‘We love the Irish here. Not so much the Cockneys, but we love the Irish...’
SO said a Cheltenham taxi driver as he drove us to Prestbury Park one year to watch Denman win the Gold Cup. You might say he was only plámásing given the Irish spend around €20 million in the local economy every year. But when you factor in the history between Cheltenham and Ireland, you sense it’s more than just a throwaway remark about money. It’s a bit of an anti-climax when you visit Cheltenham and discover it’s a town first and a racecourse second.
That’s because people tend to have this image of a spellbinding place, top heavy with excitement, etched in their minds.
It’s only when you reach the track that you start to feel what the place is about. Cleeve Hill looms large in the distance giving you the first clue you’ve arrived in a special part of the world. From this moment on it becomes a destination unlike anywhere else. And no sooner does the Grand Annual Chase bring the festival to an end when the countdown to next March immediately begins.
Most people won’t admit to having this internal chronometer, but privately they’re aware of time ticking away throughout the summer and autumn months to a point in winter when every horse that runs suddenly poses the question: ‘Is he a Cheltenham horse?’ Once you start hearing this you know it’s game on again.
It’s been a lacklustre build up to the festival with many of the top names scratched. Don Cossack and Thistlecrack’s omission leaves the Gold Cup more open than the Curragh on a windy morning; Faugheen and Annie Power’s withdrawal weakens Ireland’s domination of the Champion Hurdle, while Altior will have it all his own way now that Min will be back home in his box.
The build-up is even more tense in the final days as last minute knocks and bruises will have trainers up all night with worry, while jockeys too will be anxious to avoid injury. In short, seldom is there a sporting event where the word ‘provisional’ hangs over every aspect of preperation.
The Cheltenham Festival remains a unique sporting event, however; one that captivates the hardcore racing fan and mesmerizes the casual one. From early on the Monday morning airports in Birmingham and Bristol come alive with the hum of Irish accents - all set for a week bookended by fun and fleeting disappointments. It’s probably the only occasion when hotel beds are booked a full year in advance and never slept in.
But part of the Cheltenham magic is you don’t even need to be there to experience the spirit of it all. That’s because we’ve grown used to midMarch madness breaking out in every town and village in Ireland. Sportswriter Eoghann Corry nails it:
“Many of Cheltenham’s most ardent fans have never set foot on the course. Cheltenham is experienced in a bookie’s shop, in the comfort of a local pub, or a rural homestead.”
For me personally, the magic of jump racing, unlike the flat, is that its stars are perennial favourites who return year after year. The likes of Moscow Flyer, Best Mate, Dawn Run, Istabraq, Danoli, Kauto Star, Hurricane Fly, Sprinter Sacre, Denman, are all names that set the mind ablaze with nostalgia.
Everyone has their Cheltenham favourite and this scribe’s is the courageous stayer, Hardy Eustace, whose memorable wins in ’03, ’04 and ’05 are unlike anything I’ve ever experienced in a sporting context.
Piecing together a supplement such as this is a great experience. Chatting with some of the sport’s top names and gaining an insight into what it’s like for a jockey or trainer taking on the uncertainty of Cheltenham is a real eye-opener, especially from a layman’s perspective.
Cheltenham has always had a place of its own in the hearts and minds of the people on this side of the Irish Sea.
Which is exactly what I told the taxi driver!