Football fans have the Champions League final, GAA supporters have the All Ireland, and NFL people have the Superbowl. If you’re a racing fan however, particularly in Ireland, there’s a good chance that one date stands out way ahead of the rest.
If you haven’t guessed what the equivalent is for horseracing, then you might want to ask a racing fan what comes into their head when St Patrick’s Day is coming up…
Cheltenham Festival isn’t just the date when some of the best horses and jockeys come together, it’s arguably the most prestigious of them all. Add to that the spiciness of Irish jockeys having won so much over the golden age of the past 10 years or so, and you get an idea of how important it is on these shores.
One man who knows all about that is retired National Hunt jockey and BoyleSports racing ambassador Robbie Power, who won the 2017 Gold Cup on Sizing John. With the Grand National and BoyleSports Irish Grand National included in his long list of accomplishments, Robbie says his Cheltenham win was probably the high point of his career.
“Winning the Gold Cup for Jessica Harrington was probably the highlight of my career, even above the Grand National, because I was that bit older and had a few more injuries.
“Cheltenham is where dreams are made and dreams are dashed. I walked out of Cheltenham on that Friday evening in 2017 after riding three winners that week, I just felt like I was on cloud nine,” Robbie says.
Tips for Gold Cup and Champion Chase
The feeling Robbie had back then is only something most of us can imagine, but the magic of Cheltenham is that punters can feel right at the heart of the action themselves. Looking ahead to this year’s festival, Robbie as a BoyleSports ambassador has a few idea of what we can expect for the Gold Cup.’
“There’s a phenomenal team of Irish horses going over, Willie Mullins is responsible for the majority of that team. He’s got a lot of horses that are people’s favourites for the festival, probably spearheaded by Galopin Des Champs in the Gold Cup, he looks like an unbelievable prospect and could be very, very hard to beat.
“In saying that, if A Plus Tard turns up in the same form he did last season he’s going to be very hard to beat as well. So it’ll be a great race between the two of them, I’d be surprised if something outside the two of them won the Gold Cup,” he says.
Part of the magic of horseracing however is that you never know where the next twist in the tale will come from. Every year tends to have at least one or two surprises in store.
“There could be a surprise in the Champion Chase. I think the Champion Chase is wide open, if there is a surprise I can’t see it being an Irish horse.
“Outside of Energumene, the English have a strong presence, so it’ll be up to Energumene to try repel the English challenge in that. Captain Guinness could run a good race in that at a big price so that’s probably the one of the championship races that could maybe swing up a surprise,” Robbie says.
Looking outside of the Irish contingent, Robbie says two other horses to keep an eye on in the Chase would be Editor du Guite and Edwardstone.
The magic of Cheltenham
It’s likely a strange feeling for Robbie to be heading to Cheltenham 2023, as it’s the first time he is attending the iconic festival after his retirement last year. While he has joined the rest of us in looking forward to one of the biggest sporting occasions on the calendar, he can’t help but expect big things from two horses that he has had first-hand experience with.
“I keep looking at the horses I would have been riding at the festival. Two I’m really going to miss out on are Gerri Colombe and Teahupoo.
“They’ve both got strong chances with Gerri Colombe on the Wednesday in the three-mile Novice Chase and Teahupoo in the Stayers’ Hurdle on Thursday. I think stepping up in trip has brought around huge improvement for him, I fancied him for the Champion Hurdle last year to be placed but the ground was too quick for him but if it’s what we call in Ireland a yielding ground he should be ok stepping up to three-mile in a wide open division I think he’s got a big, big chance,” he says.
You may not need to be a major horseracing fan to appreciate the magic of Cheltenham, but it does have a tendency to get people invested in horseracing. Even if it’s only for those few precious days in the month of March, it’s hard to replicate that in other sports.
“It’s the cream of the crop from Ireland and England, and it’s the Olympic Games of racing. When everyone gets involved in racing they dream of their winners and there are more dreams dashed in Cheltenham than there are made.
“It’s a unique place, whether you’re an owner or a trainer you dream of having a winner at the Cheltenham Festival,” Robbie says.
BoyleSports are offering money back as a free bet on all losers on the first race of the festival, the Supreme Novices Hurdle. What better way to start an Epic Cheltenham?
Epic Cheltenham with BoyleSports. Epic Offers On Every Race, every day.
Featured Image Credit: Robbie PowerTopics: Ireland
Shane Winckworth