Racing

Cheltenham: Empire strikes back on Ireland’s least successful day

Alex Ferguson and Harry Redknapp among the winners on day three of festival

Alex Ferguson, owner of Monmiral, and John Hales celebrate winning the Pertemps Network Final at Cheltenham. Photograph: Adam Davy/PA Wire

Frank McNally's face
Frank McNally at Cheltenham
Thu Mar 14 2024 - 20:17

The failure of this year’s Cheltenham to coincide with St Patrick’s Day was only a minor inconvenience for the festival marketeers, who were determined to enrol Ireland’s national saint in proceedings one way or other.

Strictly speaking, according to the church calendar, March 14th is the feast of St Matilda of Ringelheim, a 10th century Saxon noblewoman. But Matilda is not known for her ability to boost sales of beer or racecourse tickets.

So, falling back on an old reliable, festival hosts instead came up with something called ‘St Patrick’s Thursday’, a moveable feast they hoped might boost the profile of the festival’s lowest-profile instalment.

Many racegoers took the cue, donning 40 shades of green – including some premature shamrock – for the occasion. But judging by the race results, the saint himself was less impressed. This was easily Ireland’s least successful day so far.

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If there was a holy man influencing outcomes on Thursday, it must have been the 19th century Italian priest Luigi Scrosoppi, who a few years ago was named the first ever patron saint of footballers.

His feast is not until April 4th. But three weeks early he may also have been directing events on St Patrick’s Thursday, when two former football managers, Alex Ferguson and Harry Redknapp, between them won three of the seven races.

Although Ferguson owns or co-owns more than 30 horses, he had never won in Cheltenham before. Then, in scenes reminiscent of the 1999 Champions League final, his team scored twice in quick succession, against the run of play.

First it was the grey Monmiral, which came from the back of the field to win the Pertemps Handicap Hurdle. The horse had been so far off the pace at one point it looked like Big Sam Allardyce – who watched the race alongside Ferguson in the parade ring – might have to intervene to save it from relegation.

But in what used to be called “Fergie Time”, Monmiral came with a late run to win. Considered a no-hoper, the horse had started at 25-1 and, as jockey Harry Cobden joked afterwards, “should have been 125-1” on known form.

This time, however, it was wearing blinkers (something that always served Ferguson well as a manager, especially when commenting of referees’ decisions). It seemed to have a transformative effect.

Ferguson had two horses in the next race and was optimistic about the chances of one called Hitman. But, in the event, the only thing Hitman hit was the fences.

Whereas the other Ferguson horse, Protektorat, hit the front three from home and went on to win in style, four lengths clear of the Irish favourite, Envoi Allen, on which not even jockey Rachel Blackmore could bridge the gap.

That made it three British wins in the first three races, the artificial greening of March 14th having made way in the opener to a horse called Grey Dawning – well named for the day’s weather – which gave English trainer Dan Skelton his third success of the week.

Dan Skelton celebrates with joint owner of Protektorat, Ged Mason, as Alex Ferguson looks on following their victory in the Ryanair Steeple Chase. Photograph: Mike Egerton/PA Wire.

Skelton was up to four wins by the third race, thanks to Protektorat, and beginning to threaten even Willie Mullins, who could not add to his total on Thursday, on the trainers’ league table.

It was not until the day’s feature event, the Stayers’ Hurdle, that Ireland reasserted dominance when favourite Teahupoo gave Meath trainer Gordon Elliott his first win of the week.

If St Patrick was not directly implicated in that result, there was at least some suggestion of religious influence. Robert Acheson, son of the winning owner, admitted afterwards he had said a prayer in the race’s later stages and promised “to go to mass once a month for the next year” if Teahupoo won.

Even so, the emotions of the horse’s Irish owners, trainer, and jockey (Jack Kennedy) were restrained compared to those of the French breeders Philip Prévost Baratte and his wife Julie.

Both wept from pride in “this wonderful horse”, a product of Normandy. Wiping away tears, Prévost Baratte also generously credited others for helping produce the animal, including the vet who “gave him birth”.

Among those in the parade ring before the big race was former minister for finance Charlie McCreevy, who has been coming to Cheltenham since the 1970s.

He was here for festivals when Ireland was lucky to have even a single winner and was philosophical about its pre-eminence of recent years. “These things are cyclical,” he said. “We’re on top now, but that’ll change eventually.”

It looked like it might be changing sooner than expected when the British winning streak from earlier in the day resumed in the shape of Shakem Up’Arry, named for owner Harry Redknapp. Then a horse called Golden Ace made it five from six for the home team.

Finally, the Gavin Cromwell-trained Inothewayurthinking justified favouritism in the day’s last race. But that was only Ireland’s second win of ‘St Patrick’s Thursday’. The rain was pouring down by then and the premature shamrock had been well and truly drowned.

Cheltenham FestivalWillie MullinsAlex Ferguson