A Champion Crowned As A Champion Bows Out

CHELTENHAM, UK–It is a rare moment when a beaten horse elicits a more rousing reception than a winner, but then Tiger Roll (Ire) (Authorized {Ire}) is the rarest of beasts. An enigma sometimes, but scintillating on his many days in the sun, he retires a proper champion of a horse after giving his all for one final run in relentless rain. 

Nobody could claim that the Glenfarclas Cross Country Chase is a championship race – in fact there are those who call for its exclusion from the Festival – but the quirky up-hill-down-dale marathon contest is one that has seen one of the most popular horses in training at his very best over the years. Tiger Roll has won the race three times since 2018, and going into this swansong year for one last hurrah it looked very much like the script had been read and understood. Indeed, it had been by Tiger Roll, who despite the sodden ground looked dead set on giving the Cheltenham faithful the result they longed to see. But his younger stable-mate Delta Work (Fr) (Network {Ger}), who was promoted to favourite as the rain continued to fall, decided to play the role of party-pooper. 

With Tiger Roll skipping round in his usual workmanlike manner in the hands of Davey Russell, the master of the National Hunt weighing-room, the duo led the field a merry dance through the final lap, but danger loomed as Delta Work and Jack Kennedy came to challenge over the final flight, setting up a battle royal up the stamina-sapping run-in. At the line, the 12-year-old Tiger Roll, a five-time winner at the Festival and a dual Grand National hero, was but a length down, giving Michael O'Leary's Gigginstown House Stud and Gordon Elliott a truly memorable quinella.

“Tiger is the horse of a lifetime and he's going to have a brilliant retirement back at Gigginstown,” said Elliott as both horses were welcomed back to the winner's enclosure in tandem.

“He's been with us for nine years now, we've always had faith in him and we've really enjoyed today. Tiger made it the race it was. In one way I'm delighted with the one-two, but if he'd won that would have been really special. But I'm delighted with him and he got the reaction he deserved.”

Eight years ago, on just the third start of his life, Tiger Roll landed his first win at Cheltenham in the G1 JCB Triumph Hurdle over two miles. Three years later he took the National Hunt Chase over double the distance under Elliott's assistant Lisa O'Neill before returning 12 months on to win his first Cross Country Chase followed by his first Grand National just a month after that. He bows out having won 13 of his 44 starts, but the stats don't really do the little horse justice. The son of a Derby winner, bred for the Flat and bought initially to race for Sheikh Mohammed, he was considered surplus to requirements at Godolphin and was sold unraced for just £10,000 to Nigel Hawke, who trained him to win on his debut before he changed stables again.

“He is a great horse and he has got a fitting send-off,” said Russell, who rode Tiger Roll to both his Grand National victories. “I always felt Jack breathing down my neck and I would say the rain and the ground just caught us out as Delta Work is very effective on that ground and I'd say Tiger is not as effective on it.

“He went down on his sword the way he deserved to go down. You can see the public are fantastic. It doesn't matter where they are from they are cheering both horses. It is such a marvellous sport we have and we are so lucky. He is just a marvellous horse.”

In eight appearances at the Cheltenham Festival, Tiger Roll has finished in the first two on seven occasions to force his way into the hearts of those who make the annual pilgrimage to the Cotswolds. It will be a while before we see his like again – or hear a winning favourite booed over the line.

Mullins Leads The Irish Charge

Willie Mullins, a man as urbane as he is successful, extended his comfortable lead at the head of the Cheltenham Festival trainers' roll of honour, with another three victories on Wednesday to add to his win in Tuesday's finale. For Mullins, winning races comes as naturally as breathing, but a glaring omission in his well-rounded curriculum vitae had been the G1 Queen Mother Champion Chase. Thanks to Energumene (Fr) (Denham Red {Fr}) that is no longer the case.

