Irish Delight at Cheltenham 2019
19 March 2019
The 2019 Cheltenham Festival will live long in the memory
for the many Irish involved, with headline success being enjoyed by both our
big names and smaller industry players. There were 15 Irish-bred winners, 14
Irish-trained winners, 11 Irish-sired winners, 10 Irish-bought winners, and 12
of the 14 Grade 1s were Irish-trained or Irish-bred. Take a look back on
Irish-bred success at the Cheltenham Festival 2019 and learn more about the
origins of some of national hunt racing’s brightest stars.
TUESDAY 12 MARCH 2019
BEWARE THE BEAR (IRE) ran out an
impressive winner of the Grade 3 Ultima Handicap Chase, showing grit to take
the three-mile contest in a 24-strong field. The Mrs Marilyn Syme-bred gelding is
a son of Burgage Stud resident Shantou, out of Native Bid (IRE), herself a
high-class mare who won three races including a Listed bumper. Native Bid (IRE)
has quite the Cheltenham Festival record as dam of Oscar Nominee (IRE) who
placed third in the Martin Pipe in 2012 and Stephaine Kate (IRE) who ran fifth
in the Mares’ Hurdle in 2011. BEWARE THE BEAR (IRE), however, is by far the
best of Native Bid’s (IRE) runners. Now a nine-year-old, he was sourced at
Tattersalls Ireland November National Hunt Sale as a foal for €18,000.
ROKSANA (IRE) prevailed in a
dramatic renewal of the Grade 1 David Nicholson Mares' Hurdle. The talented Dan
Skelton trainee has been campaigned exclusively in black-type company this
season and has never finished out of the money, winning a Grade 2 event at Newbury
before running second to the highly regarded Santini in the Grade 1 Doom Bar
Sefton Novices' Hurdle at Aintree. Bred in Ireland by John O’Leary, she is out
of Talktothetail (IRE) who was a winner of her sole point-to-point before going
on to win twice more under rules.
WEDNESDAY 13 MARCH 2019
CITY ISLAND (IRE) found plenty under strong pressure up the
hill in the Grade 1 Ballymore Novices’ Hurdle to
give owners the Mulryan family victory in their sponsored race. This was a 100 percent Irish victory right
down to Champion Hurdle winning jockey Mark Walsh conjuring the decisive effort
from the saddle. Sired by Boardsmill Stud resident Court Cave (IRE), CITY
ISLAND (IRE) was bred by Kenneth Parkhill and picked up by County Kildare trainer
Martin Brassil as a store at the 2016 Tattersalls Ireland Derby Sale for
€31,000.
A neck second at this meeting a year ago in the Coral Cup,
TOPOFTHEGAME (IRE) went one better when just outstaying the much-touted Santini
by half a length in the Grade 1 RSA Novices’ Chase. Yet another major winner
for sire Flemensfirth of The Beeches Stud, this strapping seven-year-old, who
went unsold from breeder Patrick Kavanagh at the Tattersalls Ireland November
Sale in 2012, fetched €26,000 at the Goffs Land Rover Sale in 2015. A tilt at
the Gold Cup seems realistic on this evidence after another year’s
maturing.
The Irish-bred spree carried on in the Coral Cup when
WILLIAM HENRY (IRE) led right on the line to deny top-weight Wicklow Brave. Sired by the
late King’s Theatre (IRE), WILLIAM HENRY (IRE) twice passed through the
November Sale at Tattersalls Ireland, latterly as a yearling when breeder
Michael Carroll sold him to Highflyer Bloodstock for €60,000. He is a full
brother to Sesenta (IRE), the winner of €350,000 on the flat, with prizes including the 2009 Ebor Handicap at York.
