough by half a length.

Killenaule trainer Julie Cashin and Cashel’s Evan Dwan were next into the winners’ enclosure as Thecornerhouse landed the opportunity handicap hurdle in good style, adding to her win at Thurles last month. The favourite led on the run to the final hurdle and came home a four and a half-length winner from the Jimmy Lambe-trained Perfect Arch in the colours of owner John Whelan.

Upcoming Meetings

Cork – Thursday, March 23 (First Race 2.05pm)

Dundalk – Friday, March 24 (First Race 4.50pm)

Curragh – Saturday, March 25 (First Race 1.40pm)

Naas – Sunday, March 26 (First Race 1.25pm)

Limerick – Sunday, March 26 (First Race 1.40pm)