Memories from the Cotswolds

Cllr Tom McEllistrim

ISun SUPPOSE Danoli winning the He had Alliance Hurdle was special. public great support from the general and the racing crowd. He was a sort of a freak horse in a way. Charlie Swan rode him and Tom Foley trained him. Tom was part of a small stable and I think that’s why the people loved Danoli so much. Everyone loves to see the small stable winning. Hurricane Fly winning the champion of hurdle twice is another big memory was mine and to be there to see him special. When I was small I remember the horses my dad asking me to pick out the office in the paper as he was busy in go racing and when he was finished we’d always together. As a TD he was nearly memories in Dublin and some of my nicest he had are going to the races when of racing time. I guess that’s how my love started.

Colm Sayers

Dingle Races Committee Member

IHAVE a nice memory about Kicking King who won the 2005 Cheltenham Gold Cup. The reason he stands out for me is that the late Liam Higgins, who was teacher of mine and a great character, met me one day outside the bookies in December 2004 and he just said, ‘Colm, go in there and back a horse called Kicking King’. It was the first time I heard of him and he won the King George that year. From that day on I followed the horse’s career and of course we all know he went on to win the Gold Cup a few months later. Unfortunately, Liam passed away some years ago and Kicking King is a horse I will always associate with Liam whenever I hear his name.

Cllr Robert Beasley

MY stand out memory of Cheltenham was in 1978. I was actualin jail at the time and I wrote a letter to a friend telling him to back Monksfield in the champion hurdle and I was delighted when I heard he’d won. That evening we were playing cards and I was celebrating and boasting that I’d backed the winner, only to find out that I’d exceeded my quota of letters sent and the letter was never posted and the bet never placed. So I suppose that’s a different angle to a Cheltenham memory if ever there was one! Another great memory came in 1983 when Bregawn won the Gold Cup and trainer Michael Dickenson had the first five home in that race. Desert Orchid was another horse I loved. On the Gold Cup, the horse that won the Thyestes Chase - Champagne West - is one I think has an each-way chance. I took note of him at the time and he could go well.

Micheál Lucey

General Manager, Killarney Racecourse

MY standout Cheltenham moment goes back all the way back to The Royal Sun Alliance Chase on St Patrick’s Day 1999. The race featured one of Ireland’s brightest chasing prospects who had swept all before him in the novice ranks that year in Ireland. Nick Dundee was trained by legendary trainer E J O’Grady and was capably handled by supreme horseman, Norman Williamson. He won Novice chases at the Leopardstown Christmas and Hennessy meetings and was commonly regarded as the Irish Banker for the 1999 Cheltenham Festival. The horse went off at 5/4F for the RSA Chase and was travelling like a dream for much of the race. It was even mentioned afterwards that Paul Carberry, rider of eventual winner Looks Like Trouble, said to Norman Williamson at the top of the hill “See you in the winners enclosure”. Nick Dundee strode on from the Top of the Hill and was all over a winner bar a fall, the crowd was cheering him on and the bookies were facing a meltdown. But disaster struck. A low lying sun blinded Nick Dundee and he fell. I can still recall the sound of 50,000 all gasping at the same time, it was surreal and nobody could quite believe what had just happened. Looks Like Trouble won the ra ce and followed up by winning the following year’s Gold Cup, thus proving what a rare talent that Nick Dundee was.

Cllr John Francis Flynn

THE standout memory for me is Bryan Cooper’s Cheltenham double on the Friday of the festival in 2013. I remember we were in the Kingdom Bar in London and every year we would finish up work on Gold Cup day. I also remember going to the Kingdom Bar with the late Christy Kissane and we had some great days. We backed Our Conor at 4/1 and Ted Veale at 8/1. We then backed Bob’s Worth in the Gold Cup. A bus load of us went to Newbury for the Hennessy the November before and we backed him that day too, so we stuck with him. I think the Gold Cup is very open this year, but how often have we seen the race not going to plan. I remember a horse a couple of years ago in a novice race called Dunguib when seemingly everyone had him backed. The Cheltenham hill finds a lot of horses out.

Cllr Michael Cahill

Iall of Istabraq’s WA S lucky to witness which was special. wins at Cheltenham winning the Gold Obviously Dawn Run A very special Cup is a special memory. was in 1980 when one for me personally won the Arkle Anaglogs Daughter by Tommy Chase when ridden Carberry. What I remember she most about it is that and was a front runner of stayed clear. This type and horse is rare enough I that’s a nice memory. first still remember my seeing time going there and the ‘Welcome to Cheltenham’ you were sign and you just knew a place where the best somewhere special; of the Irish Sea do horses on both sides who wouldn’t talk battle. I know of people one end of the year about a horse from Cheltenham they’ll to the next and come It or four days off work. actually take three appeal for people. just has that sort of