In the Grade 1 Queen Mother Champion Chase, the banker of
the meeting ALTIOR (IRE) looked very much in trouble over the last flanked on
either side by Politologue and Sceau Royal, but somehow he found another gear
to record an 18th consecutive success – and ninth at the highest
level – to leave onlookers reaching for fresh superlatives to describe his
potency. Bred in County Laois by Paddy Behan, ALTIOR (IRE) is by the late High Chaparral (IRE)
out of the mare Monte Solaro and realised €60,000 at the Goffs Land Rover
store sale in 2013. Last year his three-parts brother by Milan made €365,000 at
the Tattersalls Ireland Derby Sale when selling to M V Magnier and Aiden
Murphy, a record price paid for a store in Ireland.
And from one legend to another as reigning Grand National
hero TIGER ROLL (IRE) recorded his fourth Festival success as if out
having a morning canter. A second successive victory in the Cross Country Chase
came by a mammoth margin of over 20 lengths and followed on from wins in the NH
Chase for amateur riders in 2017 and in the Triumph Hurdle five years ago.
Trainer Joseph O’Brien gained a first Festival
winner in his own name when BAND OF OUTLAWS (IRE) proved to have too many guns in the
Grade 3 Boodles Juvenile Handicap Hurdle. Rated
93 on the Flat last year over trips of a mile, the son of Kildangan Stud
stallion Fast Company (IRE) was
purchased by the trainer’s sister Sarah for €11,000 from County Kildare breeders
Kilnamoragh Stud at the Tattersalls Ireland September Yearlings in 2019.
THURSDAY 14 MARCH 2019
There were stirring celebrations from owner Andrew Gemmell
as PAISLEY PARK (IRE) proved a ready winner of the Grade 1 Stayers’ Hurdle for
Emma Lavelle and Aidan Coleman. Bred by the Conaghan family of Evergreen Stud
in Bruff, County Limerick, this son of Grange Stud’s Oscar (IRE) is out of
Presenting Shares (IRE) and sold for €12,500 as a foal to Richard E Rohan at
Tattersalls Ireland November Sale in 2012. He went through the ring again at
Goffs Land Rover Sale 2015, where he sold for €60,000 from Ballincurrig House Stud
to Gerry Hogan before entering training with Emma Lavelle. His Stayers’ win
made it five consecutive victories for PAISLEY PARK (IRE) this season, a run
that included the Grade 1 Long Walk Hurdle at Ascot and the Grade 2 Cleeve
Hurdle at Cheltenham.
FRIDAY 15 MARCH 2019
Almost exactly a year since winning his only Point to Point
start at Dromahane, MINELLA INDO (IRE) belied his relative inexperience to land
the Grade 1 Albert Bartlett Novices’ Hurdle under Rachael Blackmore. This was
just a fourth start under rules for the son of Ballylinch Stud's Beat Hollow and having only placed
in each of his previous three outings, he was rated a 50-1 in the betting. But
Henry de Bromhead’s six-year-old was always travelling with plenty of zest near
the front of the big field and was not for catching up the hill to win by two
lengths from Commander Of Fleet (IRE). MINELLA INDO (IRE) was picked up by John
Nallen for €24,000 at the Tattersalls Ireland November Sale as a foal from breeders the Lalors of Rathkenty, South Tipperary.
The Foxhunters Hunters’ Chase was a little easier to predict
as the favourite HAZEL HILL (IRE) sealed the deal with a prodigious leap at the
last fence to win by four lengths. It is a long time ago since the 11-year-old
could not meet his reserve of €10,000 for North Cork breeder Paddy Moakley when
passing through the ring at the Tattersalls Ireland August National Hunt Sale in 2012 and
he failed to win any of his first four races between the flags in Ireland
before switching to race in England. HAZEL HILL (IRE) is by Grange Stud
stallion Milan.
CROCO BAY (IRE) became the oldest winner of the week when
the 12-year-old kept finding under in the Grade 3 Grand Annual Chase. He passed
through the Tattersalls Ireland November Sale for just €4,200 as a foal when
sold by his County Cork breeder Dan Caverley and subsequently made €6,000 at
the Goffs Land Rover Sale. His earnings are now nudging €200,000.
Relive all the Irish action across the Festival in our Facebook photo album: https://goo.gl/HiKYdK