BY PEGASUS

WEXFORD RIDERS and trainers had a big presence at the 2018 Cheltenham Festival, being involved with over 30 runners over the four days, and while there were some good performances we can claim no outright winners this year.

Seán Flanagan had four rides and was part of the week’s major races and picked up some big money. In his first ride in the Gold Cup, Noel Meade’s Road to Respect (9/1) battled on gamely to take fourth behind Native River, earning a tidy £34,600.

On the opening day he was fourth on Identity Thief in the Champion Hurdle behind the great Buveur D’Air (worth £25,000), and he was also fourth on Sub Lieutenant in the Ryanair (worth £18,600).

He partnered Liz Doyle’s (Crossabeg) Last Goodbye in Wednesday’s Handicap Chase and was in contention for much of the way, but the horse made too many scratchy jumps and faded back into midfield.

It had been a hectic few days for Seán prior to Cheltenham too as he became a dad for the first time a week before the meeting. He and partner Lauren are delighted with daughter, Lilah Darcy. ‘It’s been a whirlwind of a week…I can’t stop smiling, it’s magic,’ was his happy comment.

We had to wait until the second-last race of the 28 on Friday for our closest call. Trainer Paul Nolan had just one runner this year, and Discorama outran his 40/1 odds to finish a very creditable and fast-finishing second in the Martin Pipe Conditional Jockeys’ Handicap Hurdle under Dylan Robinson, behind Gordon Elliott’s Blow by Blow.

In the same race, Jonathan Moore had his only ride of the week but finished in midfield on Elliott’s Flawless Escape.

Trainer Pierce Power from The Hook had his first Festival runner earlier on Friday when his Burning Ambition went off 4/1 favourite under Jamie Codd for the Foxhunters Chase, ‘The Amateurs’ Gold Cup’, and he was bang in contention when second at the second-last but ran out of gas on the punishing finish up the hill to finish eighth, behind Pacha Du Polder.

This was the story for a lot of the Wexford contingent and a great many horses this Festival - the toughest underfoot conditions for some years and the last two furlongs up the famous hill proved their undoing. It was a great achievement for Power to have got him there.

Codd had four rides in all but failed to add to his seven Festival winners, his third on Sqouateur in the Kim Muir on Wednesday being his closest. His great ally, Cause of Causes, failed to fire on this occasion in the Cross Country.