Champion Hurdle
The Champion Hurdle was notable for the
victory of Istabraq, who justified odds of 8/15 to win the race for
the third year running. Owned by John P. MCManus, trained by Aidan
O’Brien and ridden by Charlie Swan, the 8-year-old quickened clear
in the closing stages for an impressive, 4-length win over Hors La
Loi III. In so doing, he became just the fifth horse – after
Hattons’s Grace (1951), Sir Ken (1954), Persian War (1970) and See
You Then (1987) – to win the Champion Hurdle three times.
Queen Mother Champion Chase
The Queen Mother Champion Chase
featured a dramatic finish between Edredon Bleu, trained by Henrietta
Knight and ridden by A.P. McCoy, and Direct Route, trained by Howard
Johnson and ridden by Norman Williamson. Having jumped well
throughout, Edredon Bleu was sent for home with four fences to jump
and, although collared on the run-in by Direct Route, rallied bravely
to win by a short head, with favourite Flagship Uberalles a further 6
lengths away in third. To add insult to injury, Norman Williamson
received a ten-day ban for using his whip in the wrong place.
Stayers’ Hurdle
The Stayers’ Hurdle was won, in
workmanlike style, by Bacchanal, owned by Lady Lloyd-Webber, trained
by Nicky Henderson and ridden by Mick Fitzgerald. The 6-year-old
tackled the long-time leader Limestone Lad approaching the last
flight and, despite wandering on the run-in, stayed on well to win by
a length.
Cheltenham Gold Cup
The Cheltenham Gold Cup had the
distinction of being run in a new record time, 6 minutes 30.3
seconds, and was won by Looks Like Trouble, owned by Michael
Worcester, trained by Noel Chance and ridden by Richard Johnson.
Despite blundering at the tenth fence, the 8-year-old jumped boldly –
on occasions, almost recklessly – for most of the way and stayed on
gamely on the run-in to beat Florida Pearl by 5 lengths.
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