Format brings extra Irish pleasure

Festival round-up: After Ireland's best year at Cheltenham, Brian O'Connor reports that the four-day structure will continue for at least two more years

Any complaints about the new four-day festival format appear to have been drowned out in the aftermath of Ireland's best tally of winners at Cheltenham.

Fota Island's success in the Grand Annual for Mouse Morris and Paul Carberry ultimately brought the total to nine which eclipsed the 1958 total of eight when races were divided.

With Hardy Eustace, Moscow Flyer and Kicking King successful in the three major championship races, Irish dominance was confirmed on every level and the Cheltenham authorities are predicting a positive impact on next year.

The track's managing director Edward Gillespie said yesterday the four-day format will continue at least for the next two years after which a review will take place.

"Three years will allow us take a broad look at how it has worked. It will give us different scenarios like weather changes, possible economic changes and all outside influences," he said.

"But we are entirely positive about this. We had crowds of 55,000 on the first three days, which were slightly down, but everyone said how lovely it was to be able to move around the place. So my recommendation will be keep a 55,000 limit for the first three days in future and maybe increase the prices.

"I know the Tote has been slightly down but that is part of the supply here and when you look at it, our product is up over the four days. Our total attendance has been 231,000 which is 35,000 up on last year," Gillespie added.

Plenty of yesterday's 66,767 attendance were on Fota Island who overcame persistent interference from a loose horse between the last two fences to beat Bambi De L'Orme and Graham Lee.

"The loose horse was a worry because I didn't know which way to go to avoid him. He went one way, then the other, and at the last I sat behind him in case he decided to run out," said Carberry.

That triumph wasn't enough to depose Graham Lee from the top of the jockeys' table at the festival however and the Galway-born rider edged out Robert Thornton, who also had three winners, on placed efforts.

Thornton had put in a late spurt by winning the JCB Triumph Hurdle on the unbeaten Penzance and following up on the Francois Doumen-trained Moulin Riche in the Brit Insurance Novice Hurdle.

"Penzance has made my week," said Thornton, who just held off the persistent challenge of Faasel by a head in a Triumph where Strangely Brown did best of the Irish in sixth.

Thornton received a lot of praise from Doumen after Moulin Riche managed to hold off Over The Creek by two and a half lengths with the French trainer saying: "This kid has ridden him very well. I find it hard to win here so two (Kelami on Tuesday) means I have been spoiled."

Sleeping Night justified favouritism in the Foxhunters under the Cork-born rider Colma Sweeney while Fontanesi almost won the concluding County Hurdle with owner David Johnson absent.

"I was on my way home in the helicopter and had to come back. I saw him picking up and I knew he would stay on," said Johnson, who also won Tuesday's Arkle Trophy with Contraband.

Both Nicky Henderson and Howard Johnson topped the trainers' table for the festival with three winners each but Johnson won out by virtue of earning more prize-money.