The race had been billed as one of the clashes of the week but a variety of factors led to Wednesday's feature being as damp a squib as the racegoers dodging in and out of the rain that persisted throughout the afternoon. The ground, which was downgraded from good to soft, to soft, and then to heavy as the day wore on, was no hindrance to the winner, however, even though it apparently scuppered the chances of the only horse to have beaten him in more than two years, Shishkin (Ire) (Sholokhov {Ire}). From the off, Energumene's main rival was never travelling and his usually exuberant jumping folded in the heavy going. Sensibly, Shishkin, who has lit up the last two Festivals with his authoritative victories in the G1 Supreme Novices' Hurdle and G1 Arkle Trophy, was pulled up by Nico de Boinville soon after the eighth fence. Disappointing but no disaster.

With another of the leading lights, Chacun Pour Soi (Fr) (Policy Maker {Ire}), taking a tumble five fences from home to further weaken the field, Energumene crept into contention after being hunted round toward the rear under a canny energy-saving ride from Paul Townend. He challenged eventual runner-up Funambule Sivola (Fr) (Noroit {Ger}) for the lead three out and thereafter the race was at his mercy, with the 8-year-old striding clear from the penultimate fence to win convincingly.

“He jumped so well, he got me into the race and I was able to fill up everywhere,” said Townend after riding his second winner of the day for Mullins, who is now the most successful trainer of all time at the Festival with 82 winners to his name. 

“Riding a Champion Chase winner for Willie is great. Ruby [Walsh] didn't leave many behind him but we are glad to pick up what scraps he left. We were out of luck yesterday but in luck today, so that's all right and everyone's in one piece.”

Jumping may be the name of the game at Cheltenham but arguably the race in which Mullins has been feared the most over the years is the G1 Weatherbys Champion Bumper, which traditionally brings the curtain down on Wednesday. In fact, the trainer even rode his first winner of the Festival bumper, Wither Or Which (Ire), in 1996, and he has trained another 11 winners of the race since then. The most recent is doubtless one to savour as Facile Vega (Ire) (Walk In The Park {Ire}) is the son of a Festival darling in the six-time G1 Mares' Hurdle winner Quevega (Fr) (Robin Des Champs {Fr}). 

“To me, the fact we had the dam and she was so good, and that he has come through and he looks to be as good as her is fantastic,” Mullins said. 

“He is very easy to train and we just keep a lid on him all the time. The only pressure I had with him was the pressure I put on myself. That's what I just see at home every day. This horse just travels and now you're seeing what I see. He really impressed me in Leopardstown and just impressed me again today. He's a real sort.”

The 5-year-old Facile Vega is now unbeaten in his three starts and his owners in the Hammer & Trowel Syndicate will be hoping he can follow a similar trajectory to his stable-mate and last year's Champion Bumper winner Sir Gerhard (Ire) (Jeremy). The Cheveley Park Stud representative has been beaten only once in his life and ensured the day started well for the Mullins team when winning the G1 Ballymore Novices' Hurdle.

Man On A Mission

Rumours of the death of British National Hunt racing appear to have been greatly exaggerated, certainly in the novice chasing division. Victory for Alan King in Tuesday's Arkle with Edwardstone (GB) (Kayf Tara {GB}) was followed by another five-time winner this season, the exciting L'Homme Presse (Fr) (Diamond Boy {Fr}), who slogged through the mud under jockey Charlie Deutsch in the manner expected of a Venetia Williams trainee to claim the G1 Brown Advisory Novice Chase from the Lucinda Russell-trained Ahoy Senor (Ire) (Dylan Thomas {Ire}).

“He has been absolutely fantastic,” said Williams. “All credit to Andy [Edwards, owner], who picked him out and has seen him right the way through to here. I'm just thrilled and honoured to have been the custodian of him.”

She continued, “Andy was recommended him when he had had two runs in France and he had ended up with a tendon injury. He was damaged goods at that point but with most tendon injuries if you do the right thing and give them time you can get them back. He joined me just a year after that injury in the September and he didn't have his first run for us until Grand National day.

“It was a long played-out story but here we are. He is a big horse and always looked like he was going to be a chaser. What a fabulous ride Charlie gave him, he did everything right. We can dream about anything now.”

