After Third Wind’s win in the Pertemps Final on Day 3 I was always going to have a profitable Cheltenham. Day 4 was all about how profitable. My main focus was the Gold Cup (A Plus Tard and Minella Indo see above) and the final race, the Martin Pipe Hurdle where I strongly fancied Langer Dan who had targeted this race since he was second last year. To titillate my jaded palate I did a series of doubles and a treble on the favourites in the first three races. The first two won, Vauban at 6-4 and State Man at 5-2. Consequently there was a considerable amount riding on the third leg, Ginto, who I had backed at 3-1. He cruised into contention (writing about sport demands the odd cliché) between the last two flights and was clearly going to win easily. However, before he reached the last hurdle he broke down horribly on the flat and it was obvious he had fractured a leg. It cast a pall over the rest of the day – and I don’t just mean financially (I’m used to losing on horses that should have won).
Next up was the Cheltenham Gold Cup. I backed the two horses I had backed last year again this year. Last year Minella Indo outstayed A Plus Tard in a tight finish. This year, Rachel Blackmore, riding the latter, timed her challenge better and she won easily. The pace was not as strong as last year and so the speed of the winner trumped the stamina of the runner-up. In addition to my individual bets on the two horses I bagged a very lucrative forecast (it paid just over 22-1). So my financial discomfiture over the untimely demise of Ginto was somewhat eased as I headed towards the last race where I was confident that Langer Dan would augment my winnings.
Need I tell you dear reader that in horse racing pride truly comes before a fall. There were 23 runners in the Martin Pipe hurdle which makes for a great deal of traffic issues as they head helter skelter for the first few hurdles. I had laid off a few bob on the De Bromhead horse Grand Jury in the same race as insurance – he was a generous 22-1. At the second flight the useless lump fell and in so doing brought down Langer Dan who was playing his usual waiting game at the back of the field.
For fuck’s sake. The icing was summarily removed from my cake. But you know something, aside from the unfortunate Ginto, it was a most enjoyable and reasonably profitable four days. The Olympics of jump racing with less drugs. Ok, Journey for Me fell at the last hurdle in the Ballymore on Day 2 and Indefatigable, at a fancy price, also departed late when challenging in the Mare’s Hurdle on the same day. But coulda, shoulda is all part of the fun.
