Cherry’s Cheltenham
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| Amicelli, ridden by Ollie Greenall, jumps the last fence to land the Christies Foxhunters Chase at the Cheltenham Festival. Picture: Alec Russell |
WHEN you've got jump racing coursing through your veins, and when you come from Ryedale's most famous racing family, if you're going to spring a surprise, there's only one way place to do it - the prestigious Cheltenham Festival.
For four days every March, Cheltenham celebrates and embraces National Hunt racing, with an atmosphere and a level of competition which remain head and shoulders over any other meeting during the season.
To have a Cheltenham winner is something special. Just ask Cherry Coward, who, last week, with her first-ever runner at the Festival, produced the sort of surprise, which strayed into the territory of a fairytale.
A daughter of none other than Mick Easterby, whose only Cheltenham Festival success came 32 years ago, courtesy of the Jonjo O'Neill-ridden Peterhof in the Triumph Hurdle, Cherry, who trains 15 point-to-pointers at Scackleton, near Hovingham, skilfully produced Amicelli to clinch the Christies Foxhunter Challenge Cup.
The odds? He was a 33-1 chance, but for those who backed him on the Tote, he returned a 50-1 win dividend.
Twice a winner of point-to-points in Yorkshire in the last month, Amicelli, formerly a decent campaigner under Rules for Minehead trainer Philip Hobbs, travelled and jumped for fun in this three-and-a-quarter miles test, which is fittingly, known as the amateur riders' Gold Cup, coming, as it does, on the back of Cheltenham's most prized event, which this year was won in scintillating style by Denman.
Although Amicelli is no Denman, he still proved himself to be a talented customer. And, in winning by a decisive six lengths, after taking up the running approaching the second-last fence, he highlighted the riding talents of Oliver Greenall, whose own father, Peter - nowadays better-known as Lord Daresbury, and as the chairman of Aintree racecourse - had won the same race 30 years ago as an intrepid amateur on the Arthur Stephenson-trained Timmie's Battle.
As the owner of Amicelli, he was over the moon at the outcome, as was Cherry Coward.
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| Annemasse, pictured winning at Haydock Park last season, will be having his first run for trainer Richard Fahey in Saturday's Lincoln Handicap. Picture: Alec Russell |
"It's hard to believe. It hasn't really sunk-in yet. It's like winning the Gold Cup," said Cherry, whose voice was on the wane earlier this week. "I think that's a delayed reaction to what happened," she joked.
"Just to have a horse good enough to take to Cheltenham, and to have a runner there, was great. For him to win, well, that was something else. I expected him to run well, and I would have been delighted if he'd finished in the first six."
Coward was full of praise for the 21-year-old Greenall, whose elder brother Thomas finished seventh in the same race aboard the Paul Nicholls-trained Lou De Moulin Mas, a well-fancied 7-1 chance.
"Oliver has been riding lots of winners in points and he gave this horse a magical ride," said Cherry, who added, "What was nice was, that if you look back on the replay of the race, as Oliver was crossing the line, Thomas, back in the field, realised he'd won and punched the air in delight before carrying on riding. It was a great moment for two brothers."
Amicelli, described by Coward as "a nice little person" and "a real gent" will not be sent to the forthcoming Aintree meeting to bid for the Foxhunters double, which takes place over the formidable Grand National fences.
"I think he's too neat a jumper for those fences, and anyway, Aintree would come too quick for him. I think you need a very tough horse to try and do the double," she explained.
Back in Sheriff Hutton, Mick Easterby was breaking open the champagne to celebrate the victory of Amicelli, no doubt remembering the day, back in 1976, when Peterhof scored at 10-1.
"I wasn't at Cheltenham when Peterhof won, but I remember it," said Cherry Coward, who will certainly remember the day Amicelli won for the rest of her life.
"It was really nice that when we went point-to-pointing last Saturday and Sunday, lots of people came up to congratulate us, some of whom had backed him," she said. "It was lovely. But you've got to enjoy those moments. Cheltenham was great, we proved we could do it, and we did enjoy it, but at Dalton Park on Sunday, we lost a horse in a point-to-point. This game is great leveller."
Malcolm Jefferson may not have had a winner at Cheltenham, but the Norton trainer had cause for celebration after both his long-priced runners performed with great credit to figure among the prize money.
According To Pete belied his 33-1 odds by finishing third under Fergus King in the 24-runner Pertemps Hurdle Final, picking up a prize of more than £8,5000, while Calatagan scooped just under £10,000 for finishing third at 50-1 in the Grand Annual Chase.
Come Cheltenham another year, Jefferson might well have a serious contender in Cape Tribulation. An impressive winner on his debut at Market Rasen earlier this month, the four-year-old followed-up in equally stylish fashion at Uttoxeter last Saturday to prove himself a high-class bumper horse.
The Championship Bumper at Aintree might well be now a temptation too strong to resist for Jefferson and owner David Abell for a horse who looks a very exciting prospect indeed. The sky is the limit for him, no matter what course his career takes.
Blythe Knight, who finished out of the money in last week's Champion Hurdle, heads to Doncaster on Saturday to compete - without obstacles - in the first major handicap of the new Flat turf season.
The £125,000 William Hill Lincoln Handicap is a race totally familiar to Blythe Knight, who won it in 2006, when it was run at Redcar, and who finished ninth last year, when it was staged at Newcastle.
The best horse in Saturday's field, he has been allotted top-weight, and John Quinn has booked apprentice Barry McHugh, who is attached to Richard Fahey's yard to take the mount and reduce his burden by 7lb.
"He'll be running off a mark of 110, so it makes sense to claim off him, and Barry, who is entitled to the full allowance, has had plenty of experience," explained Quinn. "The ground was a bit sticky for him at Cheltenham, but when his chance had gone, Dougie (Costello, his jockey) didn't give him a hard time. He's come out of it well and, as he's fit, he may as well take his chance on Saturday as there's nothing else for him for at least a month."
Rio Riva, narrowly beaten by Very Wise in last year's Lincoln, is aiming to go one better on Saturday for Norton trainer Julie Camacho. Having looked unlucky 12 months ago, having had a poor draw in the race, the gelding is likely to be a popular fancy among punters to set the record straight.
"We were delighted with his run last year and he seems to be in good form this time around," said Camacho this week. "He's a horse who goes well fresh and the straight mile at Doncaster won't be a problem. The more rain we get, the better it is for him."
Richard Fahey will be represented in Flat-racing's traditional curtain-raiser by Annemasse, the mount of Paul Hanagan.
Previously trained by Mark Johnston at Middleham, the four-year-old boasts some solid form, having won twice last season and run some mighty races in defeat in the Britannia Handicap at Royal Ascot and the Cambridgeshire at Newmarket.
"His run in the Cambridgeshire, where he was only beaten six lengths in the end, was a cracking effort for a three-year-old," said Fahey, who secured Annemasse for 45,000gns at the autumn sales.
"We're still learning about him, but he's a very likeable horse and everything we've asked him to do at home so far, he's done," added the Malton trainer.
Success for one of the Ryedale horses would bring with it an added bonus for stable staff from the winning yard.
This year, because the Lincoln falls on Easter Saturday, the sponsors are providing the successful stable with the winning jockey's weight in chocolate Easter eggs!
The Lincoln forms the centrepiece of a seven-race card at Doncaster, which kicks-off the turf campaign, which will run until early November.
1:08pm Thursday 20th March 2008
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