Both Williams and Russell hold the rare distinction of having trained a Grand National winner and the two trainers, one based almost in Wales and the other in Scotland, are clearly great friends.

Russell, who struck on the first day with Corach Rambler (Ire) (Jeremy) in the G3 Ultima Handicap Chase, said sportingly after finishing second, “I'm delighted for Venetia. If I'm going to get beaten by anybody I'm happy that it's Venetia.”

The two women join Nicky Henderson, his former assistant Ben Pauling, and Alan King on the winners' sheet for Britain but, as widely expected, the Irish team has surged ahead after two days with eight winners on the board to the home team's six. At half-time in Cheltenham after a brutally wet day, every victory over the final two days will be hard earned. 

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Kettle Brings Cheltenham To The Boil For De Bromhead

Henry de Bromhead's magical week continued at Cheltenham when Put The Kettle On (Ire) (Stowaway {Ire}) added victory in the G1 Betway Queen Mother Champion Chase to the success of Honeysuckle (GB) (Sulamani {Ire}) and Rachael Blackmore in Tuesday's G1 Champion Hurdle. 

Both winners created a piece of National Hunt history, with Put The Kettle On becoming the first mare to win the Champion Chase, while Blackmore was the first woman to ride the winner of the Champion Hurdle. Notably, both mares had triumphed at the previous year's Festival, in the G1 Arkle Novices' Chase and G1 Close Brother Mares' Hurdle respectively.

Aidan Coleman was in the saddle for Put The kettle On's battling win, but Blackmore further embellished her own and de Bromhead's Cheltenham record with victory in the opening race of the day, the G1 Ballymore Novices' Hurdle, on favourite Bob Olinger (Ire) (Sholokhov {Ire}). And in a dominant front-running ride which drew plenty of praise, she guided Sir Gerhard (Ire) (Jeremy) to victory in the G1 Weatherbys Champion Bumper at the close of play. Remarkably, Sir Gerhard, who recently moved from the stable of Gordon Elliott to Willie Mullins, was the third consecutive winner of the bumper for Cheveley Park Stud following Envoi Allen (Fr) (Muhtathir {GB}), who is odds-on favourite for Thursday's G1 Marsh Novices' Chase, and Ferny Hollow (Ire) (Westerner {GB}). What goes up usually comes down, however, and amid the glory of the day, Blackmore also took three falls from which she emerged thankfully unscathed.

Henry de Bromhead, who first won the Champion Chase a decade ago with Sizing Europe (Ire) and then again in 2017 with Special Tiara (GB), admitted that his latest winner of the race, who is owned by the One For Luck Racing Syndicate, has a touch of madness to match her tenacity.

He said, “She's an incredible mare. I'm delighted for the Dermodys and the syndicate. Mary Dermody is the matriarch of it and it's just brilliant. Stuff you dream about! She's so tough and Aidan was just brilliant on her. He really asked at the last three fences, and it was probably the winning of the race.”

De Bromhead added, “A couple of weeks ago she was a bit quiet and we freshened her up as much as we could, and she seemed much better, but she arrived here and was back to what we expected her to be doing; just crazy. She's mad. I have to say, everyone at home but especially Andrea, who looks after her and puts up with her antics every day, it will be very special for her. She's just a bit crackers the whole time, to be honest, she's just quite wild, but a real character.”

Now seven, Put The Kettle On, for all her high jinks, is also highly consistent. The winner of nine of her 16 races, and in the first three for another five, she has a particular liking for jump racing's HQ and has won on all four of her appearances at Cheltenham. 

In a performance that was as brave as it was bold, Put The Kettle On was prominent throughout the two-mile contest, with the only wobble coming at the third-last fence. Having lunged at it, she managed to stay on her feet and led a packed field turning into the straight, with the Willie Mullins-trained odds-on favourite Chacun Pour Soi (Fr) (Policy Maker {Ire}) edging up her inner on the rail to grab the lead towards the the last. His challenge was short-lived, however, as the mare fought back up the hill and Nube Negra (Spa) (Dink {Fr}), finally being able to get a clear run, battled home for an unlucky second as Chacun Pour Soi faded into third.

