Easysland

 

At the time of writing, Easysland recently suffered his first defeat in eight cross-country steeplechases, when only fourth of seven finishers, at odds-on, in the Glenfarclas Cross Country Handicap Chase at Cheltenham in November 2020. However, in his defence, the six-year-old gelding had not been seen in public since winning the conditions version of the same race, the Glenfarclas Chase, at the Cheltenham Festival in March 2020, so almost certainly needed the run on his reappearance.

Indeed, following the impressive, 17-length victory over dual Grand National winner Tiger Roll at the Cheltenham Festival, Easysland was mooted as a potential Cheltenham Gold Cup contender. However, prior to his most recent defeat, Frank Berry, racing manager for owner J.P. McManus, had already stated that, while the Cheltenham Festival was the main objective for Easysland, he would be aimed, once again, at the Glenfarclas Chase, rather than the Gold Cup. Granted that Easysland fell three times over regulation obstacles earlier in his career and is still inclined to make the odd mistake, that may prove to be a shrewd decision for the time being.

Currently clear favourite for the Glenfarclas Chase at 9/4, Easysland could make those odds look very generous indeed by the time March 2021 rolls around, especially with his old rival Tiger Roll never travelling or jumping with any fluency when pulled up on his reappearance. With the possible exception of one-time Cheltenham Gold Cup favourite Presenting Percy, now in the care of Gordon Elliott, it is difficult to see which horse, if any, could possibly dethrone him.

Cheltenham Festival - Festival Trophy

The Festival Trophy is among the curtain-raising races taking place on the first day of every event of the annual Cheltenham festival. It combines both skill and amateur practice to set the pace for more intense events that follow in the race fixtures as competitions build up with the aim of a climax in the Gold Cup.

The race falls in the third grade of chase races on the Great Britain National Hunt calendar and admits horses of age five and above. The participating horses run on a handicap seeking to come out best over a 5,029 meter (3 mi 1 furlong) distance. The path on the left-handed turf course is dotted with 21 fence obstacles, making it one of the toughest races at the festival.

It takes more than just speed to win the Festival Trophy. With a long distance to cover, not-so-young
horses to ride and a more than generous number of obstacles, riders have to exploit every advantage at every point in the race. There are points where speed counts, while in others the braking is what matters most.

The reward for the gruelling task is a largely satisfied and cheerful crowd which often puts all
else aside to watch the race from start to finish. A generous purse of £105,000 from event sponsor Ultima was on offer in the most recent event, of which the winner took a share of close to £ 60,000.

The tough race conditions  prepare horses to take part in the equally challenging Grand National later on. Rough Quest, Royal Tan, and Team Spirit are some of the notable Festival Trophy winners that have gone on to win the National Hunt.

No single horse has won the race more than twice since its inception in 1947. Sentina (1957 & 1958), Scot Lane (1982 &1983) and Un Temps Pour Tout (2016 & 2017) hold a joint record of two
wins each. The possibility of Un Temps setting a new record in 2018 makes the event even more exciting.

Fulke Walwyn

 

Fulke Walwyn, who died in February, 1991, at the age of 80, is rightly remembered as one of the most successful National Hunt trainers of all time. As far as the Cheltenham Festival is concerned, Walwyn saddled 40 winners between 1946 and 1986, thereby setting a record that stood until finally surpassed by Nicky Henderson. Even today, Walwyn still ranks fourth in the all-time list of the most successful trainers at the Festival, behind Willie Mullins, Henderson and Paul Nicholls, all of whom are, of course, still training. Following his death, his name was added to the title of the Fulke Walwyn Kim Muir Challenge Cup, a handicap chase for amateur riders currently run on the third day of the Festival.

Of the four main 'championship' races at the Festival, the only one which Walwyn did not win was the Queen Mother Champion Chase. He won the Champion Hurdle twice, with Anzio in 1962 and Kirriemuirin 1965, the Stayers' Hurdle three times, with Crimson Embers, twice, in 1982 and 1986 and Rose Ravine in 1985 and the Cheltenham Gold Cup four times, with Mont Tremblant in 1952, Mandarin in 1962, Mill House in 1963 and The Dikler in 1973. Mill House, still only a six-year-old when he won the Gold Cup, was hailed as the best steeplechaser since Golden Miller, but the rest of his career was overshadowed by Arkle, who beat him in the Gold Cup in 1964 and 1965.

Biggest Cheltenham Festival Flops

The Cheltenham Festival regularly provides the most competitive racing in the British National Hunt calendar, so short-priced, even odds-on, losers are commonplace. Even so, from time to time, the public latches on to a horse which, for whatever reason, is backed as if defeat is out of the question. Of course, it isn’t, but such horses are often forced in to short, sometimes ludicrously short, prices. ‘Following the money’ can pay dividends, but can, equally, be a total disaster.

The most obvious recent example of a Cheltenham Festival ‘flop’ was Douvan, trained by Willie Mullins, in the Queen Mother Champion Chase in 2017. In a race that has had more than its fair share of odds-on losers down the years, Douvan was sent off at prohibitive odds of 2/9 to continue his unbeaten run, which stretched back 14 races over hurdles and fences. Even so, there were still takers, including one anonymous punter who reportedly placed a bet of £100,000/£500,000 at odds of 1/5. In any event, Douvan jumped poorly, was soon outpaced and trailed in seventh of the nine finishers, beaten 11¾ lengths, behind the winner Special Tiara.

Kasbah Bliss, trained in France by Francois Doumen, was a regular at the Cheltenham Festival in the Noughties, but having been beaten in the Triumph Hurdle and twice in the Stayers’ Hurdle – or the World Hurdle, as it was known at the time – he was surprising made odds-on favourite, at 10/11, for the latter race in 2009. The previous year, on the Old Course, he had failed by just a length to overhaul Inglis Drever, but the year before that, on the New Course, he had had his stamina limitations exposed when beaten 17 lengths by the same horse. Back on the New Course in 2008, he fared no better, weakening on the run-in to finish fourth, beaten 21 lengths, behind Big Buck’s.

Another fine Irish steeplechaser, Beef Or Salmon, trained by Michael Hourigan, had already been beaten three times in the Cheltenham Gold Cup, before he lined up, as 4/1 favourite, for the 2006 renewal. On his previous attempts he had fallen at the third fence in 2003, finished fourth, beaten 3½ lengths, behind Best Mate in 2004 and been tailed off when pulled up two out behind Kicking King in 2005. However, in the absence of Best Mate, who’d won for the previous years, he was suddenly considered favourite material. He wasn’t, finishing eleventh of nineteen, beaten 19 lengths behind War Of Attrition.