cheltenham 2009

by Niamh Walsh

The 2009 Cheltenham Festival kicked off this year with the going declared good to soft on the opening morning of the week long event. The storms which hampered the 2008 festival remained at bay but heavy showers threatened the field in the opening days. However, weather remained fine throughout the week and all four days of the festival progressed without trouble.

Blow to Irish hopes

Irish hopes took a blow before the first day, with Seizing Europe out of the Champion Hurdle due to transit fever and 2006 winner War Of Attrition being withdrawn from Fridays Gold Cup.

Kicking Off

The opening day was a mixed event for the Irish. Paddytheplasterer was first home in the Arkle Challenge Trophy but Irish favouite Binocular missed out in the first big race of the day, making it home in third place in the Champion Hurdle.

The first day, however, saw Ruby Walsh take home the first of his historic seven wins at this years festival, winning on Quevaga in the last race of the day; the David Nicholson Mares’ Hurdle.

Day Two

The second day of the festival saw Ruby’s fine form continue as he took three more wins. The first was on Mikael Dhaguenet in the the Ballymore Properties Novice Hurdle. He immediately followed this up in the Royal Sun&Alliance Chase on Cooldine. And scored the hat trick straight after again in the Queen Mother Champion Chase on Master Minded.

Day Three

Often billed as the slowest day of the festival, day three saw punters the length and breadth of the country finally get their own back on the bookies as all the long shots of the day showed their true form. Two horses at 33/1 romped home, along with a 16/1 shot and an 8/1.

Walsh also continued his winning streak, bringing home Big Bucks at 13/2 in the World Hurdle.

The Big One

The last and biggest day of the festival holds the race most gamblers and punders wait the entire year for; The Cheltenham Gold Cup. The Irish have a great tradition with this race; mainly winning it.

This year most Irish hopes were on Kauto Star; the added bonus being that he was being ridden by the seemingly invincible Ruby Walsh. With odds of 7/4 the bookies thought so too.

Number Six

Walsh decided to up the ante by rocking home on his sixth win of the festival, the long shot American Trilogy at 20/1, two races before the Gold Cup. So as the horses made their way to the start of the 2009 Gold Cup, punters all asked themselves the same question; will it be Kauto Star?

Walsh rode a tough three miles but Kauto Star rocked home bringing with him the joys and cheers of all Irish present. Kauto Star won the big race for the Irish and Ruby Walsh won his seventh race of the week at the 2009 Cheltenham Festival, a record for the event.