“How she improves for being here,” said de Bromhead. “[In] mid-February I was probably leaning towards the mares' chase, and then I spoke to the owners and we looked at the stats of the Arkle winners, which seemed ridiculous, and it's her trip and she loves the Old Course, so we thought we'd give it a lash and see.”

Aidan Coleman paid tribute to his mount, adding, “Her tenacity and attitude is something to behold. It is a privilege to be associated with her. I've ridden her in four races and when she came over in November I rode her out a couple of times.

“She doesn't give you anything easy but when you are on her side you couldn't have a more willing partner. I think if you put someone else on her, her guts would still be there and I think she would win without me but I'm going to stay on her.”

He continued, “These championship races are the ones you grow up watching. If you are lucky to ride in them it's fantastic and if you win one it's even better.”

Put The Kettle On's victory followed the extraordinary tape-to-post victory of 33/1 shot Heaven Help Us (Ire) (Yeats {Ire}) for trainer/breeder Paul Hennessy in the G3 Coral Cup. The two mares provided some respite for the bookmakers following the victories of odds-on favourites in the first races of the day.

While Bob Olinger got the better of the Willie Mullins trainee Gaillard Du Mesnil (Fr) (Saint Des Saints {Fr}) in the opener, Mullins gained his revenge in the G1 Brown Advisory Novices' Chase with the 1/4 favourite Monkfish (Ire). The giant chestnut gelding provided the first half of a Grade 1 double for his late sire Stowaway (Ire) and, though not as imperious in victory as his fans may have expected, he extended his winning streak to seven races stretching back to December 2019, including last year's G1 Albert Bartlett Novices' Hurdle. The 7-year-old Monkfish is now as short as 9/2 for next year's Cheltenham Gold Cup.

Tiger Provides The Missing Roar

In a normal year, Tiger Roll (Ire) (Authorized {Ire}) winning at the Cheltenham Festival for the fifth time should be the feelgood result of the week. On an equine level it is. Now 11, the little horse bred for the Flat first came to the Festival as a 4-year-old and won the G1 Triumph Hurdle for Gigginstown House Stud on only the third start of his life. In the intervening years he has also won the G2 National Hunt Chase as well as three Glefarclas Cross Country Chases in seven appearances at Cheltenham in March, not to mention clinching two Grand Nationals.

To widespread regret, two weeks ago his trainer Gordon Elliott was banned for six months for bringing the sport into disrepute when a photograph emerged on social media of him sitting astride the deceased horse Morgan (Ire), who won four races in the same colours as Tiger Roll.

Last year Tiger Roll was denied the chance to attempt to equal Red Rum's record of three Grand National wins when the Aintree meeting was lost in the Covid-enforced shutdown of racing in Britain for two months. In his three previous starts this season he has appeared lacklustre and, just days before Elliott's licence was suspended by the Irish Horseracing Regulatory Board, Tiger Roll's owner Michael O'Leary announced that he would be withdrawn from this year's Grand National citing an unfair weight burden allocated by the British handicapper.

Back at Cheltenham which, as a number of results so far this week underline is a track where the saying 'horses for courses' applies like no other, Tiger Roll was back to his old self in the quirkiest race of the week. Over three miles and six furlongs, skipping over banks, and hopping a variety of 32 obstacles on the twisting course, he showed every bit of his old zest to post an 18-length victory over last year's winner and the sole French-trained runner of the week, Easysland (Fr) (Gentlewave {Ire}). 

Keith Donoghue, who has been aboard Tiger Roll for all three of his cross-country wins at the Festival, said, “He really came alive. We said we'd change the tactics with him today—we'd jump him out, take a lead, sit him second or third and make up his mind today. He came alive and he jumped brilliantly. I was in control of the race after halfway; he was just in his comfort zone, and when Tiger comes alive like that, you don't take him back.”

He added, “He's a very, very good horse, but is it the cross-country jumps that make the best of him? I'm not sure he'd be as good over park fences or hurdles. We don't know, but we think there's something about the cross-country fences that sparks him up, and obviously the National fences do the same. When Tiger Roll is on a going day, it takes a very good horse to beat him.”

What should have been one of the happiest days of Elliott's career, bringing this hugely popular jumper back to peak form for his fifth Festival victory, instead comes during a period of deep shame for the trainer. Tiger Roll's latest win will go down in the name of Denise Foster, who has temporarily taken over the licence at Elliott's Cullentra House stable, as did Tuesday's victory of Black Tears (GB) (Jeremy) in the G1 Close Brothers Mares' Hurdle. 

Tiger Roll, however, remains a horse for the people, and truly one for the ages. 

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Cheveley Park Stud Move Horses From Gordon Elliott

Richard Thompson of Cheveley Park Stud has confirmed that the operation will be removing eight horses from the stable of Gordon Elliott, who is currently under investigation by the Irish Horseracing Regulatory Board (IHRB) following the publication of a disturbing photograph of the trainer sitting astride a dead horse.

Envoi Allen (Fr) (Muhtathir {GB}), unbeaten in 11 races and widely regarded as the best novice chaser in training, will switch to the stable of Henry de Bromhead, who already trains the Grade 1-winning chaser A Plus Tard (Fr) (Kapgrade {Fr}) for Cheveley Park Stud. De Bromhead will also take charge of the unbeaten juvenile hurdler Quilixios (GB) (Maxios {GB}), while one of the leading hopes for the Champion Bumper, Sir Gerhard (Ire) (Jeremy), will now be trained by Willie Mullins.

“We've made a decision this morning to move the horses from Gordon's yard. We have eight and they will go between Henry de Bromhead and Willie Mullins. We are organising it right now,” said Thompson in an interview with Gina Bryce on Sky Sports Racing on Tuesday. 

“I think with trainers like Henry and Willie, and with the Cheveley team headed by Chris, we've got real professionals on the job to be able to hopefully resolve this very quickly and it should be very smooth. That is what we are hoping for.”

For decades, Cheveley Park Stud has been one of Britain's leading owner/breeders on the Flat. The stud's Patricia Thompson owned the 1992 Grand National winner Party Politics (GB) and in recent seasons the family's distinctive red, white and blue silks have been seen aboard a high-class string of jumpers trained in Ireland. 

At last year's Cheltenham Festival Cheveley Park Stud celebrated two Grade 1 victories, with Envoi Allen in the Ballymore Novices' Hurdle and Ferny Hollow (Ire) (Westerner {GB}) in the Champion Bumper. This followed three wins at the 2019 Festival, one from each of the Elliott, Mullins and de Bromhead stables. This National Hunt season Cheveley Park Stud has already been represented by four Grade 1 winners and has a strong hand heading into the Cheltenham Festival in a fortnight's time. 

The IHRB confirmed on Tuesday morning that its referrals committee would convene on Friday, Mar. 5 to hear evidence pertaining to the Gordon Elliott investigation. 

The disturbing photograph which first came to public attention on Saturday evening has caused widespread dismay throughout the racing industry worldwide. Ruby Walsh, the former multiple champion jump jockey in Ireland, aired his opinion on the subject on television on Tuesday.

“A picture paints a thousand words, but I think that picture only painted one—and that's 'indefensible',” said Walsh on RTE.

“When I looked at it, I felt angry, I felt embarrassed for my sport and I felt very sad. I was always taught that the duty of care to the animal is as much when it is dead as it is when it is alive. That is the way I was taught to conduct myself, and it's the way I assumed most people within my sport would conduct themselves.”

He added, “As a licensed trainer, jockey or an employee of a stable yard, you are representing the horse racing industry, and the onus is on you to act in a manner that is good for the image of racing.”

The Irish Racehorse Trainers Association also voiced its disapproval in a statement which read, “The Irish Racehorse Trainers Association (IRTA) utterly condemns the image that emerged over the weekend. As one of our most prominent and successful members, Gordon has a duty of care to his horses and this great sport but he has let down both himself and horse racing.

“However, we acknowledge his apology and recognise what is a very difficult time for him both professionally and personally.”

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